The Biden administration brought forward yet another regulatory proposal late Friday, taking aim at water heaters. This action is the latest addition to a series of energy efficiency mandates that target various home appliances.
The Department of Energy (DOE) defends these regulations, arguing that they will encourage the adoption of electric heat pump water heaters, save American citizens billions of dollars, and significantly reduce carbon emissions.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, underlining the administration’s agenda, stated, “Today’s actions — together with our industry partners and stakeholders — improve outdated efficiency standards for common household appliances, which is essential to slashing utility bills for American families and cutting harmful carbon emissions.”
She claimed the initiative is a key component of Bidenomics, aiming to reduce energy costs.
“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 continued.
The DOE suggests that these new regulations, scheduled to take effect in 2029, could save Americans an estimated $198 billion while reducing emissions by 501 million metric tons over the next thirty years.
In terms of environmental impact, these figures equate to the carbon footprint of roughly 63 million homes, or half the homes across the United States.
However, these prospective savings come at a potential cost. The proposed regulations would demand increased efficiency from heaters utilizing heat pump technology.
Gas-fired water heaters, on the other hand, would be required to improve efficiency through condensing technology. However, non-condensing gas-fired water heaters, which are more affordable and compact, and thus less costly to install, would effectively be removed from the market.
This focus on water heaters is significant, given that according to the DOE, water heating represents 13% of annual residential energy use and consumer utility costs.
Over the last several months, the DOE has rolled out new standards for a wide array of appliances, including gas stoves, clothes washers, refrigerators, and air conditioners.
Moreover, the Biden administration is on track to propose or finalize rules affecting numerous other appliances, including consumer furnaces, pool pumps, battery chargers, ceiling fans, and dehumidifiers, according to the current federal Unified Agenda.
Last December, the Biden administration prided itself on taking 110 actions on energy efficiency rules in 2022 alone as part of its climate change initiative.
Collectively, the DOE estimates that these regulations will save Americans $570 billion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2.4 billion metric tons over the next three decades.
Yet, consumer groups and experts express concern over the administration’s relentless pursuit of energy efficiency. Critics argue that these regulations will restrict consumer choice and result in higher costs for Americans.
Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital, “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.”
He further warned, “Consumers aren’t going to like any of it. These rules are almost always bad for consumers for the simple reason that they restrict consumer choice.”
What is never mentioned in the projected consumer “savings” is the replacement costs of the soon to be outlawed appliance.
Additionally, all of these regulations are geared to moving the United States in to strictly electric energy system that does not exist at this time and all indicators suggest it will not exist in time for all of these regulations to go into effect. Then what? It is all so disturbing.
