GREEN BUILDINGS COMMITTEE

Green Building News Roundup - May 2024

May 23, 2024

Federal Electric Water Heater Efficiency Rule Finalized

New federal efficiency standards for electric water heaters will help spur heat pump adoption starting in 2029. The rule, which was finalized at the end of April and goes into effect in May 2029, requires all new electric water heaters with tanks larger than 35 gallons to have a uniform energy factor (UEF) of at least 2.3. This higher efficiency requirement effectively requires manufacturers to stop producing electric-resistance water heaters and produce heat pump water heaters (HPWH) instead. HPWHs use significantly less electricity, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants and saving users money on their electric bills.

As Canary Media reported, only 3% of electric water heaters sold in the U.S. in 2022 were heat pumps. The DOE estimates that sales of HPWHs will rise from less than 250,000 in 2022 to more than 3 million annually after 2029.

This rule only impacts electric water heaters. Other policies will be needed to transition away from fossil gas-burning water heater.

Gas Stove Warning Label Bill Advanced by CA Assembly

California lawmakers are one step closer to mandating warning labels on new gas stoves. On May 13, the Calif. Assembly passed AB 2513 (Pellerin) Gas stoves and ranges: warning label, which would require all gas stoves manufactured for sale in California after January 1, 2026, to have a label warning about the air pollutants caused by gas stoves. Online stores would be required to show a similar warning on their websites starting in 2025. The bill next goes to the State Senate. If passed by the Senate, it could be signed by the governor this Fall.

Evidence of the harms of indoor air pollution from gas stoves has been mounting over recent years. Just this month, the LA Times reported on a new national study from Stanford University and PSE Health Energy that estimates nitrogen dioxide from gas stoves contributes to 19,000 premature deaths each year and has resulted in up to 200,000 current cases of pediatric asthma. Gas stoves also emit carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and benzene. These pollutants can be mitigated somewhat by using ventilation hoods or opening windows, but a better solution is to use an electric appliance.

The bill is sponsored by California Public Interest Research Group (CalPIRG), which cites the need for consumer education. Most consumers are not aware of the health impacts of gas stoves, which the gas industry has sought to suppress. This year US PIRG released a consumer survey that found that major retailers are failing to inform or actively misleading customers about gas stove health concerns. The organization is also suing the maker of GE Appliances for failing to warn customers about gas stove health risks. The lawsuit, filed on May 23 in Washington, D.C., alleges that GE Appliances violated D.C.’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act, and asks the court to require the company to begin warning customers that their gas-powered stoves produce air pollutants that pose a health risk.

A similar bill is also making its way through the New York legislature. Tim Guinee, New York legislative-action director for The Climate Reality Project New York State Chapter Coalition, was interviewed by New York’s Capitol Pressroom about the bill.

- Michael Rochmes
Chair, Green Buildings Committee

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