I've seen several blurbs about the new EPA regulations on energy-efficiency requirements for appliances and wanted to do a post about it, but then came across this editorial from Investor's Business Daily. I think it sums it up quite nicely so I'm sharing it.
Regulation: No longer the stuff of science fiction, a little-noticed change in energy-efficiency requirements for appliances could lead to government controlling the power used in your home and how you set your thermostat.
In a seemingly innocuous revision of its Energy Star efficiency requirements announced June 27, the Environmental Protection Agency included an "optional" requirement for a "smart-grid" connection for customers to electronically connect their refrigerators or freezers with a utility provider.
The feature lets the utility provider regulate the appliances' power consumption, "including curtailing operations during more expensive peak-demand times."
So far, manufacturers are not required to include the feature, only "encouraged," and consumers must still give permission to turn it on. But with the Obama administration's renewed focus on fighting mythical climate change, we expect it to become mandatory to save the planet from the perils of keeping your beer too cold.
Continue reading... then ponder if this is the government our founders envisioned...
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