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The Biden administration finalized national efficiency rules for residential gas furnaces, which will require non-weatherized gas furnaces and those used in mobile homes to achieve a 95 percent annual fuel utilization efficiency standard by late 2028. That is, manufacturers would only be allowed to sell furnaces that convert at least 95 percent of fuel into heat. The current market standard for a residential furnace is 80 percent. The new standards will phase out older furnaces and make newer models mandatory, affecting about a third of U.S. homes, and eliminate consumer choice in another appliance area. Because of the stringent requirements, the regulations would largely take non-condensing gas furnaces, which are cheaper, off the market. Replacing a non-condensing furnace with a condensing furnace would entail hefty installation costs as many consumers will need to install new equipment to exhaust gas out of their home to accommodate the higher efficiency units, the condensing units.
The rule is part of the Department of Energy’s new efficiency standards that it has proposed or finalized for 24 appliances, according to its press release. The new gas furnace rule, opposed by the American Gas Association (AGA), could prohibit 40 to 60 percent of gas furnaces currently in homes. According to the AGA, gas furnaces are more cost effective, and the electrification of multiple appliances would be costly to consumers as many gas appliances are more cost effective. DOE claims that the new regulations will eventually cut household utility costs by $1.5 billion on an annual basis. Residential gas furnaces account for approximately 19 percent of annual residential energy use in the United States. They are particularly favored in colder regions of the country where heat pumps have not been able to handle heating comfortably.
Over the last several months, the DOE has unveiled new standards for a wide variety of appliances including gas stoves, dish washers, clothes washers, refrigerators and air conditioners. The crack down on appliance efficiency standards is a part of Biden administration’s push to electrify all appliances as part of its climate agenda. The DOE plans to spend $225 million helping state and local governments adopt building codes that push electrification and move away from gas appliances. The Biden administration is supporting a transition to electric heat pumps, despite the cost to American families to convert and the operating expense as electricity prices are increasing despite substantial subsidies for renewable generation technologies.
In February, the DOE proposed a rule to create new energy efficiency standards for gas stoves that would make at least half of U.S. stove models ineligible for repurchase in stores, and potentially a much higher percentage. The Biden administration also proposed a rule in June that would require gas generators to turn off after reaching a certain level of emissions. In July, the Biden administration announced a proposed rule affecting water heaters and proposed new rules in March for refrigerators and laundry machines that could impose billions of dollars of new costs on consumers.
According to the current federal Unified Agenda, a government-wide, semiannual list that highlights regulations agencies plan to propose or finalize within the next 12 months, the Biden administration is additionally moving forward with rules impacting dozens more appliances, including pool pumps, battery chargers, ceiling fans and dehumidifiers.
Conclusion
Biden’s energy department announced a new standard on gas furnaces requiring a 95 percent efficiency rate that would phase out less expensive gas units. The new rule would require retrofits for many homes that would be extremely cost prohibitive as many consumers would need to install new equipment to exhaust gas out of their home to accommodate the higher efficiency condensing units. The rule will force consumers toward electrification as the Biden administration would prefer consumers to switch to heat pumps whether they make sense for their area or their house or not.
The Biden administration’s energy department is working feverishly on updating appliance standards that would phase out many appliances that are currently in American homes. In December, DOE boasted that it had taken 110 actions on energy efficiency rules in 2022 alone as part of the President’s climate agenda, indicating that they would save consumers money. President Biden’s green energy policies, however, seek to control consumers’ choice and they are actually a costly and increasingly disruptive burden on American households.
On this episode of The Unregulated Podcast Tom Pyle and Mike McKenna discuss the fight for the speakership, California’s new senator, busted electric buses, and Germany’s return to coal.
WASHINGTON DC (10/05/2023) – On Tuesday, October 3rd, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was removed from his position as Speaker of the House in an unprecedented 216 – 210 motion to vacate.
American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle issued the following statement supporting House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s (R-LA) nomination to replace McCarthy in his leadership role:
“When it comes to ensuring that consumers have access to affordable, reliable, American-made energy, there is no greater champion in Congress than Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Among his many accomplishments, he is the leader of the House Energy Action Team and has championed opposition to carbon taxes in the House of Representatives.
With a near-perfect record on our American Energy Scorecard, Majority Leader Scalise has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing market-oriented energy and environmental policies that expand economic opportunity and give Americans, not Washington bureaucrats, the power to make their own energy choices.
President Biden and congressional Democrats continue to aggressively pursue policies that make energy harder to produce and more expensive. Majority Leader Scalise understands that this makes our country weaker, less secure, and less economically dynamic. He is in the best position will fight back against these disastrous policies and to advance a pro-America, pro-freedom energy agenda as Speaker.
I am proud to support his nomination and look forward to working with him and his team as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
“When it comes to ensuring that consumers have access to affordable, reliable, American-made energy, there is no greater champion in Congress than Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Among his many accomplishments, he is the leader of the House Energy Action Team and has championed opposition to carbon taxes in the House of Representatives.
With a near perfect record on our American Energy Scorecard, Majority Leader Scalise has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing market-oriented energy and environmental policies that expand economic opportunity and give Americans, not Washington bureaucrats, the power to make their own energy choices.
President Biden and congressional Democrats continue to aggressively pursue policies that make energy harder to produce and more expensive. Majority Leader Scalise understands that this makes our country weaker, less secure, and less economically dynamic. He is in the best position will fight back against these disastrous policies and to advance a pro-America, pro-freedom energy agenda as Speaker.
I am proud to support his nomination and look forward to working with him and his team as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.“
On this episode of The Unregulated Podcast Tom Pyle and Mike McKenna discuss the prospects of a government shutdown, the latest from the 2024 presidential contest, updates on the all-EV agenda, and more.
On this episode of The Unregulated Podcast Tom Pyle and Mike McKenna discuss the numerous ways the Biden administration is working overtime to stifle American oil and gas production, and many updates from Capitol Hill.
WASHINGTON DC (09/19/2023) – Gasoline prices are on the rise as Saudi Arabia and Russia have announced another round of production cuts. Meanwhile, President Biden and congressional Democrats are doubling down on their efforts to make energy harder to produce and more expensive to purchase in the United States.
The Biden administration claims it wants to make sure that gas price are affordable for Americans and that they are not blocking production in the United States. Yet, since 2021, President Biden and other Democratic leaders have taken over 175 actions that restrict domestic production and increase costs. This disjointed policy has far-reaching consequences for individuals, families, businesses, and the national economy. An updated list of these actions is below, and it is available for download here.
AEA President Thomas Pyle issued the following statement:
“My parents told me to judge people by their actions, not their words. This White House says it cares about the struggles of working class Americans, but does absolutely nothing to back it up. No president has done more to drive-up energy costs than Joe Biden, and the updated list of his 175 anti-energy actions proves it. He has restricted domestic production, blocked Americans’ access to their own oil and gas resources, and makes the country weaker, less secure, and less economically dynamic with every further action. Americans struggling to pay their utility bills, put gas in their cars, and food on the table should place the blame squarely on President Biden because that’s where it belongs.”
