Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy

Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy

DATES:

The representative average unit costs of energy contained in this notice will become effective April 27, 2026 and will remain in effect until further notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

DOE is required to prescribe test procedures for measuring the estimated annual operating costs or other measures of energy consumption for certain consumer products, as specified in Section 323 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (the Act) (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(3)). These test procedures are found in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 430, subpart B.

The estimated annual operating costs of a covered product must be calculated from measurements of energy use in a representative average use cycle or period of use and from representative average unit costs of the energy needed to operate the product during the cycle (Section 323(b)(3) of the Act). (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(3) and (b)(4)) DOE must provide information to manufacturers regarding the representative average unit costs of energy. (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(4)) This cost information should be used by manufacturers to meet their obligations under Section 323(c) of the Act. These costs are also used to comply with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requirements for labeling. Manufacturers are required to use the revised DOE representative average unit costs when the FTC publishes new ranges of comparability for specific covered products (16 CFR part 305). Interested parties can also find information covering the FTC labeling requirements at https://www.ftc.gov/appliances.

DOE last published representative average unit costs of residential energy in a Federal Register notice entitled, "Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy", dated October 17, 2024, 89 FR 83672. DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) developed the 2025 representative average unit after-tax residential costs found in this notice. EIA based these costs for electricity, natural gas, and No. 2 heating oil on its September 2025, EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook (EIA releases the Outlook monthly). The representative average unit after-tax costs for propane and kerosene are based on the projected 2025 U.S. residential sector prices found in EIA's Annual Energy Outlook 2025 (AEO2025) (April 15, 2025). The Short-Term Energy Outlook and the Annual Energy Outlook are available on the EIA website at https://www.eia.gov. For more information on the data sources used in this notice, contact the National Energy Information Center, Forrestal Building, EI-30, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585, Telephone: (202) 586-8800, Email: [email protected].

The 2025 representative average unit costs under section 323(b)(4) of the Act are set forth in Table 1, and will become effective April 27, 2026. They will remain in effect until further notice.

Signing Authority

This document of the Department of Energy was signed on March 17, 2026, by Audrey Robertson, Assistant Secretary (EERE) for Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of Energy. That document with the original signature and date is maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the Federal Register .