Biden’s new water heater ban will raise energy prices for poor, elderly: expert

U 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 raise energy costs for older and older households.

The move in recent days by the administration will remove non-condensing, natural gas-fired water heaters from the shelves by 2029 in an attempt to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which climate change advocates and President Biden say they cause global warming.

The new rules require new tankless gas water heaters to use about 13% less energy than today’s less 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 raise energy costs for seniors and elderly households. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images, left, Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images, right. / Getty Images)

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The rules apply to both non-condensing and condensing gas water heaters, but the rules raise the efficiency requirements to a threshold that only condensing models can meet, effectively banning cheaper non-condensing models, but less effective, according to the Washington Free Beacon. Condensation technology loses less heat.

Consumers will be forced to buy more expensive models or cheaper non-instantaneous storage tank water heaters, which are less efficient than the models banned by the DOE.

Tankless technology is often used when space is at a premium, such as in apartment buildings and smaller 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 that manufactures tankless water heaters in the United States. Its tankless, non-condensing natural gas water heater sells for about $1,000 at Home Depotcompared to $1,800 for a 75 gallon condensing 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 the DOE for comment.

President Biden makes remarks about extreme heat conditions on July 27, 2023. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo/Reuters Photos)

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Matthew Agen, the American Gas Association’s chief energy adviser, blasted the move, labeling it “deeply troubling and irresponsible.”

“The final rule is a violation of the Energy Conservation and Policy Act (EPCA), which prohibits DOE from promulgating a standard that makes a product with a distinct performance characteristic unavailable,” Agen said in a statement. before the rules are officially published.

To make matters worse, Agen said, the DOE’s own analysis states that the average life cycle cost savings would be as little as $112 over the entire average product life of 20 years. He said the rule is not justifiable for legal and practical reasons.

“Forcing low-income and elderly customers to pay significantly more up front is particularly troubling. DOE’s decision to move forward with a flawed final rule is deeply disappointing.”

Rinnai recently built a $70 million, 360,000-square-foot factory in Georgia to manufacture non-condensing gas water heaters for the American market, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

Frank Windsor, president of Rinnai America, told the outlet 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.

“When the rule goes into effect, all manufacturing will be basically irrelevant,” Windsor told the outlet. “A lot of the major equipment that we’ve invested in basically will have to be scrapped.”

People with placards and posters during a global climate change strike. (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.

The group, which supports reducing energy and water use in appliances, he says supports the DOE’s efficiency standards.

“This is a common-sense step that will reduce total household costs while reducing global warming emissions,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of ASAP.

“These long-awaited standards will ensure that more households save with a proven energy-efficient technology already used in the majority of tankless units.”