U.S. Consumer Attitudes Towards Appliance Efficiency Standards and Purchasing Behaviors by Income, Race, and Homeownership

This Issue Brief serves to inform the US Department of Energy (DOE) and policymakers of the widespread public support for federal appliance energy efficiency standards, and uncover new data on appliance purchasing behaviors.

Lauren Boucher, Richard Eckman (CFA), Mel Hall-Crawford (CFA)

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This Issue Brief serves to inform the US Department of Energy (DOE) and policymakers of widespread public support for federal appliance energy efficiency standards across key U.S. demographic groups. Supporting evidence is derived from a nationally-representative survey of 4,000 U.S. adults. The survey asked about consumer attitudes towards national appliance standards and payback periods, and revealed new data on appliance purchasing decisions by race, income, and homeownership.

The brief covers:

  • new insights on consumer purchasing behaviors, including information on the reasons for and regularity of appliance replacements across the US;
  • first-of-its-kind data on the used appliance market;
  • and an evaluation of how more stringent appliance standards can benefit Americans, with a particular focus on low-income households, households of color and renters who often spend a disproportionate share of their income on energy bills.

Readers can explore the study’s methodology in the Annex companion document.

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