The Biden administration has mandated energy standards that effectively force electric water heater manufacturers to switch to heat pump technology, raising concerns about the high upfront cost of such heaters and viability in colder climates.
According to the DOE, heat pump electric heaters can be two to three times more energy efficient than traditional appliances. The new rule aims to shift people to use electric heaters based on heat pumps, which the DOE claims would “save American households approximately $7.6 billion per year on their energy and water bills.”
“Replacing common-sized traditional electric resistance storage water heaters with electric heat pump water heaters meeting the new standards would save consumers approximately $1,800 on their utility bills, on average, over the life of the appliance.”
The DOE is also deliberating amended standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters, which the new standards do not address.
“Almost every U.S. household has a water heater, and for too long outdated energy efficiency standards have led to higher utility bills for families,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is continuing to put American consumers first with new, effective rules—supported by industry—that save both energy and money.”
The DOE admitted that heat pump water heaters have “higher initial costs” compared to conventional storage water heaters.
“Leave us alone. These products already exist in the free market. Consumers should decide whether the upfront cost of a heat-pump water heater is worth the possible long-term savings. In many cases, the monthly savings never make up for the upfront cost of the equipment,” Mr. Massie said in a July 22 X post.
“Heat-pump water heaters can save energy, but they make less sense in northern climates. That’s because they extract heat from the surrounding air … warm air that your furnace will have to work harder to replace. There’s ‘no free lunch’ from these water heaters in the winter.”
The lawmaker pointed out that heat pump water heaters take a “long time” to heat up a tank of water.
