Don’t get caught in hot water this April after the new water heater regulations go into effect. As you may or may not know, the Obama administration released new energy efficient regulations and standards in order to “cut carbon pollution by nearly 300 million metric tons through 2030 — equivalent to taking more than 60 million cars off the road for one year — and will save homes and businesses more than $10 billion on their energy bills.”
U.S. Department of Energy New Water Heater Regulations
The new water heater regulations go into effect April 16, 2015, which means that you only have a few more weeks left to make an important decision regarding your existing water heater.
Basically, the new water heater regulations will require changes for both manufacturers and installers of hot water heater systems. As a homeowner, this means that you will be footing the bill for the extra expenses.
The U.S. DOE regulations require the biggest changes for large water heaters, so if you have a tankless, solar, or small water heater, these regulations won’t affect you as much. The larger gas and electric water heaters (greater than 55 gallons) will need to improve their energy efficiency by about 47% and 30%, respectively.
Source: mechanical-hub.com
The U.S. DOE claims that “the percent of households benefitting ranges from 59 percent to 90 percent.” While you will probably benefit from the savings over the lifetime of the the new water heater regulations for gas and electric water heaters, it won’t be by much. The savings never go over $97 dollars and in some cases can go as low as -$244.
Although we are not arguing against stricter energy efficiency requirements, it’s important to remind consumers of their different options and inform them of the higher upfront costs of a water heater maintenance, repair, or installation after the new water heater regulations on April 16th.
Read on for our recommendation!
Why You Should Replace Your Water Heater Now
Although the new changes will make your water heating (about 20% of your home’s total utility expense) more energy efficient, the upfront costs are significant.
That increased price will end up landing on your bill. Not only will the manufacturer price increase, but the stricter installation requirements, which may require new vent piping, will rise significantly as well.
We recommend that you check your water heater right now if you don’t know how old it is. There should be manufacturer and installation information right on the tank itself. If your water heater is older than 10 years old or you’ve been thinking about replacing it soon, we recommend replacing it now!
It’s sort of like whether you want $100 now or 27¢ every day for a year. If you are like most people, you will want the $100 today. And with Boulden Brother’s energy efficient gas, electric, hybrid, solar, and tankless water heaters, you will probably save more replacing your water heater now than waiting until after April 16th.
Also, if your existing water heater is in a tight space, you might need to find a different place to put the new energy efficient water heater since the added insulation makes the unit significantly larger.
More Information On Water Heaters
- Tankless Water Heaters vs. Traditional Ones
- Traditional vs. Solar Water Heaters: A Buyer’s Guide
- Water Heater Types and Sizes
Call Boulden Brothers today if you have any questions about the new water heater regulations or wish to replace your existing water heater. There’s not much time left!
Boulden Brothers knows how important to have a reliable and energy efficient hot water heater. If you want to save on water heater replacement or installation costs or have any questions about the new government regulations that go into effect this April, pick up the phone and call the home experts at Boulden Brothers – (302) 368-3848.
With our indirect solar water heater systems, you will never have to worry about fluctuating fuel prices or freezing water pipes again.
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