Federally Required Energy Standard

Starting April 2015, the water heater energy factor requirements (EF) have been updated. These changes have been introduced due to changes to the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA). These new requirements require that all the electric, gas, electric, oil, and tankless water heaters have high Energy Factor (EF) ratings.

Simply put, the Energy Factor (EF) is the ratio of the usable energy given out by the water heater to the total amount of energy used to run the water heater. The higher the Energy Factor, the more energy efficient the appliance will be. Most of the tankless water heaters that have been manufactured till date meet the new federally required energy standard.

Gas models that are of the tank type may require to be insulated additionally. This will increase the height and/or the diameter of the water heater. You could also incorporate even electrical ignition or even new flue baffling technologies or a combination of all of these. This might increase the product size or its diameter. In case of gas fired products greater than 55 gallons, you would need to use fully condensing combustion technology. These products will be based on the current water heating technologies that already meet the new requirements. This implies that you would also have to make available your AC voltage and arrange to dispose condensates (which is acidic in nature).

By their nature, gas heaters that are high efficiency, produce condensate. Somewhere in the vicinity of the heater, there would either have to be a condensate pump and/or a drain. The technical expert will have to understand the local codes of condensate disposal before arranging to dispose it.

As compared to their traditional counterparts, condensing tank type gas water heaters are much heavier. There are also other requirements when it comes to installing these types of water heaters. 120 VAC is firstly required in case of a condensing water heater. Even water heaters that run on gas under the threshold of 55 gallons may now be required to be run on electricity, depending on the design.

The homeowner may have to deal with the costs of installation and increased product costs. In some cases, you may have to relocate the water heating system to another place so that it functions properly or so that no noise emanates from the device. It could also be done so that the size of the new heater is not an obstruction. Even though you may save on the operating costs of the appliance, you may have to bear the additional maintenance costs that come with the new heater due to its size, design, etc.

We are committed to making it possible for you to comply with the latest federally required energy standards. You will find all the information you need including products that comply with the latest energy standards of the government. In case you want to make your current heater comply with the new standards, you can always call us up on our helpline and we shall do our best to assist you.

We at Houston Plumbing, will continue to focus on providing our customers the best customer service and most comprehensive services possible. When you do this, you will not only get better performance from your heater but also ingenuity, quality, and service you have come to expect from our plumbing company.