President Barack Obama today issued a memorandum for the U.S. Secretary of Energy calling on the U.S. Department of Energy to update it efficiency standards for many household appliances.

The president's statement covers some of the same ground we did in our October 2008 story on the federal Energy Star program. In particular, as we reported, it can up to six years for new energy standards for appliances to take effect. Obama is giving the DOE until August 2009 to set final rules for the most out-of-date energy-use guidelines.

In the memorandum, the president requested that "the DOE take all necessary steps, consistent with the consent decree, EPACT, and EISA, to finalize legally required efficiency standards as expeditiously as possible and consistent with all applicable judicial and statutory deadlines. Such standards include, most immediately, those covered by the five energy efficiency rules with deadlines prior to and including August 8, 2009." (Download Obama Energy Memorandum 2-5-09.)

Missing from the memorandum, however, is any mention of updating DOE test procedures. "While it's heartening to see the administration striving for more efficient household appliances, the tests used to establish the standards also need to be updated," explains Mark Connelly, senior director of appliances and home improvement for Consumer Reports.

Still, the president's memorandum is a step in the right direction.—Daniel DiClerico