In early January, multipleheadlinesclaimed the Biden administration issued a sweeping ban on natural gas water heaters, which “will drive up energy prices for poor, seniors”. Somepeopleonsocialmedia, including Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn, shared similar claims.
“BIDEN IS COMING FOR YOUR WATER HEATERS – BANS THEM! Biden’s DOE new rules ban 40% of natural gas water heaters by 2029, hitting over half of U.S. households. Critics warn this ‘green’ move will jack up replacement costs by $450 on average, punishing low-income and senior Americans. Legal battles are already heating up,” said an X post with nearly 50,000 views.
VERIFY reader Jordan sent us a text asking if there is any validity to these claims.
THE QUESTION
Did the Biden administration ban all natural gas water heaters?
THE SOURCES
- U.S. Department of Energy
- A final rule by the U.S. Department of Energy
- American Standards Awareness Project, a nonprofit that advocates for stricter legislation regarding appliances and their energy output
- American Gas Association
THE ANSWER
No, the Biden administration is not banning all natural gas water heaters.
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WHAT WE FOUND
The Biden administration implemented a federal rule that sets higher energy efficiency standards for tankless gas water heaters — but it doesn’t ban them.
In late December, the U.S. Department of Energy finalized new energy efficiency standards for tankless (also known as instantaneous) gas water heaters. However, these standards only apply to new products sold starting in 2029. Existing water heaters and those already on the market won’t be affected, and homeowners won’t need to replace their current units.
“The law that governs DOE’s standards program does not give DOE authority to ban the use of any specific fuels in particular products, such as gas instantaneous water heaters,” An Energy Department spokesperson told VERIFY. “Instead, DOE is increasing the required efficiency of newly produced gas instantaneous water heaters that will become available for sale in 2029.”
Heating water is one of the largest energy uses in most homes, usually second only behind heating, according to the American Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), a nonprofit that advocates for stricter legislation regarding appliances and their energy output.
ASAP says that the standards adopted in 2029 will require new tankless gas water heaters to use about 13% less energy than today’s least efficient models. More than 60% of new units sold today already meet the new standards, and all major water heater manufacturers sell models that do, according to ASAP.
While the water heaters that meet the new, stricter standard, are currently more expensive, the DOE estimates that the higher efficiency will save customers more than $100 over its lifetime. They will also cut 32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from water heaters sold over 30 years, according to the agency.
“This is a commonsense step that will lower total household costs while reducing planet-warming emissions,” Andrew deLaski, ASAP’s executive director, said in December. “These long-awaited standards will ensure more families save with proven energy-efficient technology already used in a majority of tankless units.”
But critics disagree that the rule change will help reduce costs. In December, the American Gas Association, a trade association that represents more than 200 local energy companies that deliver clean natural gas throughout the U.S., criticized the new rule, saying it “would eliminate cost effective non-condensing natural gas water heaters from the market.”
“DOE’s decision to ban an entire segment of instantaneous water heaters is deeply concerning and irresponsible,” said Matthew Agen, the AGA’s Chief Regulatory Counsel, Energy. “Forcing low-income and senior customers to pay far more upfront is particularly concerning. DOE’s decision to go ahead with a flawed final rule is deeply disappointing.”
The standards, which were due in 2016 by law, are based on efficiency levels recommended by a coalition of product manufacturers, consumer advocacy organizations and environmental groups, according to the DOE and ASAP. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act requires the DOE to revisit the standards for appliances, like water heaters, every six years. The DOE says it entered into a consent decree that required a final rule to be issued by December 2024.
The new rule complements strengthened standards finalized by the DOE in April 2024 for electric tank and gas tank water heaters, according to ASAP. These separate standards will require a similar percentage efficiency improvement for gas tank models and a significantly larger efficiency improvement for most electric tank models. These standards will also take effect in 2029.
In 2023, online reports claimed the federal government was considering a ban on the use of gas stoves nationally. However, we found that those claims were similarly false. But some cities and counties across the country have issued bans on new natural gas hookups for things like gas stoves in future construction projects to lower greenhouse gas emissions.