THE MEANS BEHIND THE MADNESS
Most all large Oklahoma City home appliances have a EF rating attached to it. From your air conditioners to your stoves. It was just a matter of time before the focus circled back around to water heaters. According to the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA), water heaters manufactured after April 16, 2013 must meet new energy requirements. Is your Oklahoma City up to par? Read on to find out!
This includes gas, propane, oil and electric. These new energy efficient rating requirements are said to save about $63 billion in energy costs and will avoid about 172.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Over all it sounds like a win-win for all. Let’s look deeper.
HOW IS THE EF RATING IS CALCULATED?
The new mandates require higher Energy Factor ratings (EF). What is it and how is it factored? The EF rating indicates the water heater’s overall energy efficiency based on the amount of hot water per unit of fuel consumed over a typical day.
The higher the EF rating the more efficient the unit is. EF is measured three ways: 1. Recovery Efficiency, 2. Standby Losses, 3. Cycling Losses.
HIGHER EF RATINGS
The new requirements push a higher EF rating. What does this mean? To obtain this higher rating, the insulation liner has to be made thicker. This means that the overall dimensions could vary about three inches more than the older tanks.
Most tank storage spaces are tight already. When the new tanks are introduced you might need to modify existing spaces, or even possibly relocate the tanks. That could mean increased costs for the next purchase.
ADDED TECHNOLOGY
On top of the possible storage space modifications, you will have to factor in the new technology added to further assist in achieving the higher EF. The new technology focus of new pumping systems and new electrical systems to better adapt to the requirements. This could mean further modifications to the existing wiring and/or modifications to the plumbing systems.
THE BOTTOM LINE
All this seems like dollars just slipping away, but in the long run it adds up to bigger savings for you. The initial investments now could give you huge savings down the road, especially since the hot water heater system in your Oklahoma City, OK is about 20% of the total energy bill a month. You will see those dollars trickling back in your wallet by the end of the year.
Any holdups regarding your Oklahoma City, OK water heater? Call Hull Plumbing at (405) 246-9763 today for any of your repair or maintenance requests.
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