WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 22, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Kevin Cramer joined a bi-partisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass S. 535, the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015 by a voice vote. This legislation protects Grid-Enabled Water Heaters from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) regulations ultimately benefiting electric utility customers in North Dakota.
“While the Department of Energy banned electric thermal water heaters, these manufactured in North Dakota appliances work with the grid to help our utilities manage load peeks and save customers money. This was a significant vote. Given the overwhelming support for this policy in both the House and the Senate, I am confident the President will reverse his agency’s position and sign the bill into law.,” said Cramer.
“The exemption for grid-enabled large water heaters is very important to Cass County Electric Cooperative and its members. To date we have more than 1,200 large-capacity, energy efficient water heaters enrolled in our demand response program, and we’re adding them at a pace of about 200 a year. Those households are paying about one half the retail rate of electricity for water heating, helping our members save money and helping us to better manage the grid during periods of peak and off-peak demand. The Department of Energy rule prohibiting the manufacture of these units damages our ability to improve efficiency and save members money. We’re very appreciative of Rep. Cramer’s hard work to finally get this resolved,” said Scott Handy, President/CEO, Cass County Electric Cooperative Inc.
(Cass County Electric Cooperative is a member-owned provider of electricity to 43,000 accounts in a 10-county area of southeastern North Dakota)
Congressman Cramer is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. He serves on the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
