Biden administration's water heater standards to save consumers billions

The US Department of Energy has proposed new energy efficiency standards for water heaters, aiming to save consumers $11.4 billion annually on energy and water bills. The standards, which have not been updated in 13 years, would require electric water heaters to achieve efficiency gains with heat pump technology and gas-fired water heaters to achieve efficiency gains through condensing technology. If finalized, the standards are expected to save nearly $200 billion and reduce over 500 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over 30 years. The proposal has received support from various stakeholders, but some manufacturers argue that the standards are technologically impossible and would limit consumer choice.