Posted on 01/31/2015 11:14:52 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Better go out and buy a gas fireplace and stove soon before federal regulations make them more expensive. Federal officials are looking to regulate the energy usage of fake fireplaces as part of the Obama administration’s effort to fight global warming.
The Energy Department has proposed new regulations that would mandate that “gas-fired hearth products” like decorative fireplaces and stoves be more energy efficient and produce fewer carbon dioxide emissions. DOE says its rule would save $165 over the lifespan of the average hearth and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 11.1 million metric tons through 2030.
The major change DOE demands is the end of continuously burning pilot lights that make it so fireplaces and stoves can be used at a moment’s notice. Instead, the DOE is mandating the use of electric ignition systems to save energy and fight global warming.
The DOE also notes that the price of gas hearths will likely go up because of its mandate. For example, smaller hearth producers could see the costs of making an outdoor hearth increase by $65 per unit. The cost of a vented indoor hearth could increase by $31 per unit because of the electronic ignition system.
DOE notes that the added costs per unit will decrease with higher production levels. The department says that the rule could add $61 million per year in increased compliance costs to the hearth industry, but would yield “186 million per year in reduced equipment operating costs, $67 million per year in CO2 reductions, and $7.0 million per year in reduced NOX emissions.”
“In this case, the net benefit would amount to $199 million per year,” according to the DOE’s regulatory analysis of the proposed hearth rule.
President Obama pledged in 2013 to make global warming a major priority during his last term in office, quickly ordering that carbon dioxide emissions from power plants be reduced, and that agencies regulate methane emissions from oil and natural gas operations.
A less noticed Obama strategy is to regulate the energy efficiency of everyday appliances and equipment. In 2014, the DOE began updating energy efficiency standards for everyday products. Regulators recently finalized standards for fluorescent lamps and ice machines.
“As part of President Obama’s climate action plan, the Energy Department set an ambitious goal of finalizing 10 energy efficiency standards this year, and with the new efficiency standards for general service fluorescent lamps and automatic commercial ice makers, we have reached that goal,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.
While the DOE’s energy efficiency regulations have largely escaped public notice, Environmental Protection Agency rules regulating wood stoves became a major political battle as it could force millions of Americans to replace their old stoves.
The wood stove lobby (yes, there is actually a wood stove lobby) said the rules were so strict that they would harm air quality. Lobbyists said EPA rules would increase the costs of buying stoves and people would opt to keep their old one longer than they would have otherwise instead of buying a new one.
“Unfortunately, some of the standards proposed for the appliances do not meet the government’s duty to set standards based on data that show both a tangible benefit to consumers and cost-effectiveness,” said Jack Goldman, president of the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association.
“We are hopeful that our thoughtful, fact-based comments will help guide the EPA in setting regulations that are achievable, cost-effective, and helpful in reaching our common goal of cleaner air for the public,” said Goldman.
Enough is enough!!!!!
Chance are this will also require adding a gas valve which will not operate without power and therefore the unit will not function without electricity. You won’t be able to manually light them. Just think of a modern kitchen Oven.
Reminds me of an old Mexican movie I saw years ago.
A politician is looking for things to tax when an adviser wishes he could tax the air they breath.
The politician likes the idea so well he promptly taxes all doors and windows.
RESULT? Everyone promptly bricks up most of the doors and windows to not pay the tax.
Based on past experience, the “savings” will be less than half what’s stated; and the cost increase will be at least triple the estimate.
There will be a negative “payback” over the entire lifetime of the thing.
There will also be more (and more expensive) service calls on them.
I’m getting really sick of these “progressives” and their BS. Besides getting us to eat less beef they’re also demanding we stop calling terrorists “terrorists”... “Oh the Taliban are not terrorists” Oh really? So I guess committing mass murder against civilians, raping women, locking thousands in containers so they “suffocate”, is “fun time”. “Hey everybody, Obama says this is not terrorism! Yes, those people who were massacred by the Taliban weren’t terrorized, they were all happy happy happy!” This is the insanity we are dealing with today and it ticks me off to no end that they get away with it because we got NOBODY with the nuts to call them on this BS. Where were Republicans this week when this dikweed Josh Earnest was actually saying this crap?
They’re making it easy for the GOP to be the Party of the Middle Class.
It would be a good idea to get the plans to build your own “rocket stove”, so you will at least have heat when the government demands that you freeze in the dark.
http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp
Look no farther than L.A. County and CARB regulations. Along with mowers, chainsaws, and gas cans, they also have gas grills, charcoal BBQs & charcoal lighter fluid covered.
I don't think this is a big deal, technically.
What I have a problem with is how the DOE is involved AT ALL, and how the EPA would have been up in our faces if the DOE didn't do it.
I'm old enough to remember when the whole of the function of the EPA was to produce Woodsy the Owl "Give a hoot! Don't pollute!" and crying-Indian advertisements.
Turn off everything and go back to your cave, peons. Fossil fuels can only be used by the elite!
I have no idea why you ping me to irrelevant threads?
I’ll start pinging you to child abuse threads and NAMBLA issues ‘cause after all, smokers are child abusers.
These systems have a battery backup, and they automatically switch to battery, when the power goes out.. Here's Heat n Glo IntelliFire system:
http://www.heatnglo.com/Why-Heat-n-Glo/Key-Technologies/IntelliFire-Technology.aspx
Most of the gas fireplace manufacturers have already switched over to some sort of electronic ignition system. There are very few models available anymore, with a standing pilot ignition system.
It does raise the cost and maintenance the fireplace. And like today's automobiles, they're definitely too technical for the average homeowner to do their own maintenance.
DOE Nazi scum live in your neighborhoods. If you don’t have the nuts to take care of these Nazi turds, suffer, wimps.
New regulations for water heaters are about to go into effect. To meet the new standards, manufacturers are going to make water heater walls thicker, which means a new one may not fit into the space the old one occupied. So, homeowners will either have to enlarge the space somehow (costly), or buy a lower capacity water heater. If you think you might need a water heater soon, you might want to consider getting it now.
Me too! Funny.. that's what was in my thinking when I was making that point.
In any event, the EPA has now become a TYRANT agency and is growing WORSE.
“Where were Republicans this week when this dikweed Josh Earnest was actually saying this crap?”
Yeah, you actually “expect” Josh Earnest (now there’s a absolutely dead nuts on moniker for this a$$hole) to say the $hit that he does, but this guy at the Pentagon, REAR Admiral Kirby, is far worse and he wears the uniform of our Navy. Last night when Megyn Kelly was “buffing him” he didn’t answer a single question that was put to him. What did he major on at the Naval Academy, lying?, obfuscation?, how to breathe when he has his nose so far up Obola’s backside?, inquiring minds want to know. He is a disgrace to the uniform!!
“New regulations for water heaters are about to go into effect. To meet the new standards, manufacturers are going to make water heater walls thicker, which means a new one may not fit into the space the old one occupied. So, homeowners will either have to enlarge the space somehow (costly), or buy a lower capacity water heater. If you think you might need a water heater soon, you might want to consider getting it now.”
You might consider getting a tankless water heater. We’ve had one for thirteen years, and it has’t missed a beat. All the hot water you need when you need it. You never run out, and you don’t have 40 or 50 gallons of water waiting to leak out when you aren’t at home. When the hot tub needs a refill, no problem, just run a hose out to the damned thing and in an hour its full of hot water. No waiting for the electric heater to take a day to warm it up, and no big electric bill for so doing.
Tank type water heaters are high button shoes technology.
Thanks for the ping!
Permies! I know them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.