New regulations targeting gas-powered home furnaces may soon be finalized by the Department of Energy (DOE), creating more stringent limits that could see the heating units currently found in the majority of U.S. households phased out.
The DOE regulations were proposed last June 2022 and currently stand in the pre-rule stage, but industry experts expect them to be finalized soon, according to Fox News.
The regulations aim to establish an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of 95% on home furnaces by 2029, in line with the Biden administration’s goal to cut emissions.
This figure denotes efficiency since the AFUE is how much gas the furnace burns in a year, yet it does not include heat losses that might occur in the piping or duct system.
Currently, manufacturers of residential furnaces comply with an AFUE standard of 80%.
“By updating energy standards for many carbon-emitting appliances, such as home furnaces, the Biden administration is working to save consumers money,” explained Jennifer Granholm, the secretary of energy, in a DOE news release.
The DOE claimed that more energy-efficient appliances such as home furnaces would save consumers $1.9 billion annually.
“These efficiency measures not only reduce carbon and methane emissions, but also provide huge material benefits to American households in the form of cleaner air, modernized technology, and cheaper energy,” Granholm continued.
On the other side, industry experts like Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, have suggested that the regulations would negatively affect consumers while having little impact on reducing emissions.
“Every home is different, every homeowner is different and people are best off having a wide range of choices,” Lieberman told Fox News. “They can work with their contractor to make the best decision for their home and their circumstances.”
For its part, the American Gas Association (AGA) charged last summer when the rules were proposed that consumers would be better served by letting the free market increase the efficiency of gas furnaces, according to Fox News.
Moreover, Richard Meyer, AGA’s vice president of energy markets, analysis, and standards, told Fox News that a major concern is how easily consumers would be able to comply with the new AFUE standard.
“They’re going to have to, in many cases, install new equipment to exhaust gas out of their home. … So, this rule would require additional retrofits for a lot of consumers. And those retrofits can be extremely cost prohibitive,” Meyer explained.
Alongside home furnaces, several DOE regulations targeting the efficiency of other appliances in both commercial and resident use, including refrigerators, ice machines, dishwashers, and air conditioners, are in the works.
There have also been municipal bids to phase out fossil-fueled appliances.
The City of Dallas recently deliberated an ordinance aiming to ban the use of gas-powered lawn equipment throughout the city over environmental concerns, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Residential gas stoves have also come under fire in Dallas and elsewhere across the nation.
A court battle is currently underway to challenge an ordinance passed by the city authorities of Eugene, Oregon, that banned gas stoves in newly built residences, as The Dallas Express reported. The future of other initiatives to implement new standards on the municipal level might be decided by this court case.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers have passed legislation meant to protect gas-run appliances.
For instance, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill in May preventing local governments from banning the use of natural gas-powered equipment, as The Dallas Express reported.