The Department of Energy pulled more than 1,600 web pages that offered guidance on preserving the electrical grid and cutting cooling costs during major heatwaves, according to a recent analysis.
The deletion of 1,662 URLs from the department’s “energy saver” section was discovered by researchers at the Internet Archive and compiled as of July 3, as reported by The Guardian. The removed pages featured tips on sealing home air leaks and lowering summer energy bills, with federal web traffic data showing that 300 of those pages had drawn more than 160,000 views in the preceding month.
The removals occurred around the same time the Trump administration introduced a proposed rollback of energy efficiency standards for household appliances, including air conditioners and heaters. The administration titled the initiative a rule to “Permanently End Green New Scam Appliance Mandates.”
At least 18 of the pages vanished within days of that proposal. Observers also noted that the timeline closely followed a public suggestion by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for residents to set their air conditioners to 78 degrees to ease strain on the local power grid.
Advocates say the proposed regulatory rollback would effectively dismantle decades of efficiency policies, making it significantly harder for future administrations to update appliance standards. The appliance standards program, running since the 1970s, requires manufacturers to periodically update products to match technological progress.
An analysis by the Appliance Standards Awareness Project indicates that upcoming efficiency updates would save the average household roughly $160 per year on utilities while lowering peak summer power demands.
Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, told The Guardian that functional air conditioning was a critical health and safety issue for vulnerable populations, including the elderly and the very young.
“Ensuring that the standards are up to date helps to keep their energy consumption under control so that people can afford to operate these products,” deLaski said, calling the current approach “a senseless dedication to an anti-regulatory agenda.”
Critics view the website changes as part of a wider campaign aligned with Project 2025 blueprints aimed at dismantling federal bureaucracy and deregulating the fossil fuel sector, the Guardian reports. Similar removals of federal data and online resources have recently targeted topics ranging from queer and trans youth to consumer finance tools.
This marks the administration’s latest effort against energy efficiency programs. Last May, the energy department attempted to repeal 47 appliance regulations. A separate White House effort to eliminate the Energy Star certification program was blocked by a bipartisan congressional coalition earlier this year.
Itai Vardi, research manager at the Energy and Policy Institute, told The Guardian that the administration’s actions contradicted its stated focus on consumer freedom.
“What they’re doing here is rolling back the rules on energy efficiency, but also trying to hide helpful tips and information for the public, and it’s going to cost people more money,” Vardi said.
The Independent has contacted the Department of Energy for comment.
