The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the expansion of the Energy Star program to include residential water heaters. Water heating represents up to 15.5 percent of home energy consumption nationwide, according to the DOE, making it the second-largest consumer of energy in the home. Five water-heating technologies are eligible for Energy Star qualification:
High-efficiency gas storage water heaters
Gas condensing water heaters
Whole-home gas tankless water heaters
Heat pump water heaters
Solar water heaters Energy Star-qualified water heaters can reduce water heating bills by 7.5 percent to 55 percent, the DOE says. Energy Star-qualified gas storage, whole-home gas tankless, and solar water heaters are available commercially as of Jan. 1, 2009; qualified gas condensing and heat pump water heater models will be available later in the year. The DOE predicts that the new water heater criteria will save American consumers $823 million in utility costs, avoid 4.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, and save enough energy to power more than 375,000 homes for one year.
Builders should visit www.energystar.gov for a current list of qualified water heater models.
