How Long Do Appliances Last? The Federal Lifetime Index for 20 Home Appliances

How the index is built

Download the calculations (CSV)

How long do appliances last in DOE's own files: 20 estimates from 8.8 to 26.6 years

Each time the Department of Energy writes an efficiency standard it estimates how long the product survives in American homes. Those estimates sit in the life-cycle cost section of each rule. Collected in one place, they form a federal lifetime index.

DOE average lifetime: The mean of a survival curve, usually a Weibull distribution, that DOE fits to shipment histories and the ages of appliances reported in EIA's RECS and the Census Bureau's American Housing Survey. It is an input to DOE's consumer cost model.

The longest-lived products are heating and cooling systems: gas-fired hot water boilers at 26.6 years, gas furnaces at 21.5 years and central air conditioners at 21.2 years. The shortest are room air conditioners at 9.3 years and compact refrigerators at 8.8 years.

Kitchen appliances cluster in the middle. The 2024 refrigerator rule uses 14.3 years for a standard-size refrigerator, the 2024 dishwasher rule uses 15.2 years and the 2024 cooking rule uses 16.8 years for electric and 14.5 years for gas cooking products. For appliance-level detail, see our reports on refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens and water heaters.

88.3 million appliances in US homes had reached DOE's average age by 2020

Matching DOE's averages to the age bands in EIA's 2020 household survey shows 88.3 million appliance units at or past the band edge nearest their federal average, in 38.4% of homes.

RECS asks the age of each appliance in bands, not years. For each appliance we took the band edge nearest DOE's average: 15 years for refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, dryers and heat pumps, 20 years for freezers, gas furnaces and central AC, and 10 years for window or wall units. Because ages are reported in completed years, the 15+ edge is exact for refrigerators (14.3) and dryers (14), and the 10+ edge is exact for room AC (9.3).

The bounds are wide because the bands are wide. Counting only bands entirely above each average gives 61.2 million units; adding the band that contains the average gives 164.5 million. The central figure has a jackknife standard error of 1.02 million.

Share for share, second refrigerators (22.9%), window or wall AC units (21.7%), heat pumps (19.9%) and gas furnaces (18.3%) are the most likely to be at or past their federal average. Clothes washers are the least likely, at 9.3%.

14 of 19 lifetime estimates got shorter in DOE's latest rulemakings

Comparing each product's newest DOE estimate with the one from its previous rulemaking, most averages moved down, some by several years.

The largest drops are for whole-home dehumidifiers (19 to 12 years, in a 2023 proposal that was not finalized), gas cooking products (19 to 14.5), freezers (22.3 to 18.4) and refrigerators (17.4 to 14.3). Estimates rose for central air conditioners (19 to 21.2), storage water heaters (13 to 15), compact refrigerators (5.6 to 8.8) and compact freezers (7.5 to 11.3). The gas tankless estimate held at 20 years.

These changes mostly reflect new inputs, not proof that products wear out faster. The refrigerator curve was refit to RECS 2005 to 2020 ages; the 2024 cooking figures drew on AHAM's estimates of useful life, where the 2009 figure came from the literature; and the dehumidifier proposal adopted manufacturer figures. In the 2024 refrigerator rule, DOE said it had no data to corroborate a link between tighter standards and shorter lifetimes (89 FR 3026).

• Refrigerator, standard-size: 17.4 years (2011) to 14.3 years (2024).
• Clothes dryer: 16 years (2011) to 14 years (2024).
• Clothes washer: 14.2 years (2012) to 13.4 years (2024).
• Room air conditioner: 10.5 years (2011) to 9.3 years (2023).
• Gas furnace: 23.6 years (2011) to 21.5 years (2023).
• Microwave oven: 10.9 years (2013) to 10.78 years (2023).

Kitchen appliances: the microwave's average runs 6.02 years short of an electric range

Within one kitchen, DOE's averages differ by about six years, so appliances bought on the same day are not expected to fail together.

• Electric cooking products (range, cooktop, oven): 16.8 years (2024).
• Dishwasher: 15.2 years (2024).
• Gas cooking products: 14.5 years (2024).
• Refrigerator, standard-size: 14.3 years (2024).
• Wine or beverage cooler: 12.6 years weighted across sizes (2024).
• Microwave oven: 10.78 years (2023).

Refrigerators and dishwashers with both units 15 or older were present in 5.5% of homes that had both in 2020. Homeowners planning a remodel can compare these averages with the build schedule in our kitchen remodel timeline and the appliance line in our remodel cost calculator; garbage disposals are covered in a separate lifespan report.

Washers and dryers age in matched pairs; refrigerators and dishwashers only about half the time

In 2020, 78.3% of homes with both a washer and a dryer had them in the same age band, against 52.2% for a refrigerator and dishwasher.

Only 23.1% of homes with all four appliances had a refrigerator, dishwasher, washer and dryer in one age band. The 26.0-point gap between laundry pairs and kitchen pairs is consistent with laundry sets being bought together and kitchen appliances being replaced one at a time.

Preliminary 2024 survey: slightly smaller shares past the line, slightly more units

Using the same band edges on EIA's preliminary RECS 2024 file, the six kitchen and laundry rows total 62.85 million units at or past DOE's average, against 61.55 million in 2020.

Every one of the six shares fell slightly from 2020 to 2024, while the household count rose from 123.53 million to 132.54 million, so the unit count edged up by 1.30 million. RECS 2024 is preliminary and does not yet include heating, cooling or water heater ages.

A DOE lifetime is an input to a cost model, not a promise about your unit

DOE builds each average from survey ages and shipment histories, then varies it by region or product class where the data allow.

For furnaces, DOE uses 22.5 years in the North and 20.2 years elsewhere, and its literature review ranged from 16 to 23.6 years (88 FR 87502). For central AC the regional averages run from 18.0 years in the hot-humid South to 24.9 years in the hot-dry West (82 FR 1786).

Repairs extend lives in DOE's models too: the 2024 washer rule assumes a repair adds about 5 years and that a used washer has 7 years left on average (89 FR 19026).

Which appliance rules DOE moved to roll back in 2025, and what is still pending

The lifetimes in this index were set under rules that DOE has since proposed to rescind for several kitchen products; the estimates themselves remain the newest published.

On 2025-05-16 DOE published proposals covering microwave ovens, cooking tops, ovens, dishwasher and clothes washer water use, dehumidifiers and wine coolers. The July 2026 request for information cites a National Academies recommendation to prioritize data on product lifetime and asks whether DOE should replace its 30-year analysis horizon with product-life horizons.

Key findings

1. DOE's 2023 furnace rule uses a 21.5-year average lifetime for non-weatherized gas furnaces, 22.5 years in the North and 20.2 elsewhere (US, published 2023-12-18).^[20]
2. DOE's 2017 central air conditioner rule uses a 21.2-year national average lifetime, 18.0 years in the hot-humid region and 24.9 years in the hot-dry region (US).^[22]
3. DOE's 2024 refrigerator rule uses 14.3 years for standard-size refrigerators and 18.4 years for standard-size freezers, down from 17.4 and 22.3 years in the 2011 rule (US).^[1][2]
4. DOE's 2024 dishwasher rule uses an average lifetime of 15.2 years and found no evidence that lifetime varies by efficiency level (US).^[4]
5. DOE's 2024 rules use 13.4 years for clothes washers and 14 years for clothes dryers, down from 14.2 and 16 years in the 2012 and 2011 rules (US).^[6][7][8][9]
6. DOE's 2024 cooking products rule uses 16.8 years for electric and 14.5 years for gas cooking products; its 2009 rule used 19 years for both (US).^[11][12]
7. DOE's 2023 microwave rule uses 10.78 years and its 2023 room air conditioner rule uses 9.3 years, the two shortest among full-size products in this index (US).^[13][10]
8. In 2020, 21.7% of main window or wall air conditioners in US homes were 10 or more years old, past DOE's 9.3-year average (KBR analysis of RECS 2020).^[38][10]
9. In 2020, 18.3% of gas furnaces heating US homes were 20 or more years old, the largest 20+ share of any appliance row (KBR analysis of RECS 2020).^[38]
10. In 2020, 22.9% of second refrigerators were 15 or older, nearly double the 11.6% share for main refrigerators (KBR analysis of RECS 2020).^[38][1]
11. 88.3 million appliances in US homes were at or past the band edge nearest DOE's average lifetime in 2020, 0.71 per household (KBR analysis).^[38]
12. In the preliminary 2024 RECS, the share of main refrigerators at or past 15 years was 10.7%, against 11.6% in 2020 (US).^[39][38]

Summary for decision makers

• DOE's newest average lifetimes run from 8.8 years for compact refrigerators to 26.6 years for gas-fired hot water boilers; the main kitchen appliances sit between 10.78 years (microwave) and 16.8 years (electric range, cooktop or oven).
• In 14 of 19 appliance categories with two DOE estimates, the newest lifetime is shorter than the previous one; the median change is -1.0 years.
• The refrigerator average fell from 17.4 years in the 2011 rule to 14.3 years in the 2024 rule, and gas cooking products fell from 19 years in 2009 to 14.5 years in 2024.
• KBR's tabulation of EIA 2020 RECS microdata counts 88.3 million appliances, across 10 appliance types, at or past the band edge nearest DOE's average in 2020; strict and generous edges give 61.2 million to 164.5 million.
• 38.4% of US households, or 47.5 million, had at least one of those appliances at or past its federal average age in 2020.
• Washers and dryers share an age band in 78.3% of homes that have both; refrigerators and dishwashers do so in 52.2%.
• DOE's lifetimes are averages of survival curves used in cost modelling. They are not warranties and do not predict when a given unit will fail.

Frequently asked questions

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Reproduce this analysis

Every figure comes from the files below. The scripts that pulled and computed them are kept with the report and can be re-run.

Data quality and exclusions

• RECS age variables use -2 for not applicable (no such appliance); those records were excluded from each appliance's base, which is why the units with a reported age in table 3 are below the household total.
• Gas furnace row keeps only records with EQUIPM 3 and natural gas or propane as main heating fuel; oil and electric furnaces were left out.
• Central AC row excludes homes whose main heating is a central heat pump, because RECS groups central heat pumps with central AC in ACEQUIPM_PUB; those units are counted in the heat pump row with EQUIPAGE.
• Water heaters were excluded from the RECS count to keep within this report's lane; ovens, cooktops, microwaves and dehumidifiers were excluded because RECS 2020 records no age for them.
• Lifetime values were checked against the saved Federal Register text by script; 4 table values (2011 refrigerator-era values in Table IV.12 and 2017 regional heat pump values) were checked by reading the tables directly.

Methodology

Source selection: for each residential product DOE regulates, we took the most recent Federal Register final rule, direct final rule or (for dehumidifiers) proposed rule that states an average lifetime, and the previous rulemaking that does. Documents were found through the keyless Federal Register API and read in full text; values were extracted with scripts and checked against the text (scripts/check_values.py).

Inclusion: products found in typical US homes, including kitchen, laundry, heating, cooling and water heating products. Exclusion: commercial equipment, lighting, and products without a stated lifetime. Where a rule states both a rounded and a precise value (for example approximately 9 and 9.3 years for room AC), the precise value is used.

Conflicts: the 2011 refrigerator and freezer values come from Table IV.12 of DOE's February 2023 proposal, which compares lifetimes by rulemaking phase. For dishwashers, the prior value is the 15.4 years DOE's 2016 final rule attributes to its 2014 proposal. Cooking products have an intermediate 2016 proposal (16 years electric, 13 gas) that was not finalized; the prior final rule is from 2009.

Derived metrics: EIA's RECS 2020 microdata v7 (released January 2024) records appliance ages in six bands. For each appliance we counted units in bands at or above the band edge nearest DOE's average, weighted with NWEIGHT, with jackknife standard errors from the 60 replicate weights (V = 59/60 times the sum of squared replicate deviations, per EIA). Strict and generous edges give bounds. Formulas and inputs are in derived_metrics.csv.

Limitations: DOE lifetimes are model inputs and change with data and method; RECS ages are self-reported in bands; only the most-used freezer and main heating and cooling equipment carry ages; RECS 2024 is preliminary. Last updated 2026-11-01.

This report presents published data with its limitations. It is not legal, financial or investment advice.

Sources, ranked by quality

Tier 1: primary and official sources (40)

• [1] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers: Direct final rule (89 FR 3026, docket EERE-2017-BT-STD-0003). Published 2024-01-17. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [2] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers: Proposed rule (Table IV.12 lists 2011 lifetimes) (88 FR 12452, docket EERE-2017-BT-STD-0003). Published 2023-02-27. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [3] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers: Final rule (76 FR 57516, docket EE-2008-BT-STD-0012). Published 2011-09-15. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [4] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Dishwashers: Direct final rule (89 FR 31398, docket EERE-2019-BT-STD-0039). Published 2024-04-24. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [5] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential dishwashers: Final rule (no amended standards) (81 FR 90072, docket EERE-2014-BT-STD-0021). Published 2016-12-13. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [6] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential clothes washers: Direct final rule (89 FR 19026, docket EERE-2017-BT-STD-0014). Published 2024-03-15. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [7] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential clothes washers: Direct final rule (77 FR 32308, docket EERE-2008-BT-STD-0019). Published 2012-05-31. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [8] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Consumer clothes dryers: Direct final rule (89 FR 18164, docket EERE-2014-BT-STD-0058). Published 2024-03-12. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [9] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential clothes dryers and room air conditioners: Direct final rule (76 FR 22454, docket EERE-2007-BT-STD-0010). Published 2011-04-21. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [10] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Room air conditioners: Final rule (88 FR 34298, docket EERE-2014-BT-STD-0059). Published 2023-05-26. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [11] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Consumer conventional cooking products: Direct final rule (89 FR 11434, docket EERE-2014-BT-STD-0005). Published 2024-02-14. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [12] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Dishwashers, dehumidifiers, microwave ovens, kitchen ranges and ovens: Final rule (74 FR 16040, docket EERE-2006-STD-0127). Published 2009-04-08. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [13] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Microwave ovens: Final rule (88 FR 39912, docket EERE-2017-BT-STD-0023). Published 2023-06-20. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [14] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Microwave ovens, standby and off mode: Final rule (78 FR 36316, docket EERE-2011-BT-STD-0048). Published 2013-06-17. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [15] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Dehumidifiers: Final rule (81 FR 38338, docket EERE-2012-BT-STD-0027). Published 2016-06-13. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [16] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Dehumidifiers: Proposed rule (not finalized) (88 FR 76510, docket EERE-2019-BT-STD-0043). Published 2023-11-06. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [17] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Consumer water heaters: Final rule (89 FR 37778, docket EERE-2017-BT-STD-0019). Published 2024-05-06. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [18] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Consumer gas-fired instantaneous water heaters: Final rule (withdrawn 2025-05-20 under the Congressional Review Act) (89 FR 105188, docket EERE-2017-BT-STD-0019). Published 2024-12-26. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [19] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential water heaters, direct heating equipment and pool heaters: Final rule (75 FR 20112, docket EE-2006-BT-STD-0129). Published 2010-04-16. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [20] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Consumer furnaces: Final rule (88 FR 87502, docket EERE-2014-BT-STD-0031). Published 2023-12-18. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [21] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential furnaces, central air conditioners and heat pumps: Direct final rule (76 FR 37408, docket EERE-2011-BT-STD-0011). Published 2011-06-27. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [22] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential central air conditioners and heat pumps: Direct final rule (82 FR 1786, docket EERE-2014-BT-STD-0048). Published 2017-01-06. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [23] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential boilers: Final rule (81 FR 2320, docket EERE-2012-BT-STD-0047). Published 2016-01-15. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [24] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Miscellaneous refrigeration products (wine and beverage coolers): Direct final rule (89 FR 38762, docket EERE-2020-BT-STD-0039). Published 2024-05-07. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [25] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Miscellaneous refrigeration products: Direct final rule (81 FR 75194, docket EERE-2011-BT-STD-0043). Published 2016-10-28. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [26] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential clothes washers (rescind water standards): Proposed rule (90 FR 20890, docket EERE-2025-BT-STD-002). Published 2025-05-16. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [27] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Dehumidifiers (rescind amended standards in part): Proposed rule (90 FR 20864, docket EERE-2025-BT-STD-0013). Published 2025-05-16. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [28] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Microwave ovens (rescind standards): Proposed rule (90 FR 20895, docket EERE-2025-BT-STD-0014). Published 2025-05-16. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [29] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Conventional cooking tops (rescind design requirements): Proposed rule (90 FR 20881, docket EERE-2025-BT-STD-0011). Published 2025-05-16. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [30] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Conventional ovens (rescind design requirements): Proposed rule (90 FR 20885, docket EERE-2025-BT-STD-0012). Published 2025-05-16. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [31] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential dishwashers (rescind water standards): Proposed rule (90 FR 20859, docket EERE-2025-BT-STD-0023). Published 2025-05-16. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [32] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Gas-fired instantaneous water heaters (withdrawal of disapproved rule): Final rule; withdrawal (90 FR 21390, docket EERE-2017-BT-STD-0019). Published 2025-05-20. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [33] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Review of DOE's analytic methods for setting standards: Request for information (91 FR 41578, docket EERE-2022-BT-OT-0004). Published 2026-07-07. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [34] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Petition to amend compliance dates (consumer furnaces, commercial water heaters): Notification of petition (91 FR 22477, docket EERE-2026-BT-STD-0001). Published 2026-04-27. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [35] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Consumer boilers (withdrawal of 2023 proposal): Proposed rule; withdrawal (90 FR 5746, docket EERE-2019-BT-STD-0036). Published 2025-01-17. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [36] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Residential conventional cooking products: Supplemental proposed rule (81 FR 60784, docket EERE-2014-BT-STD-0005). Published 2016-09-02. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [37] U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Miscellaneous refrigeration products (proposed withdrawal of coverage): Proposed withdrawal of determination (90 FR 20840, docket EERE-2025-BT-DET-0009). Published 2025-05-16. Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [38] U.S. Energy Information Administration. 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) public-use microdata v7 and codebook. 2020 (file updated January 2024). Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [39] U.S. Energy Information Administration. 2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) public-use microdata v1, preliminary. 2024 (released May 2026). Accessed 2026-11-01.
• [40] Office of the Federal Register. Federal Register API: DOE energy conservation documents published 2025-01-20 to 2026-11-01. 2025 to 2026. Accessed 2026-11-01.