In June 2021, Nevada’s Governor signed this bill requiring the Director of the Office of Energy to adopt regulations establishing minimum standards of energy efficiency for certain appliances.
Covered appliances include, among others, electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) with NEMA 5-15P and NEMA 5-20P attachment plugs. EVSE must meet the eligibility requirements for the ENERGY STAR EVSE Program. On or after January 1, 2023, no appliances that do not meet the standards may be sold, leased, rented, or installed. The Director may adopt standards for appliances other than those outlined in the bill if certain findings are made. The Director must seek a waiver of preemption from the U.S. Department of Energy if the Director has adopted, or proposes to adopt, standards for which the state standard would be more stringent than the one that exists under federal law. Manufacturers looking to sell appliances for which standards have been established must obtain a certificate from the Director, and must include a mark, label or tag at the time of sale or installation to demonstrate certification. The Director is authorized to test appliances for compliance with the established standards (at the manufacturer’s cost) and conduct periodic inspections on the premises of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and installers, and to investigate complaints of alleged violations. Civil penalties are established, and the Attorney General may institute civil action for violations. Finally, the Director may adopt regulations for appliances and other provisions necessary and convenient to facilitate the deployment of flexible demand technologies, including appliance labeling to promote their use, to enable appliance operations to be scheduled, shifted, or curtailed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In establishing these regulations, the Director must consider reliability and cybersecurity, determine cost-effectiveness of any applicable standards, and consult with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada and electric utilities to align flexible demand appliance standards with demand response programs. These standards must prioritize appliances that can more conveniently have their demand controlled by load-management technology and third-party load-management programs, appliances with load-management technology that are readily available and have user-friendly interfaces and a straightforward setup and connection process, and appliances that are interoperable or open source.