Misplaced fears

Akron Beacon Journal (TNS)

New energy standards for water heaters may cost you the next time you have to replace yours.

There’s a silver lining, though: For most people, the water heaters should save enough in energy costs to more than make up the price difference.

And the Earth will benefit from reduced demands on energy resources and lower greenhouse gas emissions, supporters of the new standards say.

With most tank heaters, manufacturers will be able to meet the new standards with some fairly small modifications.

With larger heaters, however, technologies will be required that could increase the cost of a water heater by hundreds of dollars.

And the changes might complicate some installations, hiking the cost even more.

The new standards were set by the federal government in an effort to make water heaters more efficient in their energy use.

It’s not a new phenomenon: Ever since the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act was enacted in 1987, the government has set minimum efficiency standards for common household appliances and has periodically raised those standards to drive improvements. Those standards have cut energy use by refrigerators, clothes washers, air conditioners and other products as well as water heaters.

The newest water-heater standards mean most newly manufactured gas, oil and electric tank heaters will have to use less energy than before to heat the same amount of water.

Tankless water heaters are subject to the new standards, too, but most already meet them.

The bottom line is that the next time you buy a water heater, you’ll probably have to pay more upfront, even though you may save in the long run.

Just how much you’ll pay, however, is hard to say.

The most-popular types of water heaters — 40-gallon gas water heaters and 50-gallon gas and electric models — will see the least change, said Chuck White, vice president of technical and code services for the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association. For those heaters, manufacturers can probably meet the new standards by adding insulation, tweaking combustion or both, he said.

The U.S. Energy Department figures the new standards will raise the cost of buying and installing a 40-gallon gas water heater by $92 and a 50-gallon electric heater by $120, on average. It says consumers should recoup that extra cost in energy savings in an average of two years and 2.3 years, respectively.

White said the changes will probably make those types of water heaters a couple of inches wider or taller, or possibly increase both dimensions.

That size difference won’t be a problem for most consumers. But if a heater is installed in a tight spot, such as a small utility closet, there might not be enough space to accommodate a bigger model, said Mike Foraker, president of Jennings Heating & Cooling Co. in Akron.

Foraker said that could require structural or venting changes or moving the water heater to a different place, and that would most likely involve added expense.

Marianne DiMascio, however, doubts that will be a big issue.

DiMascio is outreach director for the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, a coalition that advocates for energy- and water-saving appliance standards. She noted in an article for the political website The Hill that plenty of choices are available in water heaters, so installers should be able to find one to fit a tight space.

The changes will be more significant with water heaters that hold more than 55 gallons. They’ll have to meet higher efficiency marks than the smaller tanks.

Larger gas water heaters are expected to use condensing technology, which captures water vapor from exhaust gases and uses it to help heat the water. Larger electric heaters are expected to use heat-pump technology, which essentially refrigerates the space around the heater to absorb heat from the air and use it to warm the water, White said.

Those forms of technology come at a price.

The Energy Department estimates the changes will increase the installed cost of large gas heaters by $805 and large electric heaters by $974, on average. It says payback will take an average of 9.8 years and six years, respectively.

Foraker said the change is prompting some customers to replace aging water heaters now, before the new standards take effect. Even after the deadline, you’ll still be able to buy water heaters manufactured under the old standards, but only as long as the supply holds out.

DiMascio of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project thinks fears of price increases are misplaced, however.

She said water heater prices should come down as the new technologies become more common.

Even the Energy Department’s predictions are probably high, DiMascio said.