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The U.S. Department of Energy has proposed a new rule aimed at making residential water heaters more efficient, a measure that if approved would be the Biden administration’s biggest crackdown on household appliances so far.
The DoE’s new standards would require many electric water heaters to achieve efficiency gains by using heat pump technology, while gas-fired water heaters would be required to make improvements through condensing technology.
The agency said the efficiency standards, which would take effect in 2029, would save consumers an estimated $198B and cut more than 500M metric tons of carbon emissions over a 30-year period.
Consumer advocates said the proposed rule will lower electricity demand and household bills, but Rinnai America, which sells tankless water heaters, said the standards “will create an uneven market that effectively bans an already energy efficient product and puts American jobs at risk.”
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