Joe Biden’s energy department proposes a crackdown on ceiling fans: Republicans say plan risks putting up to 30% of small manufacturers out of business

The Department of Energy has defended its plan to introduce new requirements for ceiling fans, stressing that they would save household energy after Republicans claimed the rules would put manufacturers out of business.

Under the new proposal, the maximum estimated energy consumption for large-diameter, belt-driven ceiling fans would be reduced.

The Department of Energy believes ceiling fans that meet the new rules would save households about $39 over their lifetime — a 40 percent savings — and cost customers about $10 more for each fan.

They say the $10 cost will be offset within four years.

However, costs to manufacturers associated with the increased equipment will total $86.6 million annually, the department said.

Roger Williams, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House Small Business Committee, wrote to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Thursday demanding that they reconsider the plan.

“This rule would cause countless small business fan manufacturers to redesign their products and could cause anywhere from 10 to 30 percent of small business ceiling fan manufacturers to go out of business,” Williams and his colleagues wrote.

“It appears that the Department of Energy (DOE) may not have properly considered small entities during this regulatory process.”

Williams sent Granholm a list of five questions, asking for details about the proposal and seeking information on whether the department expects manufacturers to abandon or rework their existing fans.

They also asked what the cost implications would be.

“It is important that agencies examine the interests of small businesses — which make up 99.9 percent of all businesses in the United States — when passing new regulations,” the committee wrote.

“America’s small businesses deserve to have their voices heard and considered.”

The Department of Energy defended the changes, a spokesman said Fox Business that manufacturers have five years to modernize their facilities, and that this measure reduces air pollution.

The spokesman pointed out that on his first day on the job, Joe Biden directed the Department of Energy to make “major revisions” to current appliance regulation standards and those set by the Trump administration.

A month later, the agency listed more than a dozen energy-efficiency regulations affecting appliances such as water heaters, cooking products and light bulbs, which it would review.

These proposed standards, which are required by Congress, would not go into effect until 2028, would give Americans more energy-efficient options to choose from, and would save hardworking taxpayers up to $369 million a year while reducing harmful air pollution. would be substantially reduced – a crucial fact that some conveniently failed to mention.”

Earlier this year, the Energy Department kicked a hornet’s nest when it emerged that they are in the process of proposing stricter efficiency rules for new gas stoves that would also effectively reduce their emissions.

And in January 2023, the Consumer Product Safety Commission made it clear that while the agency has no plans to ban gas stoves, it is actively researching performance testing for measuring emissions, safety standards, and other solutions to mitigate the potential hazards.

Critics accused the Biden administration of overreaching, saying they were implementing a nanny state and imposing excessive restrictions on how people run their own households.