Here we go again! In one of his last actions as president, Joe Biden is targeting natural gas water heaters - threatening to drive up energy prices for the poor and elderly in the middle of a brutally cold winter.
The new regulations would effectively ban non-condensing water heaters starting in 2029, the New York Post reported. The sweeping rule was not publicized by the administration, which has consistently targeted common home appliances in the name of climate change.
The administration notoriously ignited a public backlash with its sneaky proposal to ban gas stoves in 2023.
The water heater ban, like similar Biden climate regulations, aims to nudge a common household appliance off the market with impossible-to-meet efficiency standards.
Biden's new standards can't be met by most non-condensed tankless heaters, which are typically cheaper but less energy-efficient than condensed tankless water heaters.
The American Gas Association estimates that Biden's regulations will cost consumers $450 more on average upfront. Customers would save only $112 in heating bills over the 20-year shelf life of a condensed heater.
Traditional storage tanks are typically cheaper than tankless options, but they are less energy efficient and take up more space, making them less attractive to those living in small apartments, such as elderly residents.
“Forcing low-income and senior customers to pay far more upfront is particularly concerning. DOE’s decision to go ahead with a flawed final rule is deeply disappointing,” Matthew Agen, the American Gas Association’s chief counsel for energy, said.
In addition to squeezing consumers on tight budgets, the new rules are set to cost jobs at a Georgia manufacturing plant.
Rinnai, the only manufacturer of tankless heaters, just opened a new factory to build non-condensed heaters.
"When the rule goes into effect, all that manufacturing will basically be irrelevant,” Frank Windsor, president of Rinnai America, told the Washington Free Beacon.
Windsor said Biden's regulations make no sense, since traditional storage tanks, which use more energy, are not impacted by the rules.
"Our point has always been—I think that the incoming administration will understand this—why would you eliminate a higher efficiency product category? It makes no sense. It makes no sense at all," Windsor said.
Biden has taken a series of 11th hour actions to hamstring President-elect Trump's energy agenda, including a sweeping ban on offshore drilling. Trump has pledged to fight Biden's ban, which could obstruct Trump's plans to ramp up fossil fuel production.
The Appliance Standard Awareness Project hailed Biden's latest appliance ban as a win for the climate.
"This is a commonsense step that will lower total household costs while reducing planet-warming emissions,” Andrew deLaski, the firm’s executive said in a statement.
