New Water Heater Regulations for 2015

The Department of Energy announced new water heater regulations and standards that began April 16, 2015. These changes will effect how water heaters are designed, manufactured, tested, distributed, and installed. These changes will affect manufacturers, wholesalers, installers and customers alike (Bradford White).

For a detailed review of the changes please watch the video below:

All water heaters produced after April 16, 2015 need to conform to new energy standards, making all models run more efficiently. The changes are anticipated to save approximately 3.3 quads of energy and result in approximately $63 billion in energy bill savings for products shipped from 2015-2044. The standard will avoid about 172.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of about 33.8 million automobiles (DOE).

The chart below outlines the increased efficiencies that new models must meet. 

While we all can agree that these are noble and necessary changes, we must also be aware of the inevitable increase in water heater prices that has followed. Bradford White alone anticipates a 15-35% increase on ALL water heater prices to off-set the costs of buying new mandatory machinery, adjusting their factories to handle the new, larger model water heaters, as well as the unforeseen costs of building, inspecting, and shipping the new models.

Bradford White also developed an excellent Q & A section  that outlines how we will be affected by the new regulations. This information can be found on their website at http://www.bradfordwhite.com/doe-department-energy-final-rule-effective-04162015-frequently-asked-questions.

You can also read more on the Department of Energy’s site: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/product.aspx/productid/27.

We hope that this information helps prepare you for the road ahead. We understand the importance of making a proper investment in your home with a great water heater and a high quality installation. We want these changes to be as clear to you as possible so if you would like clarification on any of the changes or simply have questions on how you may be affected, please feel free to call us at 303-465-1900.

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New Lead Law Compliant Plumbing Fixtures

January 2014 rolled out a new legislation regarding lead products that come in contact with potable (drinking) water. While this legislation is intended to protect against any harmful consumption of lead, it has also lead to more expensive manufacturing of plumbing parts and fixtures.

I wanted to use this week’s blog to talk with you all a bit about the changes. Fortunately for me, the great folks over at All Area Plumbing (particularly Master plumber Matthew Sherman) out of Michigan did most of the leg work for me. So instead of re-writing what he so proficiently wrote himself, I’m just going to place an important snippet of the text below. See the link at the bottom of the page to read the original article in its entirety.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to leave any suggestions or questions in the comment box below.

P.S. McAdams Plumbing has already adjusted its pricing to comply with the new lead law standards, so don’t worry about seeing anymore increases, we’re all set.

The Proof is in the Plumbing!

All Area Plumbing: Get the Lead Out

…Beginning January 4 2014, any product that comes in contact with the potable (drinking) water system must not have a lead content exceeding .25%.  All plumbing materials and fixtures must be NSF 372 certified in order to be code compliant for potable water systems.  This is mainly going to effect brass.  The lead in brass will now need to be substituted with a different allow, and all of these new alloys will be more expensive than the lead.  This means the cost of anything plumbing related that contained brass will be going up.  In most cases the cost increase will be anywhere from 15-30%.  Some faucet manufacturers have simply decided to abandon almost all brass in favor of plastic.  This is the reason most new faucets appear to be very cheap and flimsy, because they are!  Some manufacturers have opted to retool their factories and stick with brass, but rest assured, that cost will be passed on.

While most of this appears to make sense, it is a blanket law covering all plumbing materials. Exceptions have not been made for specific items that would not ever leach lead into waters that a person would drink.  A few of these items that will be covered by the law are irrigation backwater valves which serve ONLY your sprinklers.  A hot water vacuum breaker, or temperature and pressure relief valve.  The last time I checked, most people did not drink hot water, and even if they did, these two items barely have any surface area that even make contact with the potable water system…

Sherman, Matthew. “Get the lead out.” Weblog post. All Area Plumbing. 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. 

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