The US Department of Energy (DOE) has proposed new energy efficiency standards for residential water heaters, aiming to save consumers USD11.4bn on their energy and water bills annually, as reported by Reuters on July 21. The proposal calls for new electric storage water heaters in the most common size to use heat pumps for efficiency gains, and some gas-fired instantaneous heaters to adopt condensing technology. If finalized, the standards would take effect in 2029 and are expected to save roughly USD200bn and reduce 500 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over 30 years, equivalent to the combined annual emissions of half of homes in the US.

The aim of the proposal is to modernize outdated standards on residential water heater efficiency, which have not been updated for 13 years. The DOE states that water heating is responsible for approximately 13% of both annual residential energy consumption and consumer utility expenses. By implementing stricter energy efficiency standards, the DOE seeks to encourage manufacturers to invest in innovative technologies and offer consumers more power-efficient models. Throughout this year, the department has proposed or finalized efficiency standards for 18 product categories, including refrigerators, cloth washers, and dishwashers. The DOE estimates that its past and planned energy efficiency actions could save USD570bn for Americans and collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2.4 billion tons over 30 years.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/us-plans-water-heater-standards-says-will-save-consumers-11-bln-yearly-2023-07-21/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/07/21/water-heaters-energy-efficient-biden/

https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-proposes-new-energy-efficiency-standards-water-heaters-save-americans-more-11-billion