紐時賞析／瓦斯爐換電爐拿補助？以後不行了

I.R.A. Rebates for Appliance Swaps Could Be Phased Out

瓦斯爐換電爐拿補助？以後不行了

The Energy Department has issued new guidance that could prevent people from receiving rebates for replacing gas appliances with electric ones.

美國能源部公布新指引，可能會讓民眾無法再因為把瓦斯家電換成電器而領到補助。

The guidance, which took effect Friday, would prevent states from offering rebates to people who buy an electric stove to replace a gas range. It would also end rebates for similar swaps of ovens, dryers, heat pumps and water heaters.

新指引周五生效，將禁止各州向購買電爐、用來汰換瓦斯爐的民眾提供補助。 同樣的補助也將不再適用於烤箱、烘衣機、熱泵和熱水器等類似替換。

It was the latest move by the Trump administration to roll back a signature Biden-era climate policy. In an effort to reduce planet-warming emissions, the Biden administration had encouraged Americans to replace gas-powered cars, stoves and other technologies that burn fossil fuels with less-polluting electric models.

這是川普政府最新一項措施，意在撤回拜登時期最具代表性的氣候政策之一。 拜登政府為了減少造成地球暖化的排放，曾鼓勵美國民眾把汽油車、瓦斯爐，以及其他燃燒化石燃料的設備，換成汙染較低的電力產品。

The new guidance would affect roughly $8.8 billion in federal funding that Congress approved for two different home rebate programs as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

新指引將影響約88億美元的聯邦資金；這筆錢是國會在2022年《降低通膨法》下，核准給兩項住宅回饋計畫使用的。

The first program provides potentially thousands of dollars in rebates to upgrade space heaters, water heaters, cooling and insulation, with greater incentives available to families making less than 80% of the median income in their area.

第一項計畫提供數千美元不等的補助，用於升級空調、熱水器、冷卻設備和隔熱工程；其中，收入低於所在地區中位數80%的家庭，還能拿到更高補助。

The second program provides rebates to families making less than 150% of the local median income. These can be worth up to $8,000 for an electric heat pump, $1,750 for a heat pump water heater and $840 for an induction stove.

第二個計畫提供補助給收入低於當地中位數150% 的家庭。補助金額最高可以達到：電動熱泵8000美元、熱泵熱水器1750美元、電磁爐840美元。

States are responsible for distributing these rebates, and 12 states and the District of Columbia have already established programs. But when President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, the Energy Department halted approvals of additional state programs as part of a broader freeze to review Biden-era policies.

各州負責分配這些補助，目前已有12個州和哥倫比亞特區建立相關計畫。但在2025年1月川普重返白宮後，能源部停止批准其他州的新計畫，這屬於更大範圍的凍結措施，用來檢視拜登時期的政策。

That money is flowing again, but the agency is making key changes.

這筆資金雖然又開始流動，但主管機關也同時做出幾項重要調整。

The biggest shift is that states can no longer use the funds for “fuel switching,” where people replace gas-burning furnaces or stoves and with electric heat pumps or induction ranges. Households can, however, get rebates for upgrading existing electric appliances with more efficient models, for example by swapping an older resistance heater with a heat pump.

最大的改變是，各州不能再把資金用於「燃料轉換」，也就是把燃氣暖爐或瓦斯爐換成電動熱泵或電磁爐。不過，家庭仍然可以獲得補助，用來升級現有的電器到更高效能的機型，例如把舊的電阻式暖氣換成熱泵。

Trump has often railed against efficiency standards for household appliances. He has said that LED light bulbs make him look orange, and he has claimed, falsely, that electric stoves do not work.

川普過去經常抨擊家電效率標準。他曾說，LED燈泡讓他的膚色看起來偏橘；他也曾錯誤宣稱電爐根本不能用。

The new guidance would also allow households to receive rebates even if they bought appliances that were not certified by Energy Star, the popular program whose blue labels help consumers choose energy-efficient products.

這項新指引將允許住戶即使購買的家電沒有獲得「能源之星」節能標章認證，仍可領取補助。

文／Maxine Joselow and Brad Plumer，譯／國際中心

說文解字看新聞

【張佑生】

川普上台後積極推翻前任拜登的政策，特別是環保節能，一點也不令人意外，孔子幾千年前就說過：「其人存則其政舉，其人亡則其政息」。報導說，在新指引下，不選購節能標章商品一樣能獲得政府補助。Guidance在這裡不是單純的「建議」，通常不是法律本身，但會實際影響各州怎麼執行補助、審核資格與資金用途。

Rebate如果是來自官方，本文理解為「補助」；這是政府透過財政工具，把錢退回給符合條件的民眾，目的是引導消費選擇。

「回饋金」則偏向商業或行銷用語，通常是廠商或商店在消費後返還的一筆金額：Customers are to benefit from a rebate on their electricity bills. 介系詞用on.

Fuel switching指燃料轉換，原本使用瓦斯、汽油等化石燃料的設備，換成電力驅動的設備，這是能源轉型裡很核心的概念。

這個詞常出現在減碳政策、電網負載與能源效率討論中。在這篇文章中，它直接連到瓦斯爐換電爐、燃氣暖爐換熱泵這類補助設計。