The Biden administration is banning some natural gas water heaters from the market as part of its efforts to combat climate change, a move critics say will drive up energy costs for low-income and elderly households. .
The move, which comes in the final stages of his administration, calls for the removal of non-condensing natural gas-fired water heaters from stores by 2029, with the aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions that climate change advocates and President Biden say are causing global warming. Become.
The new rules will require new tankless gas water heaters to use about 13% less energy than today's least efficient tankless models.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the rule applies to both non-condensing and condensing gas water heaters, but it raises efficiency requirements to a threshold that only condensing models can meet. It is said that non-condensing models, which are cheap but have low efficiency, are virtually prohibited. Condensation technology means less heat is wasted.
Consumers would be forced to buy less efficient, more expensive models or cheaper non-instantaneous tank water heaters than the models banned by the DOE.
Tankless technology is often used where space is limited, such as in apartment complexes or small homes, Diana Furchtgott-Ruth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate and Environment, wrote in The Daily Signal.
For example, Rinnai America is the only company producing tankless water heaters in the United States. The company's tankless, non-condensing natural gas water heaters sell for about $1,000 at Home Depot. Meanwhile, a 75-gallon tank with condensation costs $1,800.
The new rules were published by the Department of Energy (DOE) the day after Christmas, but the agency did not publish them. Fox Business has reached out to the DOE for comment.
Matthew Agen, chief energy advisor for the American Gas Association, called the move “very disturbing and irresponsible.”
“The final rule violates the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), which prohibits DOE from promulgating standards that make products with defined performance characteristics unavailable. Ajan said in a statement before the rules were officially published.
To make matters worse, Ajan said, the Department of Energy's own analysis claims that the average life-cycle cost reduction is barely $112 over the average product life of 20 years. He said the rule was unjustified on legal and practical grounds.
“Forcing low-income and elderly customers to make much higher upfront payments is especially concerning. DOE's decision to proceed with the flawed final rule is extremely disappointing.”
Rinnai recently built a $70 million, 360,000-square-foot factory in Georgia to manufacture non-condensing gas water heaters for the U.S. market, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Rinnai America President Frank Windsor told the outlet the move was a “bad deal.”
He said the company, which began construction in 2020 in response to President Trump's efforts to revitalize U.S. manufacturing, employs hundreds of people.
“Once this rule goes into effect, all manufacturing is basically irrelevant,” Windsor told the magazine. “A lot of the major equipment that we've invested in basically has to be scrapped.”
However, the move was welcomed by the non-profit Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), which said it would reduce 32 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from water heaters sold over 30 years.
The group, which helps reduce energy and water use in home appliances, says it supports the Department of Energy's efficiency standards.
“This is a common-sense measure that reduces total household costs while reducing global warming emissions,” said Andrew DeLasky, executive director of ASAP.
“These long-awaited standards will enable more households to save money with the proven energy-efficient technology already used in the majority of tankless units.”
