The Department of Energy (DOE) issued a correction to a December 2020 rule establishing separate product classes for fast cycle top and front-loading clothes washers and dryers. This correction addresses comments from California utilities, which were initially omitted, opposing the rule due to concerns of potential violations of energy conservation standards and lack of supporting evidence for consumer demand. Despite these objections, DOE maintains that the new classes will not violate conservation laws and are intended to encourage the development of quicker cycle appliances. The DOE plans to conduct further rulemakings to ensure energy efficiency standards for the new product classes.
Simple Explanation
The Department of Energy made a quick fix to a rule about washing machines and dryers that can do laundry faster, even though some power companies in California were worried about energy waste. They decided it's okay to have these speedy machines because they think people will like them and they’ll do more checks to make sure they don’t waste energy.