Energy Department Repeals Legal Definition of ‘Showerhead’
The U.S. Department of Energy is announcing the repeal of the legal definition of “showerhead” as codified in federal regulations. Pursuant to President Trump’s April 9 executive order, Maintaining Acceptable Water Pressure in Showerheads, DOE published a final rule to the federal register that will restore the straightforward definition of “showerhead” established in the 1992 energy law, which sets a simple 2.5-gallons-per-minute standard for showers.
A previous federal rulemaking redefined “showerhead” as a “nozzle” and made multi-nozzle showers illegal if they collectively discharged over 2.5 gallons of water per minute. The rulemaking rolls back this overregulation. The rescission will come into effect Thursday, May 15. For further details, read the full text of the final rule on the Federal Register.
In addition to this recission, DOE has officially withdrawn four conservation standards, including standards on electric motors, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers and external power supplies, and further delayed the implementation of efficiency standards for walk-in coolers and freezers, efficiency standards for gas instantaneous water heaters, and test procedures for central air conditioning and heat pumps.
