The Biden administration is expected to soon issue regulations restricting which gas-fired space heaters consumers can buy in the future.
According to experts, regulations proposed by the Department of Energy (DOE) in June 2022 would limit consumer choice, drive up prices and are likely to have little impact on greenhouse gas emissions. The agency could finalize regulations for residential gas stoves, which more than 50% of American homes rely on for space heating, any time in the coming weeks.
“This is a classic example of no one-size-fits-all solution,” said Ben Lieberman, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Every home is different, every homeowner is different, and people do best with choices. They can work with their contractor to make the best decision for their home and circumstances.”
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“The efficiency standard would effectively ban non-condensing furnaces and condensing alternatives would be the only available,” Lieberman said. “These are more efficient, but also cost more. And installation costs could be a big issue for some homes that aren’t compatible with condensing stoves.”
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“These efficiency measures not only reduce carbon and methane emissions, but also offer tremendous material benefits to American homes in the form of cleaner air, modernized technology and cheaper energy,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said after proposing the furnace standards last year. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Bloomberg)
Under the proposed rules, the Department of Energy (DOE) would require stoves to achieve 95% Annual Fuel Efficiency (AFUE) by 2029, meaning manufacturers can only sell stoves that convert at least 95% of the fuel to heat within six years . The current market standard AFUE for a residential boiler is 80%.
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Because of the stringent AFUE requirements, the regulations would largely remove non-condensing gas stoves – which are generally less efficient but cheaper – from the market. However, consumers who choose to replace their non-condensing stove with a condensing stove after the scheme comes into force will face high installation costs.
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“There are some really technical reasons why this rule is so concerning,” Richard Meyer, vice president of energy markets, analysis and standards at the American Gas Association (AGA), told Fox News Digital in an interview. “It’s about the ability of consumers to meet this new standard of efficiency.”
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“In many cases, they have to install new equipment to extract the exhaust from their home. These higher efficiency devices or so-called condensing devices – many consumers have them in their homes, but also many consumers don’t. Therefore, this rule would require additional retrofits for many consumers. And these upgrades can be extremely expensive.”
AGA, whose members supply natural gas to more than 74 million customers nationwide, filed a statement opposing the furnace regulations with the DOE last year. The industry group has argued that consumers would be better served if the agency allowed the free market to naturally increase product efficiencies.
Overall, between 40% and 60% of domestic stoves currently on the market would be banned under the proposed regulation.
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A new natural gas furnace is pictured at a residential home in Spanish Fork, Utah on October 19, 2021. (George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“What we’re seeing right now across the U.S. federal government, and of course reflected in many states, is an active policy push to combat climate change,” Meyer said. “The result, however, is that the opportunities and availability of direct consumer use of natural gas are being limited.”
“Firstly, AGA’s primary concern is to take away that option, that choice, from consumers,” he continued. “Second, for many consumers, natural gas remains in many cases the most cost-effective and even the lowest-emission resource. Many of the measures we are seeing that aim to curb natural gas could end up being counterproductive and increasing costs to consumers and could increase the emissions associated with those consumers’ energy use.”
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In its announcement last year, the Department of Energy claimed that efficiency standards would save the average family about $100 a year and reduce carbon emissions by 373 million tons and methane emissions by 5.1 million tons.
Francis Dietz, a spokesman for the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, which represents heater manufacturers, said members of his organization are in favor of regulations that are not “overly strict”.
“Our main goal in doing this is to have a rule that’s sensible enough so that consumers still have more efficient options,” he told Fox News Digital. “You know, you would have a solution that would be low enough to be more affordable for consumers, and others who felt they needed even more efficiency still had some options there. That is really our main goal.”
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In recent months, the Biden administration has targeted several household appliances, including gas stoves, as part of its climate agenda.
The awaited rule, meanwhile, comes amid a spate of DOE rulemaking targeting device efficiency standards. In recent months, the DOE has introduced new standards for various appliances, including gas stoves, ovens, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners and dishwashers.
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And in December, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm pointed out that the government had taken 110 measures on energy efficiency standards in 2022 alone. The Energy Secretary added that the regulations would strengthen US leadership in the “race to a clean energy future”.
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According to the current Unified Federal Agenda, a government-wide, semi-annual list that highlights regulators they plan to propose or finalize within the next 12 months, the Biden administration is pushing rules that affect dozens more devices, including pool pumps, battery chargers, ceiling fans and dehumidifiers.
In accordance with the DOE’s mission statement, the Unified Agenda emphasizes the promotion of “energy efficiency and energy saving” as one of five central pillars. Broadly speaking, Democrats and environmentalists have argued that electrification, banning natural gas connections and imposing strict energy efficiency standards could help accelerate emissions reductions.