The US energy department has announced two new energy efficiency standards for electric motors, and walk-in coolers and freezers.
The department claims the standards will help reduce harmful carbon pollution by up to 158 million tonnes – equivalent to the annual electricity use of more than 21 million homes – and save businesses $26 billion on utility bills over the next 15 years. Updating a 2010 standard, the new criteria for electric motors will save consumers an estimated $16 billion and prevent 96 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030.
About five million electric motors used in equipment, from industrial plant to escalators, were shipped in the US in 2013. The second standard, for walk-in coolers and freezers, revises a 2009 specification and should help cut energy bills by about $10 billion, delivering CO2 emissions reductions of 62 million tonnes by 2030.