Colorado Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Standards

NOTE: The federal government has imposed and updated appliance efficiency standards through several legislative acts,* and now has standards in place or under development for 30 classes of products. In general, states which had set standards prior to federal action may enforce their own standards until the federal standards take effect. States that had not set standards prior to federal action must use the federal standards. This summary addresses (1) state appliance standards that will be in place until the federal standards take effect and (2) products for which the federal government is not currently developing an efficiency standard. Much of the information in this summary comes from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). Visit the ASAP web site and the U.S. Department of Energy's Appliance and Equipment Standards site for comprehensive information about appliance standards.

Legislation in 2019 (HB19-1231) updated and adopted standards for water efficiency and energy efficiency that apply to a list of 15 consumer and commercial appliances and other products. The standards are based on state standards, federal Energy Star and WaterSense specifications, and industry standards in most cases or, where a standard is not incorporated by reference, the standard is specified by statute.  Additionally, the state is phasing out the sale of fluorescent lighting. Screw-base CFL bulbs will be phased out on January 1, 2025, and pin-base CFL and fluorescent tubes will be phased out on January 1, 2026. 

Products with updated or new energy efficiency standards specified in HB19-1231 that are not preempted by federal laws are listed below with their adoption year:

• Commercial Dishwashers (2019)
• Commercial Fryers (2021)
• Commercial Steam Cookers (2021)
• Compressors (2019) 
• Computers and Computer Systems (2019) 
• Faucets (2019)
• General Service Lamps (2019) 
• High-CRI Linear Fluorescent Lamps (2019)
• Hot Food Holding Cabinets (2019) 
• Portable Air Conditioners (2019)  
• Portable Electric Spas (2019)
• Residential Ventilating Fans (2019) 
• Showerheads (2014) 
• Spray Sprinkler Bodies (2019)  
• Toilets (2014)
•  Uninterruptible Power Supplies (2019) 
• Urinals (2014)
  
• Water Coolers (2019)

These provisions do not apply to: products held in inventory on or before the effective date of the applicable standard for each category of product; products installed in mobile manufactured homes at the time of construction; or products designed expressly for installation and use in recreational vehicles.

* These acts include the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987, the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.