Western Caucus Members Support Passage of Energy Affordability Measures

Washington, February 25, 2026 | Quinn Jenssen ((202) 738-0845)
Tags: Energy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the House of Representatives passed two bills, H.R. 4626, the Don't Mess With My Home Appliances Act by a vote of 217-109 and H.R. 4758, the Homeowner Energy Freedom Act by a vote of 210-199 (1 present), to help address the rising cost of energy and homeownership in the United States. Following passage of both bills, Congressional Western Caucus Chair Celeste Maloy (UT-02), Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), and Congressman Jake Ellzey (TX-06) issued these statements:

"Overreaching and restrictive energy policies should never stand in the way of consumer choice or an American's ability to achieve homeownership. Passing these bills restores decision-making power to the people and moves our nation one step closer to true energy independence and dominance," said Chair Celeste Maloy.

“At a time when families are struggling with high energy costs, the answer isn’t more taxpayer-funded social engineering left over from the Biden years. These rebate programs were Green New Deal-style mandates dressed up as ‘assistance’ - pushing families toward appliances they didn’t ask for while adding billions in new spending. The Homeowner Energy Freedom Act restores consumer choice and rescinds unobligated funds before they turn into the next permanent green energy boondoggle," said Congressman Dan Crenshaw.

“Texans don’t need Washington making it harder to buy a home or telling them how to power it,” said Congressman Jake Ellzey. “For too many families, the dream of owning a home is already tough enough. The last thing they need is another federal mandate adding to the price tag. This bill is about lowering costs, protecting your freedom to choose what works for your family, and keeping the federal government out of the way.”

Legislative Digest
 
H.R. 4626, the Don’t Mess With My Home Appliances Act

Under the previous Administration, the Department of Energy (DOE) put significant new energy conservation standards on home appliances to discourage the use of natural gas appliances in favor of electric appliances. This legislation would prevent DOE from placing new, restrictive energy conservation standards on appliances which aren't properly justified, and which would only drive up costs for consumers. 
 
The legislation would: 
  • Allow DOE to amend an energy conservation standard for a consumer product when needed rather than by a deadline.
  • Allow DOE to grant a petition to revoke or amend current energy conservation standards if the standards result in additional costs to consumers, do not result in significant conservation of energy or water, are not technologically feasible, and result in a product (e.g., gas stoves) not being commercially available in the United States to all consumers.
  • Establish new criteria on DOE for the prescription of new energy conservation standards, including a determination on whether a standard is economically justified.
  • Require more transparency for DOE meetings with entities that have ties to China, the Chinese Communist Party, or those who advocate for limitation of energy access for Americans. 


H.R. 4758, the Homeowner Energy Freedom Act

This legislation repeals three Biden-era grant programs created in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and administered through the Department of Energy (DOE). Two of these programs use taxpayer subsidies to make electric appliances appear more favorable than gas appliances, without addressing any of the actual underlying costs of appliances. The third program promotes the use of updated building codes which have been shown to increase the price of homes, and decrease the number of homes being built, which both cause issues with housing affordability.
 
The legislation would repeal the following provisions of the IRA:
  • Section 50122: Appropriates $4.5 billion to DOE to the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate (HEEHRA) program.
  • Section 50123: Appropriates $200 million to DOE to establish state-based home energy efficiency contractor training grants.
  • Section 50131: Appropriates $1 billion to DOE to provide financial assistance to states and localities to adopt the latest energy conservation building code and so-called zero-energy building energy codes.

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