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 that 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.

  • DOE has published a Federal Register final rule pertaining to energy conservation standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), prescribes standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including gas-fired instantaneous water heaters, which are a type of consumer water heater. In this final rule, DOE is adopting amended standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters. DOE has determined that the amended standards for these products would result in significant conservation of energy and are technologically feasible and economically justified.

    • The effective date of this final rule is March 11, 2025.
    • Compliance with the amended standards established for gas-fired instantaneous consumer water heaters in this final rule is required on and after December 26, 2029.

    DOE has published a Federal Register Final Rule (FR) pertaining to energy conservation standards for Consumer Water Heaters. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), prescribes standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including Consumer Water Heaters. In this final rule, DOE is adopting amended standards for several product classes of Consumer Water Heaters. DOE has determined that the amended standards for these products would result in significant conservation of energy and are technologically feasible and economically justified.

    • The effective date of this rule is July 5, 2024.
    • Compliance with the amended standards established for consumer water heaters in this final rule is required on and after May 6, 2029.

    For the latest information on the planned timing of future DOE regulatory milestones, see the current Office of Management and Budget Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. All planned dates are preliminary and subject to change.

    Standards

    Final Rule for Gas-fired Instantaneous Water Heaters
    Notice of Data Availability 
    •  Federal Register, 89FR59692 (July, 23, 2024)
    Final Rule
    Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
    • Federal Register, 88FR89330 (December 27, 2023)
    Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

    Comment Extension Notice 

    Notification of Availability of Preliminary Technical Support Document

    Request for Information

    The consumer water heater energy conservation standard rulemaking docket EERE-2017-BT-STD-0019 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

    The comment period is closed.
     

    Test Procedure

    Final Rule
    Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
    Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
    • Federal Register, 87FR1554 (January 11, 2022)

    Request for Information; Reopening of the Comment Period

    Request for Information

    Final rule
    Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

    The consumer water heater test procedure rulemaking docket EERE-2019-BT-TP-0032 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

    The comment period is closed.

  • 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).

  • To determine that consumer water heaters that are currently manufactured or distributed into commerce are in compliance with DOE standards, manufacturers must follow the test procedure methods specified at Appendix E to Subpart B of Part 430 – Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Water Heaters.

  • 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:
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