Home APNews.com President Trump Wants To Make Showerheads And Toilets Flow Greatly Again, But...

President Trump Wants To Make Showerheads And Toilets Flow Greatly Again, But So May Utility Bills

https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/toilet-interior-minimalistic-bathroom_16769980.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=2&uuid=4bd38b4e-f8d5-421b-80c9-c60676dce5cc&query=home+toilet

BY  ALEXA ST. JOHN AND SETH BORENSTEIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump once expressed concern with how low showerhead flow affected his “perfect” hair. Now back in the White House, he’s again taking aim at some high-efficiency household items — and that may mean higher water and electric bills in your home.

One of Trump’s several dozen first-day executive orders promises to “unleash American energy,” including a pledge to ease efficiency standards for household appliances and fixtures.

The standards are intended to make dishwashers, showerheads, refrigerators, laundry machines, toilets and the like use less energy and water. The higher-efficiency appliances can have higher upfront costs, but they save water and electricity.

Faith Based Events
Image
An energy star logo is displayed on a box for a freezer Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Evendale, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Here’s what Trump said and what it means.

 [Continue reading below]



What did Trump’s executive order say?

Trump vowed that consumers won’t be forced to buy or use such items — mirroring action he took during his first time in office.

His order would “safeguard the American people’s freedom to choose from a variety of goods and appliances, including but not limited to lightbulbs, dishwashers, washing machines, gas stoves, water heaters, toilets, and shower heads.”

For the president, it’s personal. Trump has long been distressed by the water flow — or apparent lack thereof — from showerheads, saying during his first stint in the White House that he wasn’t getting wet enough in the shower and that his hair needed to be “perfect.” Trump has also incorrectly claimed before that people weren’t getting any water out of their fixtures and had to flush their toilets 10 or 15 times.

Trump is following the lead of humorist Dave Barry who complained in 1997 about having “to lurk in the bathroom for what seems like several presidential administrations flushing, checking, waiting, flushing, checking.”

What standards already exist?

For over three decades, federal energy law has outlined appliance standards that determine new showerheads shouldn’t pour out more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute (9.5 liters). The Obama administration refined the restrictions and applied those limits to the water that comes out of the entire showerhead, even ones with several nozzles.

During the first Trump administration, the president relaxed that to allow each nozzle of a showerhead spray as much as 2.5 gallons.

The Biden administration reversed Trump’s action in 2021.

Other appliances and devices at risk under Trump are dishwashers, washing machines and more, the efficiency of which was boosted through rules under the previous administration and others.

These standards are meant to reduce water consumption and save Americans money through lower energy bills, experts say.

What can President Trump feasibly change?

The president’s complaints are meant to justify pulling back long-held appliance conservation standards and boost water flow.

Climate Analytics policy analyst Thomas Houlie said “industries and private sectors see it (energy efficiency) as adding more constraints on them. They tend to overlook the benefits that will be gained from the measures.”

But law specific to the appliance standards law includes a no-rollback clause, experts say, which states no new standard can be weaker than the existing standard. That means any changes have to skirt existing stipulations.

He noted that “No manufacturers, to our knowledge, took advantage of those loopholes,” and added “to see toilets and shower heads on the list of presidential priorities is striking.”

Image
An energy guide is displayed on a freezer for sale, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Why does it matter and what are the consequences of changing policies?

These standards don’t just matter for consumers’ power bills or their ability to enjoy a good shower.

“The megawatt we don’t use is the cheapest megawatt and cleanest megawatt,” Margie Alt, director of the Climate Action Campaign, said Tuesday.

That means these are conservation measures that climate experts say is a low-hanging fruit and way for the United States to meet goals for reducing emissions to stave off climate change — and keep costs in check.

Natural Resources Defense Council President Manish Bapna called energy efficiency “the most effective antidote to energy price inflation.”

While renewable energy and solutions are often the center of climate action attention, efficiency efforts are a low-cost way to curb planet-heating gases.

The trouble is they are easy to talk about and then forget to do, even on an international scale. In 2023, the world adopted the Dubai climate accord that pledged to double energy efficiency improvements by 2030.

A year later at international climate negotiations, Rocky Mountain Institute CEO Jon Creyts bemoaned how the issue was forgotten.

Climate Action’s Alt vowed not let it go: “Perhaps it’s not the sexiest fight that’s ever been fought, but sometimes we win those the best, so we will be there.”

There are no requirements telling consumers exactly what appliances or fixtures to purchase. But studies say consumers are generally happy with how energy-efficient and water-conserving appliances perform.

2022 AP-NORC poll found that about three-quarters of U.S. adults had used energy-efficient appliances in the prior year, with the majority of those saying their main reason for doing so was to save money.

Rating sites including Consumer Reports and Wirecutter show “We don’t need to use unlimited energy and water to do a good job of cleaning clothes, washing dishes, or providing a great shower,” deLaski said.

“Let’s face it, consumers have a vast array of choices when it comes to efficient, modern appliances. Often, the appliances that work best are also the most energy-efficient ones,” he added. “So we don’t want to go backwards, back to the energy hogs of the old days. It’s just not necessary and it would drive up people’s energy bills.”



St. John reported from Detroit.


Disclaimer

The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components


This article originally appeared here and was republished with permission.

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.