A more efficient US? Energy agency prods only a bit.

After a six-year delay, the Energy Department proposes standards so moderate that even some firms complain.

Under pressure to find new ways to save energy, the US Department of Energy is speeding adoption of new efficiency standards for devices ranging from pool heaters to microwave ovens. President Bush is apparently on board, too, pushing the need for energy conservation in a speech earlier this month.

That’s good news for energy advocates and states that have sued DOE for lagging years behind schedule on new appliance standards, which could curb the nation’s rising appetite for electricity.

But in the three standards it has proposed itself, the department has set a far lower bar than efficiency advocates had wanted. Two of the standards are so low that even some industry officials are complaining. Earlier this month, DOE surprised nearly everyone by nixing on technical grounds a proposal for home boilers backed by industry and consumer groups.

“It’s never happened before that they’ve rejected a negotiated standard,” says Charles Samuels, a Boston lawyer who often represents the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

Christian Science Monitor