ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) commended the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for launching a new Energy Star® program for residential water heaters.

The program, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2009, will cover gas-fired storage, gas-fired tankless, heat pump, and solar water heaters. The Energy Star program for gas-fired storage water heaters will take effect in two phases.

For the first 19 months of the program, these water heaters must achieve an energy factor of 0.62 to qualify for the Energy Star label, but on Sept. 1, 2010, the program criteria changes to require an energy factor of 0.67 to qualify.

“While water heater manufacturers provide a full range of energy-efficient products, Energy Star labeling will make it much easier for consumers to identify higher-efficiency products,” said Stephen Yurek, AHRI president.

“We hope the program will encourage homeowners to replace older, inefficient water heaters with the more efficient equipment being manufactured today. It is an excellent way for consumers to save money, reduce energy consumption, and help the environment.”

In order to carry the Energy Star label, equipment manufacturers must have third-party verification of the product’s energy factor rating.

“The industry looks forward to seeing the marketing benefits from this program,” said Yurek.

“To enhance those, AHRI will continue to work with DOE to expand the scope of the Energy Star program for water heaters to include other technologies and energy sources, such as electric water heaters with resistance elements and oil-fired water heaters.”

For more information, visit www.ahrinet.org.

Publication date: 05/05/2008