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Biden administration The government is banning some natural gas water heaters from the market as part of its climate change agenda, a move critics say will increase energy costs for low-income and senior households.
The move, taken in the administration’s final days, would phase out non-condensing, natural gas-fired water heaters by 2029 to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Climate change Advocates and President Biden say the cause is global warming.
Under the new rules new tankless gas water heaters will be required to use about 13% less energy than today’s least efficient tankless models.
The Biden administration is banning some natural gas water heaters from the market as part of its climate change agenda, a move critics say will increase energy costs for low-income and senior families. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images, left, Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images, right./Getty Images)
The rules apply to both non-condensing and condensing gas water heaters, but according to The Washington Free Beacon, the rules raise efficiency requirements to the point that only condensing models can meet, which are effectively cheaper but Bans less efficient non-condensing models. Condensation technology wastes less heat.
Consumers will be forced to purchase more expensive models or cheaper non-instantaneous storage tank water heaters, which are less efficient than the models being banned by DOE.
Diana Furchtgott-Ruth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate and Environment, wrote in The Daily Signal that tankless technology is often used when space is at a premium, such as in apartment buildings and tiny homes.
For example, Rinnai America is the only company that produces tankless water heaters in the United States. Its tankless, non-condensing natural gas water heater sells for about $1,000 home depotThat compares to $1,800 for a condensing 75-gallon tank.
The new rules were published by the Department of Energy (DOE) the day after Christmas, although the agency did not make a public announcement. Fox Business has contacted DOE for comment.
President Biden delivers remarks on extreme heat conditions on July 27, 2023. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo/Reuters Photo)
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Matthew Agen, chief counsel for the American Gas Association for Energy, criticized the move, calling it “extremely concerning and irresponsible.”
“The final rule is in violation of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), which prohibits DOE from promulgating a standard that requires products with a specific performance characteristic,” Agen said in a statement before the rules were officially published. Makes it unavailable.”
To make matters worse, DOE’s own analysis claims the average life-cycle cost savings over the entire 20-year average product life will be barely $112, Agen said. He said that this rule is unfair on legal and practical grounds.
“Forcing low-income and senior customers to pay more upfront is particularly worrisome. DOE’s decision to move forward with the flawed final rule is extremely disappointing.”
Rinnai recently built A $70 million, 360,000-square-foot factory in Georgia to make non-condensing gas water heaters for the U.S. market, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Frank Windsor, president of Rinnai America, told the outlet that the move is a “bad deal.”
He said the company began construction in 2020 following President Trump’s efforts to boost American manufacturing and employs hundreds of people.
“When the rule goes into effect, all manufacturing will basically become irrelevant,” Windsor told the outlet. “A lot of the major equipment we’ve invested in will have to be basically gutted.”
People holding placards and posters during the global strike for climate change. (iStock/iStock)
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However, the move was welcomed by the non-profit Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), saying it would eliminate 32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from water heaters sold over 30 years.
group that supports reduce energy And water use in appliances it says meets DOE’s efficiency standards.
“This is a simple step that will lower total household costs while reducing planet-warming emissions,” said Andrew DeLasky, executive director of ASAP.
“These long-awaited standards will ensure that families save more with the proven energy-efficient technology already used in most tankless units.”
