Biden Admin Issues Sweeping Ban On Natural Gas Water Heaters

The Biden administration has finalized a rule that would ban most natural gas hot water heaters, restrictions that critics say are sure to raise the cost of similar appliances.

The Department of Energy (DOE) published the finalized rule in the Federal Register the day after Christmas, but did not send out a press release or other public announcement as in the case of past regulations, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

The rule is scheduled to go into effect in March 2025. It is expected to phase out the production of roughly 40% of new tankless water heaters by 2025, leaving consumers in the United States with fewer options and higher prices. The finalized rule is the latest move the Biden administration has made to restrict household appliances and vehicles in an effort to cut down on emissions.

“The object of these rules is to reduce consumption of natural gas, a goal of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, signed into law when America had to import oil and natural gas. Now, however, America is one of the world’s largest energy producers,” The Heritage Foundation’s Diana Furchtgott-Roth wrote in The Daily Signal. “The law is outdated and should be repealed.”

Biden has used his executive branch powers to regulate your household appliances because Congress, which answers to the people, refused to pass such restrictive laws,” wrote Furchtgott-Roth, the director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at the conservative think tank.

Matthew Agen, the American Gas Association’s chief counsel for energy, blasted the new rule in a December 18 statement, accusing the Biden administration of violating the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) with the sweeping ban.

“DOE’s decision to ban an entire segment of instantaneous water heaters is deeply concerning and irresponsible,” Agen said. “The final rule is a violation of the [EPCA], which prohibits DOE from promulgating a standard that renders a product with a distinct performance characteristic unavailable.”

Agen also said that the Biden administration’s claims about cost savings for consumers are flawed, and the rule will result in much higher costs, especially to low-income households.

“DOE’s estimate of increased cost to customers is not reflective of real-world situations, with direct pricing information from a manufacturer suggesting that the difference in average product price alone is approximately $450 – 200% greater than the $231 difference claimed by DOE to justify the rule. Moreover, the customers most likely to opt for more affordable non-condensing water heaters tend to be low-income and senior households,” Agen said.