Appliance Efficiency: Better Late Than Never

The Energy Department has settled a lawsuit by agreeing to implement long-delayed energy efficiency requirements for household appliances. The suit, filed by 15 states and the the city of New York, charged that some of the rules were 13 years late. The new standards will cover 22 kinds of appliances and other types of household equipment, including heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters, boilers, dishwashers, clothes dryers and fluorescent lighting.