Massachusetts Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Standards

July 06, 2021

Summary

Note: The federal government has imposed and updated appliance efficiency standards through several legislative acts,* and now has standards in place or under development for 30 classes of products. In general, states which had set standards prior to federal action may enforce their own standards until the federal standards take effect. States that had not set standards prior to federal action must use the federal standards. This summary addresses (1) state appliance standards that will be in place until the federal standards take effect and (2) products for which the federal government is not currently developing an efficiency standard. Much of the information in this summary comes from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). Visit the ASAP web site for comprehensive information about appliance standards. See the Department of Energy Appliance Standards website for additional information.

Massachusetts’ original appliance standards legislation was enacted in 1986. The standards were expanded in November 2005 and again in January 2021, although to date most of the equipment listed in Massachusetts law has since been preempted by federal law. Other non-federally preempted product standards introduced in 2021 with effective dates beginning in 2022 include: 

  • Hot Food Holding Cabinets
  • Computers and Computer Systems
  • High-CRI Linear Fluorescent Lamps
  • Portable Electric Spas
  • Water Coolers
  • Residential Ventilating Fans
  • Commercial Ovens
  • Commercial Dishwashers
  • Commercial Fryers
  • Commercial Steam Cookers
  • Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment

Massachusetts sought a waiver of federal preemption from the warm-state standard because of the existing federal standards covering residential furnaces, boilers, and furnace fan. That waiver would have allowed Massachusetts’ cold-state standard to go into effect in 2013. The Massachusetts Attorney General and the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) filed the petition here. The U.S. Department of Energy responded negatively, see the Department of Energy web site for more information on the petition, comments filed, and the denial. There are no state-level appliance standards in effect in MA until the beginning of 2022.


* These acts include the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987, the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

Program Overview

Implementing Sector: State
Category: Regulatory Policy
State: Massachusetts
Incentive Type: Appliance/Equipment Efficiency Standards
Web Site: https://appliance-standards.org/document/massachusetts-reduce-utility-bills-and-carbon-emissions-efficiency-standards
Administrator:
Start Date:
Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies:
  • Dishwasher
  • Ceiling Fan
  • Furnaces
  • Boilers
  • Other EE
  • Commercial Cooking Equipment
  • Personal Computing Equipment
  • Level-2 Electric Vehicle Service Equipment
Equipment Requirements: Specified in standards
Test Methods: Massachusetts plumbing code or U.S. Department of Energy approved test methods
Certification Requirements: Manufacturers certify to the MA Department of Energy Resources that specified products meet minimum efficiency standards
Review: Biannual report
Implementing Agency: MA Department of Energy Resources

Authorities

Name: M.G.L. Chapter 25B, § 1, et seq. (Session Law 139, 2005)
Date Enacted: 11/22/2005
Name: Bill S.9
Date Enacted: 03/26/2021
Effective Date: 01/01/2022

Contact

Name: Public Information Officer
Organization: Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
Address: 100 Cambridge Street
Boston MA 02110-1313
Phone: (617) 626-7300
Email: doer.energy@mass.gov
Name: Ben Hellerstein
Organization: Environment Massachusetts
Address:
MA
Phone: (617) 747-4368
Email: Ben@environmentmassachusetts.org

This information is sourced from DSIRE; the most comprehensive source of information on incentives and policies that support renewables and energy efficiency in the United States. Established in 1995, DSIRE is operated by the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center at N.C. State University.