A battle over what kind of ceiling fans can be installed in new residential construction is growing more intense in Washington.
New proposed standards announced earlier this summer by the Department of Energy are designed to make ceiling fans more energy efficient.
As published in the Federal Register, the new rules are in keeping with the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, which “prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including ceiling fans.”
Under the proposed rules, the energy consumption for belt-driven and large diameter ceiling fans would be decreased. Fans containing the equipment needed to comply with the new rules are expected to cost around $10 more for consumers.
The cost for ceiling fan manufacturers could equal nearly $87 million per year, according to the Energy Department.
But in a public letter sent to the Energy Department by the House Committee on Small Business, it is asserted that the new ruling would “require numerous small business fan manufacturers to redesign their products and may put between 10% and 30% of small business ceiling fan manufacturers out of business.”
The letter adds: “It appears that the Department of Energy may not have properly considered small entities during this rule making process.”
Trying to sort out the different numbers, The Hill publication contacted the Energy Department and was told by a spokesperson that the “one-time total conversion cost would be about $107 million for all manufacturers.”
Overall savings to the consumer, the spokesperson added, would be “more than triple the incremental costs.”
If made final, the Energy Department’s new ceiling fan rule is not expected to take effect until 2028.
By Garry Boulard
