Washington, D.C. -- Major home appliance manufacturers, their trade organization, and a nationwide coalition of energy and water efficiency supporters announced an historic agreement today that will establish new mandatory federal energy and water efficiency standards, recommendations for new ENERGY STAR levels, and manufacturer tax credits for the production of super-efficient clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, and dehumidifiers.

The agreement, which seeks legislation for appliance efficiency standards and tax credits, represents significant energy and water savings for U.S. consumers. According to an analysis conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which supported the negotiations, the agreement will result in a savings of up to 3.3 quadrillion btus (quads) of energy and nearly 11 million acre feet (3.6 trillion gallons) of water over about 30 years. (Eleven million acre feet is enough to meet the needs of about 44 million people for one year; and 3.3 quads is enough energy to meet the needs of about 15 percent of the U.S. population for one year.) Consumers will benefit from a savings of up to $14.7 billion in cumulative utility bill reductions.