Trump administration removes over 1,600 Department of Energy web pages on energy efficiency and heat safety

Jul 17, 2026

The Trump administration has removed 1,662 Department of Energy web pages offering advice on heat safety and energy efficiency. The deletions, discovered by Internet Archive researchers, coincided with a proposed rollback of appliance efficiency standards. Critics and advocates, including Andrew deLaski of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, warn that these actions undermine grid stability during heatwaves and will cost average households $160 annually in lost utility savings.

DOE webpage deletions

▪The United States Department of Energy removed 1,662 web pages from its "energy saver" section as of July 3, 2026.
▪The deleted Department of Energy web pages offered public guidance on sealing home air leaks, weatherstripping, and lowering summer utility bills.
▪Federal web traffic data showed that 300 of the deleted Department of Energy web pages had drawn more than 160,000 views in the preceding month.

Energy efficiency standards rollback

▪In May 2025, the Department of Energy attempted to repeal 47 appliance regulations, consisting mostly of energy efficiency standards.
▪At least 18 of the deleted Department of Energy web pages vanished within days of the administration's proposed appliance standards rollback.
▪A bipartisan congressional coalition blocked a separate White House effort to eliminate the Energy Star certification program in early 2026.
▪The Trump administration proposed a regulatory rollback titled "Permanently End Green New Scam Appliance Mandates" to end energy efficiency standards for household appliances.

Consumer utility cost impacts

▪Critics state that rolling back energy efficiency rules and removing public tips will increase utility costs for consumers.
▪An analysis by the Appliance Standards Awareness Project indicates that upcoming efficiency updates would save the average household roughly $160 per year on utilities.

Electrical grid strain concerns

▪The deleted web pages included guidance on preserving the electrical grid and staying cool during major heatwaves.
▪The web page deletions followed a public suggestion by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for residents to set air conditioners to 78 degrees to ease grid strain.

Federal information removal pattern

▪Critics view the website changes as part of a wider campaign aligned with Project 2025 blueprints to deregulate the fossil fuel sector and dismantle federal bureaucracy.
▪The federal government has recently removed online resources and data targeting topics ranging from queer and trans youth to consumer finance tools.