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Gas stoves are coming under renewed scrutiny as the U.S. Department of Energy published a proposal Wednesday for new regulations for the appliances, some of which have never been subject to federal efficiency standards.
The proposed rule-making would set new efficiency standards for both electric and gas cooking tops, preventing them from exceeding set levels of energy use per year.
The DoE proposal represents a standard that “today’s more efficient gas stove designs can meet,” according to Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.
“We are concerned that this is another attempt by the federal government to use regulations to remove viable and efficient natural gas products from the market,” American Gas Association President Karen Harbertsaid.
Groups representing makers of ranges from companies such as Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) also aid they were alarmed by the proposal.
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Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has included an exemption from state sales taxes for all gas appliances as part of his budget for the new fiscal year.
The DoE proposal comes just three weeks after an official with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission floated a potential ban on gas stoves, prompting sharp criticism that forced the Biden administration to disavow the idea.
