In an effort to meet President Obama’s greenhouse gas emissions goals, the Department of Energy is going after dishwashers. And if that sounds ridiculous to start, wait til you hear the details.
According to a recent proposal, the DOE wants each dishwasher to complete a load of dirty dishes using only 3.1 gallons of water, among other efficiency changes. Currently, 5 gallons are permitted, which is down from the 6.5 gallons that were standard before similar DOE regulations were passed in 2012.
Industry experts are now pushing back, and rightfully so. These regulations would do more harm than good for both the environment and American consumers, “essentially turning back the clock to the days of hand-washing dishes,” according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.
Here’s why:
Home appliance manufacturers recently completed several rounds of testing to the proposed standards. The testing revealed a build-up of film, fats and grease on dishes at the end of the cycle. As a result of the proposed standards, it is highly likely that consumers will pre-wash dishes or choose to repeat dishwasher cycles, thereby erasing any energy or water savings.In other words, the 70 percent of American families who use dishwashers will likely waste even more water (not to mention time) trying to get the dishes done.
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