Consumer Water Heaters
As defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), “consumer water heater” means a product which utilizes oil, gas, or electricity to heat potable water for use outside the heater upon demand, including—(1) Storage type units which heat and store water at a thermostatically controlled temperature, including gas storage water heaters with an input of 75,000 Btu per hour or less, oil storage water heaters with an input of 105,000 Btu per hour or less, and electric storage water heaters with an input of 12 kilowatts or less;(2) Instantaneous type units which heat water but contain no more than one gallon of water per 4,000 Btu per hour of input, including gas instantaneous water heaters with an input of 200,000 Btu per hour or less, oil instantaneous water heaters with an input of 210,000 Btu per hour or less, and electric instantaneous water heaters with an input of 12 kilowatts or less; and(3) Heat pump type units, with a maximum current rating of 24 amperes at a voltage no greater than 250 volts, which are products designed to transfer thermal energy from one temperature level to a higher temperature level for the purpose of heating water, including all ancillary equipment such as fans, storage tanks, pumps, or controls necessary for the device to perform its function. 10 CFR 430.2 Manufacturers have been required to comply with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) energy conservation standards for consumer water heaters since 1990.
Current Standard | Current Test Procedure |
Ongoing Rulemaking for Standards | Ongoing Rulemaking for Test Procedure |
Helpful Links
Recent and Ongoing Activities
Standards
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Comment Extension Notice
Notification of Availability of Preliminary Technical Support Document
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Request for Information
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The consumer water heater energy conservation standard rulemaking docket EERE-2006-BT-STD-0129 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.
DOE is currently undertaking a rulemaking to consider amending its definitions pertaining to consumer water heaters and to clarify the applicability of energy conservation standards for consumer water heaters that are utilized as a secondary back-up heat source in solar-thermal heating systems. The “solar-assisted fossil-fuel storage water heater” and “solar-assisted electric storage water heater” energy conservation standard rulemaking docket EERE-2014-BT-STD-0045 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.
Public Meeting Information:
There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.
Submitting Public Comments
Test Procedure
| Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
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Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
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- Federal Register, 87FR1554 (January 11, 2022)
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Request for Information; Reopening of the Comment Period
Request for Information
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Final rule
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Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
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The consumer water heater test procedure rulemaking docket EERE-2011-BT-TP-0042 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.
Public Meeting Information
There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.
Submitting Public Comments
Current Standard
Consumer water heaters manufactured and distributed in commerce, as defined by 42 U.S.C. 6291(16), must meet the energy conservation standards specified in the Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 430.32(d).
Helpful Links
Compliance
DOE has established regulations on certification, compliance, and enforcement in the CFR at 10 CFR Part 429. These regulations cover statistical sampling plans, certified ratings, certification reports, record retention, and enforcement. More information on these regulations is available here.
Waivers
For information on current test procedure waivers, see DOE’s Waivers webpage.
For information about obtaining test procedure waivers, see 10 CFR 430.27.
Exceptions
DOE's Office of Hearings and Appeals has not authorized exception relief for consumer water heaters.
For information about obtaining exception relief, see 10 CFR part 1003.
Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions
For information on further guidance and answers to Frequently Asked Questions on all covered products, see DOE’s Further Guidance database.
State Exemptions to Federal Pre-emption
DOE has not exempted any state from this energy conservation standard. States may petition DOE to exempt a state regulation from preemption by the Federal energy conservation standard. States may also petition DOE to withdraw such exemptions. For details, see 10 CFR part 430, subpart D.
Small Business Exemptions
Any manufacturer of a covered product with annual gross revenues that do not exceed $8,000,000 from all its operations and meets certain other conditions may apply for an exemption to the energy conservation standard. For details, see 10 CFR part 430, subpart E.
ENERGY STAR®
DOE supports the testing and verification of ENERGY STAR® products in close collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Find tips and guidance for making your home, workplace, or vehicle more energy efficient visit EnergySavers.gov.
For more information related to this product, please email:
ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ee.doe.gov
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