H.R. 4626 · Passed House · Energy

Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act

Sponsor: Rick W. Allen (R-GA)

What it does

• Lets the Department of Energy amend appliance energy conservation standards when needed rather than on a fixed deadline.
• Allows DOE to grant petitions to revoke or amend standards that raise consumer costs, save little energy or water, are not technologically feasible, or make a product such as gas stoves unavailable to all consumers.
• Changes the criteria for new or amended standards, including a new test for whether a standard is economically justified.
• Requires disclosure of DOE meetings with entities tied to China or the Chinese Communist Party, that advocated limiting any type of energy, or that sought or received federal funds.
• Prohibits DOE from setting new or revised energy conservation standards for distribution transformers.

Official summary

Don’t Mess With My Home Appliances Act This bill modifies the process by which the Department of Energy (DOE) issues or revises energy conservation standards for consumer products such as household appliances, including by requiring DOE to consider additional factors related to the cost and availability of such products. First, the bill allows DOE to amend an energy conservation standard for a consumer product when needed rather than by a deadline. The bill also allows DOE to grant a petition to revoke or amend energy conservation standards if the standards (1) result in additional costs to consumers, (2) do not result in significant conservation of energy or water, (3) are not technologically feasible, and (4) result in a product (e.g., gas stoves) not being commercially available in the United States to all consumers. Additionally, the bill modifies the criteria used to prescribe new or amended energy conservation standards, including by establishing new criteria for determining whether a standard is economically justified. The bill establishes disclosure requirements for DOE meetings with entities that have (1) ties to China or the Chinese Communist Party; (2) produced studies…

Latest action

Feb 25, 2026: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources