National Research Council Recommends Use Of "Full Fuel Cycle" Measurements in Setting Appliance Efficiency Standards

The National Research Council (NRC), part of the National Academy of Sciences, recently released a report advising the Department of Energy (DOE) to update its criteria for setting appliance energy-efficiency standards. The new analysis would incorporate energy consumed in producing and distributing different fossil fuels (“full fuel cycle” measurements) and include the efficiency of the fuel source used to operate the appliance. This type of analysis is especially useful in appliances that can be powered by more than one fuel source, like water heaters, furnaces, and heat pumps. The report states that full-fuel-cycle measurements would provide consumers with a more complete picture of product efficiency, energy consumption, and environmental impacts.

Currently, when setting efficiency standards, the DOE only takes into account the energy consumed to operate an appliance (“point of use” measurements). The report says that this gives an incomplete picture to consumers because “it omits the energy needed to mine, process, and transport the primary fuel to a generating power plant; the energy used at the generating plant; and the energy used in delivery electricity or fuel to the site of operation of an appliance.”

Debate about the use of a full fuel cycle measurement is continuing. The majority of the committee endorsed a gradual switch to full fuel cycle measurements for the DOE, but said that further work on data and analysis is needed. However, two members of the committee issued dissenting opinions. According to the dissent, the full fuel cycle is fraught with complexity and controversy and would not necessarily help consumers become more energy efficient. Instead, according to the dissent, the full fuel cycle will inevitable favor one type of fuel over another, which they felt is a matter for national energy policy, not the appliance efficiency program.