Biden-Harris Department of Energy Finalizes Gas Stove Rule

The Biden-Harris Department of Energy (DOE) recently locked in a rule on cooking appliances, including gas stoves, after the administration insisted that it is not trying to ban gas stoves, rejecting efforts by opposed organizations to stop the rule. DOE said its regulation, which was announced in January, will be implemented in January 2028 as planned after a comment period, according to a Federal Register notice. Because the regulation was released as a “direct final rule” that was not published earlier as a proposal, the department could have withdrawn the plan under some circumstances, such as if it determined there were “substantive adverse” comments. In comments to DOE, opponents argued the rule represented federal overreach and would increase costs for consumers while limiting choice.

The finalized rule is less stringent than DOE’s original proposal made in 2023 that was subsequently abandoned after a cry from citizens, restaurants and others. The final rule is expected to affect 3 percent of gas stove models and 23 percent of electric stoves on the market, rather than half the gas stove models as in the original proposal. The reality, however, may be worse than DOE claims as one estimate regarding the original proposal suggested that 95 percent of the gas stove market would not meet the proposed levels.

Last year, the DOE asserted that the suggestion the government wants to ban gas stoves is a “myth” and “misinformation.” However, the Biden administration has filed an amicus brief asking a federal court to reverse a decision that stopped Berkeley, California’s 2019 ban on gas hookups in new buildings–a policy that would have outlawed the installation of gas stoves in newly-constructed buildings. The three judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with the California Restaurant Association that sued the city, saying a ban on natural gas piping is essentially an unlawful backdoor ban on gas appliances such as stoves, something precluded by law.

When the DOE rule was released in late January, DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm said, “President Biden is committed to using all the tools at the administration’s disposal to lower costs for American families and deliver healthier communities—including energy efficiency measures like the one announced today.” While the rule, which applies to electric cooktops, gas cooktops, stand-alone electric cooktops, stand-alone gas cooktops and ovens, will likely increase the costs of the particular models affected, the Biden-Harris administration asserts that the policy will save Americans money on their bills over time by reducing the volume of energy household stoves use. Obviously, the Biden-Harris administration is ignoring the increasing costs of electricity from its policies that include the electrification of personal travel and the replacement of inexpensive natural gas generators with wind and solar units that need expensive back-up battery storage technology when the wind does not blow, or the sun does not shine.  Electricity prices are increasing under their policies.

“The new standards will also require only a small portion of models to make modest improvements to their energy efficiency to match the level of efficiency already demonstrated by the majority of the market today,” the agency said in its January press release announcing the rule. “For example, approximately 97 percent of gas stove models and 77 percent of smooth electric stove models on the market already meet these standards.” Under the rules, electric stoves would be required to use 30 percent less energy annually than the lowest-performing models today. Gas stoves and electric ovens would need to use 7 percent less energy, while gas ovens would need to use 4 percent less.

Earlier this year, the Chicago City Council began considering an ordinance that would effectively ban gas use in most new buildings. If Chicago adopts the ordinance, it would follow in the footsteps of large big cities including Boston, Denver and Seattle, as well as the state of New York.

Nearly 70 percent of respondents opposed policies that would essentially ban gas stoves, according to a June 2023 Harvard CAPS Harris poll. More than 80 percent of Republican respondents and 71 percent of independents were opposed to policies that would induce a gas stove ban, as were 55 percent of the surveyed Democrats.

DOE has also pushed energy efficiency rules for other items like water heaters, furnaces and pool pump motors. The Biden administration has also spent hundreds of millions of dollars to assist state and municipal governments in developing building codes intended to “decarbonize” buildings. This tactic creates local government jobs underwritten by the federal government in order to carry out Washington’s policies.

Conclusion

DOE has finalized its rule on cooking appliances that affect gas stoves, and while not as stringent as the original proposal, it will increase the cost of affected models. DOE finalized the rule despite opponents that accused it of federal overreach and increasing costs for consumers. The Biden-Harris Energy Department has issued over 100 energy efficiency rules on appliances and household equipment, which they claim will fight climate change and save consumers money. If that were true, market forces would have resulted in the same goals without needing the federal government to enforce them. Historically, appliances that the Energy Department reviewed ended up performing worse and costing more. Through DOE rulemakings and state and local efforts to ban natural gas hook-ups in new homes and buildings, the federal government and environmentalists are working to take gas stoves away from consumers. This DOE rule affecting gas stoves is a good reminder that the Biden-Harris climate policies are working their way into American lives, despite the Paris Agreement neither having been a treaty nor having been voted upon by Congress.