The U.S. Department of Energy issued new standards of efficiency for all types of water heaters; these laws take effect April 2015. Therefore every homeowner needs to educate themselves on the changes and learn how they will affect you.
What the Regulations Mean
The standards, as outlined by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will apply to residential storage water heaters, whether oil-fired, gas, or tankless electric. An outdated water heater that’s not performing up to the new standards may have to be replaced so it becomes in compliance.
This new measure will prevent the release of up to 170 gallons of carbon dioxide over the next 30 years; not to mention it will save homeowners upwards of 410 million dollars over the next 10 years after the law takes effect. Therefore this law will help the environment and also put more money in people’s pockets in the long run.
How They Will Affect You
Efficiency standards are defined as the Energy Factor, which is an overall efficiency measure for a variety of appliances. This Energy Factor also depends on other variables such as the amount of hot water per gallon that is produced on any given day, the standby losses of hot water, and also losses during the hot water making cycle.
For example, a gas heater has an efficiency rating of 0.59; under the new law it has to have a rating under 55. For a tankless water heater the rating currently is a 0.62. it’ll have to go up to a 0.82 under the new law. Most importantly, the new law is expected to decrease energy usage by 47% in electric water heaters; in gas water heaters, that number will decrease to 30%.
Now, there may be instances where equipment may not have to be replaced; a residential plumbing evaluation will recommend installing equipment to be in compliance; only in the case of outdated or ill-functioning equipment will a replacement be recommended. This is similar to the low-flow toilet laws which were enacted in the 1990s; a reputable plumbing company such as ours will always advise customers as to what is the best course of action.
Practical factors have to be taken into consideration. Under the new NAECA regulations, most water heaters will be larger requiring more space for installation. Also, the technology associated with it and also the amount of usage throughout the year.
How We Can Help You
We want our customers to have a worry-free experience with the new regulations. As such, we are offering a free consultation for homeowners with water heaters above six years of use from now till May 1, 2015. We will help you to assess the situation and offer the best solutions and products to ensure we meet the requirements before the implementation of the new regulations.
Contact Mike Wilson Plumbing now at 804 641 6570, we are available to answer all your questions and be the solution you are looking for. Click here to download our flyer to read more.