The New York Times reports:

The Trump administration is dismantling a wide array of federal energy-efficiency programs at the same time that war in Iran is raising oil prices, climate change is fueling record heat that is driving up demand for air conditioning and new data centers are straining America’s electricity supply.

“The turn away from efficiency has been oddly timed,” said Christine Egan, chief executive of CLASP, a nonprofit group that works on efficiency policies worldwide. “Energy prices are going up, demand is going up, and you’d think we would want our products to be as efficient as possible.”

The result is that consumers could end up using more electricity and burning more gas when electricity costs are rising faster than inflation and gasoline is averaging $4 a gallon. While more efficient cars or appliances can be more expensive, consumers often save money over time because they use less energy.

Since the 1970s, administrations of both parties have issued regulations to reduce the amount of fuel used by cars, buildings and appliances to alleviate energy crunches. Those efficiency standards can also help curtail the emissions that are warming the planet.

President Trump has said the country faces an energy emergency and doesn’t have enough power to meet its growing needs, including for data centers for artificial intelligence. But administration officials say the answer is to generate more electricity and use more oil, gas, coal and nuclear power. [Continue reading…]