Energy Star Now Rates Water Heaters

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According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), water heating accounts for up to 17 percent of national residential energy consumption, the third largest energy end-use in homes behind heating and cooling units and kitchen appliances. As homeowners install amenities that require increased hot water volume, such as luxury tubs and custom showers, the percentage of energy used to heat water will continue to rise.

In an attempt to address this significant percentage of energy consumption, DOE has developed ENERGY STAR criteria for water heaters, the last major residential appliance that the program has not addressed. According to DOE projections, Americans are expected to save approximately $780 million in utility costs while avoiding 4.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions by the end of the fifth year in effect.

Five categories of residential water heaters will be eligible for Energy Star labeling - high-performance gas storage, whole-home gas tankless, advanced drop-in or integrated heat pump, solar and gas condensing. The new Energy Star criteria go into effect in 2009.

"The Energy Star program empowers consumers to make smart energy choices that will save money and energy, and reduce our carbon footprint," said DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Andy Krassner. "Expansion of the Energy Star program to include water heaters will give Americans yet another way to more efficiently use energy in their homes and, in the interest of increasing energy security and addressing climate change, help further the President's goal of fundamentally changing the way this nation uses power."

By leveraging the established value of the Energy Star program, DOE hopes that manufacturers will focus on developing more efficient technologies and that consumers will recognize that Energy Star water heaters will deliver similar or better performance than conventional models while using less energy and saving money. According to an April 2008 report released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Energy Star label favorably influences more than 70 percent of households, up from about 50 percent in 2003.

More than 9,000 organizations have joined Energy Star as partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and businesses. The Energy Star label now appears on more than 40 kinds of consumer products. A.O. Smith, industry leader for more than 70 years, has engineered a full line of Energy Star water heaters to meet the hot-water needs of households while benefiting budgets and the environment.

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9 comments:

  1. Water HeatersJuly 29, 2010 at 2:26 AM

    Energy ratings always helps consumers to find best value product, in terms of saving money and get more value out of it.. various countries have implemented this method to help consumers to buy against their ratings

    regards
    Gareth

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beacon Plumbing and HeatingSeptember 2, 2010 at 4:02 PM

    Hi Gargi,

    I am a rep of Beacon Plumbing in the USA. We are based in Seattle and are trying to move our company in the green direction. If you could add us to your blog list that would be great. Let me know when you do that so I can also do the same for you :).

    ReplyDelete
  3. frederic padillaNovember 10, 2010 at 5:34 PM

    could you please tell me which brand manufacturers the most efficient water heater in saving money and energy?

    ReplyDelete
  4. solar waterMarch 13, 2011 at 6:54 AM

    By installing a Solar water heating system, we are able to reduce air and water pollution as well as the heat-trapping gases that cause global warming. Even with this simple act, we can show our support in helping our environment maintain its condition.

    ReplyDelete
  5. john smithApril 11, 2011 at 2:07 AM

    thanks for sharing this nice post

    ReplyDelete
  6. plumbingJuly 26, 2011 at 2:50 AM

    Remarkable energy efficiency with the water heater is a home improvement investment that will increase the value of your home when sold.

    ReplyDelete
  7. garage equipmentFebruary 13, 2012 at 6:10 AM

    There are energy guide for our appliances that gives us ideas on which appliances can give us a highest billing. The highest consumption of energy is from heating and cooling and kitchen appliances.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gary MarkMarch 25, 2012 at 10:09 PM

    Thanks for sharing nice information about
    Water boilers

    ReplyDelete
  9. heater repair rockwall txAugust 20, 2012 at 3:46 PM

    I'm familiar with this energy star rating and even personal computers contains ratings about it. It is also advantageous to have it in order to reduce pollution.

    ReplyDelete

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