As Florida residents shivered in the blast of Arctic air, the Biden administration was busy over the weekend.
Among the actions President Joe Biden took was to ban certain natural gas water heaters, a move many said could send prices soaring, especially for the elderly and the poor.
Here’s what you should know.
Biden bans natural gas-fired water heaters
Under the new ruling issued by outgoing President Joe Biden, new non-condensing, natural gas-fired water heaters would be prohibited for sale starting in 2029 due to concerns about carbon-dioxide emissions, according to the New York Post.
If the policy takes effect, as it is slated to on March 11, a little less than 40% of the tankless water heaters currently on the market would be banned, according to an estimate from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.
The new rules, which were published by the Department of Energy in December 2024, also stipulate new tankless gas water heaters must rely on 13% less energy than the least efficient comparable model on the markets today.
Why did Biden ban certain hot water heaters?
The intention is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which climate change advocates and Biden said cause global warming, according to Fox Business.
Biden’s ban followed ruling from Department of Energy issued in December 2024
The 361-page ruling issued by the Department of Energy set energy conservation standards for consumer gas-fired instantaneous water heaters.
“It has determined that the amended energy conservation standards for these products would result in significant conservation of energy, and are technologically feasible and economically justified,” the agency said.
What type of water heaters would public be able to buy?
“Customers will be pushed toward buying models that are more expensive or lean on non-instantaneous storage tank water heaters, which are generally cheaper but tend to be less efficient than the ones that are facing a ban,” according to the New York Post.
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 Fox Business.
“The rules apply to both non-condensing and condensing gas water heaters, but the rules increase efficiency requirements to a threshold that only condensing models can meet, effectively banning the cheaper but less efficient non-condensing models,” according to The Washington Free Beacon. Condensing technology wastes less heat.
Rinnai America’s — which calls itself the leader in tankless technology — tankless non-condensing natural gas water heater goes for roughly $1,000 at Home Depot, while a comparable condensing 75-gallon tank goes for about $1,800.
Where are tankless water heaters normally used?
Tankless technology is frequently used in smaller apartments or housing spaces, which means that a lot of lower-income and elderly people tend to use those types of water heaters, according to the New York Post.
“Forcing low-income and senior customers to pay far more upfront is particularly concerning. DOE’s decision to go ahead with a flawed final rule is deeply disappointing,” according to Matthew Agen, the American Gas Association’s chief counsel for energy.
Would customers save money with the new water heaters?
The Department of Energy estimated the costs saved over the long run by the new rules would be about $112 over a roughly 20-year stretch.
Overall, under the regulations, roughly 40 percent of the new tankless water heaters available in the United States today would be taken off the market by 2029, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
“Experts and industry officials said that would force consumers to purchase either more expensive or less efficient water heater models.
“One industry analysis estimates that consumers will pay $450 more on average when purchasing new water heaters,” according to the Free Beacon report.
Read DOE standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters
Pros, cons over new water heater rules
The Department of Energy estimated the new standards “are projected to yield significant environmental benefits” between 2030 and 2059, including reductions of:
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32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
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0.12 thousand tons of sulfur dioxide
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86 thousand tons of nitrogen oxide398 thousand tons of methane
The Appliance Standards Awareness Project supported the new rule.
“This is a commonsense step that will lower total household costs while reducing planet-warming emissions,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.
According to its website, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project “advocates for appliance, equipment, and lighting standards that cut planet-warming emissions and other air pollution, save water, and reduce economic and environmental burdens for low- and moderate-income households.”
“These long-awaited standards will ensure more families save with proven energy-efficient technology already used in a majority of tankless units.”
➤ Appliance Standards Awareness Project Fact Sheet
Critics said the ban on certain natural gas water heaters would increase energy costs for low-income and senior households, according to Fox Business.
Matthew Agen, the American Gas Association’s chief counsel for energy, blasted the move, labeling it “deeply concerning and irresponsible.”
“The DOE’s own analysis claims the average life-cycle cost savings would amount to barely $112 over the entire 20-year average product life,” Agen added.
“It’s one more example of an appliance regulation that raises costs and reduces choices,” Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told the Washington Free Beacon. “It bans an entire category of tankless water heaters and the ones that are most affordable.”
“If you really want to impact the water heating ruling, you really need to deal with the tank models,” Frank Windsor, the president of water heater manufacturer Rinnai America, told the Beacon.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Biden bans hot water heater types. 8 things to know
