Biden administration proposes tighter efficiency rule for new home water heaters

The Biden administration on Friday proposed tightening an efficiency standard for new residential water heaters — a move that it said would both save consumers money and combat climate change. 

The draft rule would require that, in order to become more efficient,  most common-size electric water heaters use heat pump technology and gas-powered heaters use condensing technology.

The proposal from the Energy Department would cut 501 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over 30 years, the department said. That’s the equivalent of the emissions of 134 coal-fired power plants in one year. 

The department also said the standards would save consumers $198 billion over the 30-year period. 

“Today’s actions…improve outdated efficiency standards for common household appliances, which is essential to slashing utility bills for American families and cutting harmful carbon emissions,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a written statement. 

“This proposal reinforces the trajectory of consumer savings that forms the key pillar of Bidenomics and builds on the unprecedented actions already taken by this Administration to lower energy costs for working families across the nation,” she added. 

The department said in its proposed rule that it’s not clear whether the rule will ultimately cost or save money for manufacturers, saying its impacts could range between a loss of $207.3 million to a gain of $165.5 million through the year 2059.

The department’s energy efficiency rules have become a controversial topic on Capitol Hill, particularly as they pertain to gas stoves.

The House Oversight Committee recently held a hearing on what the panel’s Republican majority described as “the Biden Administration’s Regulatory Assault on Americans’ Home Appliances.”