The Wall Street Journal reports in a March 18 story that the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute, which represents most major manufacturers, has agreed to comply with a government order to make its typical residential central air conditioner 30 percent more energy efficient by January 2006.

Advocates and regulators say improving the efficiency of central air conditioners has become a pressing issue because those appliances place the greatest strain on the nation's aged electricity system at times of peak demand.

The federal government's new standard on air conditioners marks the latest push toward energy efficient appliances of all kinds. Over the years, regulators have forced manufacturers to make everything from refrigerators to washing machines use less energy.

Supporters of the new rule say the announcement by the manufacturers' group is a major breakthrough in the effort to keep the lid on rising electricity consumption. The industry's sudden decision to accept the new standard comes after a long legal and political fight. The Clinton administration announced the 30 percent rule on its way out of the White House in 2001. But the following year the Bush administration proposed that air conditioner makers be mandated to make their appliances only 20 percent more energy efficient. A series of lawsuits culminated in a court decision in January in favor of the Clinton version. In the end, air conditioner makers agreed to the federal rule both to avoid a potential patchwork of different state standards and to get on with the design process of the new air conditioners.

A bipartisan group of 52 senators sent a letter to President Bush, urging the administration to not challenge the January court ruling. The letter, initiated by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and signed by a handful of moderate Republican lawmakers, comes after the manufacturers' group announcement that it would drop its lawsuit challenging the Clinton standard.

, staff reporter of The Wall Street Journal