AGA testifies on appliances and building codes before House Energy and Commerce Committee

• Building Codes
• Codes and Standards

WASHINGTON - American Gas Association Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy George Lowe testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Energy on Tuesday in a hearing centering on appliance and building policies.

"AGA calls on Congress to modernize the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, repeal Section 433 and protect consumer fuel choice while continuing to fund vital weatherization programs," said Lowe in his written testimony. "Natural gas remains a cornerstone of affordability, reliability and sustainability for American families and businesses, and policy must reflect these realities rather than undermine them."

AGA and the natural gas utility industry have long supported improved energy efficiency through appliance standards that are technically feasible and economically justified, fuel-neutral building codes, consumer choices for energy and efficiency and weatherization programs. Under the prior administration, the U.S. Department of Energy utilized various methods to shift the purpose of the appliance standard rulemaking process away from the plain meaning of EPCA and the statute's overall intent in a way that harms consumers. The prior administrations' DOE also supported model building codes that would effectively prohibit natural gas installation in new homes and commercial buildings and promulgated rules that would ban natural gas in new and renovated buildings.

In the United States today, natural gas meets more than one-third of the nation's energy needs and is the most affordable source of energy for American families. The average household that uses natural gas for heating, cooking and clothes drying saves an average of $12,132 per year compared to the same home using electricity for those applications. This low cost has saved families a total of $125 billion over 10 years.

In addition to cost savings on the average bill, natural gas utilities spend $1.5 billion on efficiency programs every year to save 1.7 million metric tons of carbon - the equivalent of removing 424,000 cars from the road. Energy efficiency technologies and programs play a foundational role in creating a more reliable, affordable and sustainable energy system for the United States, and natural gas has played a critical role in forwarding this mission.

Watch the full hearing here and read Lowe's full written testimony here.