Federally Mandated Water Heater Changes go into Effect April 16, 2015 NAECA | National Appliance Energy Conservation Act

Enacted in 1975, National Appliance Energy Conservation Act creates uniform efficiency standards for certain household appliances, including refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers, clothes dryers and water heaters. The NAECA first addressed water heater efficiency in 1990, and it has had updates in 2004 and 2010. The next phase has a new update to the rules for increasing minimum energy efficiency standards and goes into effect April 16, 2015.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy these standards will save approximately 3.3. Quads of energy, resulting in about 63 billion in energy bill savings for products shipped from 2015-2044. The United States should also avoid about 172.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions thanks to NAECA – which is the equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions about 33.8 million automobiles.

What Does this Mean for You?

• As of April 16, 2015 manufacturers can no longer produce water heaters that do not meet the new standards. Almost all residential gas, electric, oil and tankless gas water heaters manufactured in the U.S. are affected. If your water heater goes out, it will be replaced with a unit that has the new standards.

• Many new products will be introduced. Some water heaters will have more insulation, growing up to two inches in size. If water heaters get bigger, then installations could require two installers. In some cases, logistics may be challenging since fewer units may fit on a truck.

• New water heaters may not fit in current installation sites. Some situations will require a water heater to be re-located to fit properly, operate safely or mitigate noise. You may consider installing a tankless water heater, as the retrofit costs for a standard tank water heater could be high.

• The new products will be more efficient and save energy, resulting in lower operating costs. Currently, the manufacturer Rheem/Ruud is in the position to honor warranty water heater replacements at no additional charge, should the need arise.

• The new water heaters will have a more sophisticated design – possibly integrating blowers, fans, condensers and other components – making a professional contractor the best choice for safe and proper product selection and installation.

• As a professional installer of Rheem/Ruud water heaters, Ideal is well qualified to install and maintain these new water heaters for maximum performance and efficiency.

Learn more by watching this short informational video: http://youtu.be/hdlXABgTdbs