Biden Administration Releases Energy Efficient Standards for Gas Furnaces

The Biden administration released finalized energy efficient standards for residential gas furnaces on Friday, September 29, and they come with a high cost for many households.

The Department of Energy (DOE) expects the rules to slash household utility bills from gas furnace use by $1.5 billion annually and reduce pollution.

By 2028, residential gas furnaces will be required to provide an annual fuel utilization efficiency of 95 percent. This means that a furnace must convert 95 percent of its fuel into heat. The current market standard for annual fuel utilization efficiency is 80 percent, and it was last updated in 2007, Fox News Digital reported. 

The announcement from the DOE states:

“At the direction of Congress, DOE is continuing to review and finalize energy standards for household appliances, such as residential furnaces, to lower costs for working families by reducing energy use and slashing harmful pollutants in homes across the nation,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Today’s measure, along with this Administration’s past and planned energy efficiency actions, underscores President Biden’s commitment to save Americans money and deliver healthier communities.” 

Furnaces account for approximately 19 percent of residential energy use annually.  With the updated efficiency standards, the Department of Energy predicts 332 million metric tons of carbon emissions will be cut over 30 years. This, they say, means savings in 34 percent of homes in the United States. The Department also expects to see a cut in methane emissions by 4.3 million tons, which they claim is roughly equivalent to emissions from 29 coal plants.  

The more energy efficient furnaces are more expensive than the ones they will replace on the market, and they are costly to install, FoxNews reported. 

“They’re going to have to, in many cases, install new equipment to exhaust gas out of their home. These higher efficiency units, or so-called condensing units — a lot of consumers have them in their home, but a lot of consumers don’t,” Richard Meyer, the vice president of energy markets, analysis, and standards at the American Gas Association told Fox News. “So, this rule would require additional retrofits for a lot of consumers. And those retrofits can be extremely cost prohibitive.”

Last month, Breitbart News reported that the Biden Administration’s green energy standards for ceiling fans could put 30% of manufacturers out of business. Those ceiling fan rules came after gas stove and water heater regulations.