By Nick Pope
The Biden administration introduced a new proposal for water heater efficiency standards Friday, becoming the latest widely-used household appliance to be singled out by the Energy Department.
The Department of Energy (DOE) claims the new water heater standards will curb carbon dioxide emissions and save Americans billions in the long-term, according to a Friday press release. The proposed rules are the latest advancement in the Biden administration’s wider push to regulate household appliances in pursuit of its climate agenda.
The regulation would mandate higher efficiency standards for new water heaters that use heat pumps, and would require new gas heat pumps to gain efficiency by using condensing technology, according to the DOE press release. Gas water heaters are smaller and less expensive, and thus carry cheaper installation costs than alternatives, according to FOX News.
“It’s just spreading to more and more appliances. It seems that almost everything that plugs in or fires up around the house is either subject to a pending regulation or soon will be,” Ben Lieberman, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said of the administration’s efficiency regulations push, according to FOX News.
“Consumers aren’t going to like any of it,” Lieberman continued, according to FOX News. “These rules are almost always bad for consumers for the simple reason that they restrict consumer choice.”
The efficiency regulations would take effect in 2029 if they are finalized, according to the press release. Other appliances that the Biden administration is planning to issue updated energy standards for include dishwashers, residential laundry machines, refrigerators and boilers, according to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
The Biden administration has also attempted to regulate gas stoves, which led the Republican-controlled House to pass a bill in June that would bar any prospective federal ban on new gas stoves if it became law.
The DOE estimates that the new rule will save American consumers $198 billion in energy costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 501 million metric tons over 30 years, according to the press release. The projected emissions reduction is equivalent to the combined annual amount of emissions generated by more than 60 million homes, or about half of the homes in the U.S., according to the press release.
“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,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Friday, according to the press release. The rule would “improve outdated efficiency standards for common household appliances, which is essential to slashing utility bills for American families and cutting harmful carbon emissions,” she added.
The DOE did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
