What they said in 2014: Under
55 gallon: More insulation = bigger tank.
No standing pilot light and flue
baffles mean you need electric outlet for gas water heater models. Heaters might be 8" taller and 6" wider.
Reality 2020:
Gas water heaters still have pilot lights. Exceptions would include
power vented heaters, and condensing heaters that use hot surface
ignition instead of hot surface ignition ... but most had that before
2014.
Flue damper heaters need outlet, as do power vented, and
condensing heaters ... same as before 2014. The residential and
commercial atmospheric heaters with pilot light remain on the market
and still do not need electric outlet.
The electric hybrid (heat
pump) models and condensing heaters are larger, but same size as
before, but most ordinary 30-40-50 gallon heaters are probably 2" wider
and 2" taller.
What they said in 2014 The
new standard will result in approximately 43% energy savings. Lower
energy bills would cover typical incremental costs for more efficient
water heaters (about $800) in seven years.'
Reality 2020:
No heater has achieved 43% efficiency gain. Atmospheric and flue damper
and power vented models that were 59-63% efficient before might be 2%
more efficient if manufacturers are actually making improvements, which
is difficult to discover or prove based on the resources they post. The
expectation that manufacturers do their own testing is more than
laughable since few of us ordinary people are allowed to proceed in
life without verification. The condensing heaters run at 80%
efficiency, and that remains unchanged.
What they said in 2014
Many homes will need to be remodeled to accommodate larger heater.
Reality 2020:
This might carry some truth, and would affect folks with small
living space. In this instance, a smaller heater might be installed,
resulting in possible energy savings, but offset by the fact ... that
an undersized heater will work harder, requiring more maintenance and
reducing lifespan of heater.
Conclusion
It's hard to quantify this grand experiment in energy ... but who
is keeping track of the numbers, the manufacturer's stockholders?
I think
the energy standard for water heater has opposite effect of what was
supposedly intended (and sold to the public), and has served to enruich
water heater manufacturers by forcing the issue in a specific way that
makes what used to be a generic product, into a high-priced speciality
machine that costs too much and does not address environmental or
income disparity problems.
Overall, efficiency probably declined since all costs
are energy, and whatever slight gains to household BTU consumption (if
any) was
lost buying more expensive heater. Maybe some folks have high income,
but electric heaters that cost $210 in 2009 cost twice as much in 2020
... double the cost ... possibly due to higher demand and inflation ..
yet paychecks for most
have not doubled, and the slight savings is at most a few dollars a
month.
|
 New
energy standard April 2015
Over
55 gallon:
What they said in 2014 about gas heaters Over 55 gallon, must buy condensing heaters with higher technology ... more technology = more maintenance.
30-40-50 gallon
ordinary tank: more insulation, larger size, higher
efficiency, higher cost, but otherwise remain mostly unchanged after
2015 energy standard.
Reality 2020:
Over 55 gallon off-the-shelf gas heaters are not available, so you must
buy a condensing heater. But wait, you can order ordinary atmospheric
vented, non-condensing 74-98 gallon gas heaters that are rated
commercial grade for residential (a new category that was invented to
side-step the 2015 residential energy standard). Example 74-98 gallon spec sheet
Condensing
heaters cost more, are higher technology, require more maintenance,
require special venting, require 120 volt outlet, and probably would
not be installed if most homes had option. Condensing heaters are
generally not DIY repair.
However, you can install 2 heaters or the
74-98 gallon heater instead, but again, it raises cost and requires a
larger flue pipe.
Undersized heater will work more, costing more maintenance and shortening life of heater.
Resource:
Review Polaris condensing heater (gas)
What they said in 2014 about electric heaters
Electric water heaters over 55
gallon must be heat pump to meet energy standards.
Reality 2020: Hybrid (heat pump) heaters are required unless you install 2 heaters.
Manufacturers
are sticking to their guns on this one, depite needing rebates (you
loaning yourself money to buy something that makes no sense without a
rebate).
Why
the reluctance to buy hybrid heat pumps? Hybrid heaters are generally
not DIY repair. They are noisy, tall and heavy (900 lb massive like a
linebacker) ... they require incoming air supply (7' x 10' room), floor
drain for condensate, yearly maintenance (cleaning the air filter and
condensate drain), and can be a drain of money if unit needs $400-600
repair or consumes energy from the HVAC to heat water.
However, if
all works well, the water is heated using 690 watts of power instead of
4500 watt elements, albeit the unit reheats tank slowly unless
secondary elements kick in to assist.
There are still
'ordinary' 2-element 80-100 gallon electric water heaters, but by law, they
must be enrolled in a 'demand response program' where the lower element of heater is
controlled by electric utility. Read spec sheet You might be able to rewire these units to sidestep requirements, but I have not tried or heard of anyone doing so.
Resources:
Review Hybrid electric water heaters (electric) |
 Short nipple
 Combo anode rod | Result of more insulation on top of tank:
Hot-cold connections
are same length, so the nipples are too short to apply a wrench
... and nipples are near impossible to remove.
Resource:
How to remove short water heater nipple
This is huge disadvantage for customers, especially folks that have heaters with the combo anode rod.
Anode
rods protect steel tank from rusting. Most anodes are hex head and
removed with a socket, and have no connection to the nipple.
However
the combo anode is connected to, and part of the hot water nipple ...
the combo anode rod cannot be removed for inspection or replacement.
There is no magic answer for this problem.
Resource:
How to inspect and replace anode rod |
See example chart |
Old sizing chart
Post 2015 heaters require high tech for sizes over 50 gallon.
High tech heaters have electronic controls that are susceptible to surge.
Plug
heater into Surge Outlet. Multiple surge protection on one circuit is
good. Do not use GFCI with water heaters, or risk errors and lockouts
etc.
Buy:
Surge outlet
Take showers instead of bath. Showers consume 7-10 gallon hot, while
bath consumes 15-20 gallon hot. Save 10 gallons hot water each time.
To achieve same hot water consumption as previous heater without buying
more expensive heater install 2 water heaters, cut consumption,
maintain heater, turn up thermostat temperature, install mixing valve.
Buy: Mixing valve
Resources:
Two water heaters
9 ways to save with water heater
Maintain water heater
How to adjust thermostat
Ways to increase hot water
Calculate first hour delivery
Advantages-disadvantages mixing valve |
Energy
factor is not efficiency
Energy factor is a formula for calculating efficiency
Source for efficiency/ pdf
Chart
shows typical tank-type gas water heaters gained 2% efficiency over
prior years. This might save $12-15 per year operation cost.
All
costs are energy, and new heaters
have one-time up-front cost: they use
more materials, arrive in larger boxes, take up more space and cost
more to buy. On the back end, they cost more to replace. What is the
real energy savings if a heater saves $12-15 per year, lasts 12 years
for
a total saving of $144, but
consumes more raw materials to manufacture and costs
$200 more to buy just to claim higher efficiency? |
Why
the new energy standard is suspect:
1) Aside
from reliability of self-tested products, the older
2012 energy standard is based on 135° thermostat setting. The new 2015
energy standard uses lower setting of 125° to achieve the higher
efficiency.
A lower thermostat setting means you have less hot water in
the tank. It reduces first
hour delivery, so the water heater
might run longer to keep up with
demand. This factor might eliminate the expected
savings shown on this page. Calculate first hour Ways to increase amount of hot
2) All
costs are energy, and new heaters have one-time up-front cost: they use
more materials, arrive in larger boxes, take up more space and cost
more to buy. On the back end, they cost more to replace. All costs are
energy. What is the
real energy savings if a heater saves $12 per year, lasts 12 years for
a total saving of $144, but
consumes more raw materials to manufacture and costs
$200 more to buy just to claim higher efficiency?
3) The
new water heater standards illustrate an attempt to preserve the heyday
of
consumption by using 'more efficient'
products. Instead of high cost efforts, why not sell a cheap
do-it-yourself insulation kit,
since most of the design difference between pre-and-post 2015 30-40-50
gallon water heaters is thicker insulation?
4) My
observation: Relying on 'the marketplace' to solve problems
has
often resulted in promoting boutique-priced rooftop solar panel
installations, and awarding 'energy stars' to 4-person, 5000
square foot home because the massive windows are triple-pane, while
overlooking inherent efficiency of DIY solar panels installed
on a 6 person mobile home. Perhaps
more do-it-yourself decisions, and
less reliance on 'somebody inventing a new product' might be correct
solution.
Protect your investment:
How to maintain water heater
The future of water heating is solar panels: Convert AC water heater to DC |
