As part of a series of planned laws from the Biden administration on appliances, the Department of Energy (DOE) unveiled on Friday a proposal to tighten down on household hot water heaters, which opponents worry would limit consumer power.
According to a statement from the agency, the new proposed dictate would tighten requirements for water heaters by mandating heat pump technology for the majority of standard-sized electric water heaters and condensing technology for gas-fired water heaters.
According to the Department of Energy, adopting such rules would allegedly save customers $11 billion per year on energy costs and $198 billion over a 30-year period. In addition, the government agency estimated that the measures would supposedly decrease greenhouse gas emissions by around 500 million tons throughout the same time frame.
The Department of Energy (DOE) claims that the new regulations would accelerate the deployment of electric pump water heaters, while Fox News showed that they would eliminate competition from less expensive gas heaters. The news source said that non-condensing gas-fired heaters are less expensive, smaller, and need less labor to install.
On social media, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, had three words for the newest green energy plan from the Biden administration: “Leave us alone.”
Massie explained that the existence of such goods in the free market already nullified the necessity for further government intervention.
The Energy Department estimates that the new regulations would supposedly save customers hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The new criteria have been criticized for being “technologically impossible” and restrictive.
On social media, Conservative conservationist Gabriella Hoffman asked how banning water heaters, gas stoves, and contemporary comforts is an energy efficient and a cost savings measure. It isn’t.
Hoffman said it was helping no one but the green energy lobby. But we are stirring up a cultural war if we criticize proposed rules that are posted on federal websites.
According to DOE, the new regulation would come into force in 2029 if the recommended timeframe is followed.
