Free Republic

Under the policy, new non-condensing, natural gas-fired water heaters will be prohibited for sale starting in 2029 due to concerns about carbon-dioxide emissions. The policy comes during President Biden's twilight days in the White House and was quietly announced without a press release. If the policy takes effect, as it is slated to on March 11, a little less than 40% of the tankless water heaters currently on the market would be banned, according to an estimate from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

The Biden administration is banning certain natural gas water heaters from the market as part of its climate change agenda, a move critics say will jack up energy costs for low-income and senior households. The move in the final days of the administration will take non-condensing, natural gas-fired water heaters off the shelves by 2029 in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which climate change advocates and President Biden say cause global warming. The new rules will require new tankless gas water heaters to use about 13% less energy than today’s least efficient tankless models. The rules apply to...

Solar space heating is tricky. Air is harder to keep warm than water, and while most of us need a shower on a hot day—we tend to want space heating when the sun is not doing enough for us. Nevertheless, from a Mad Max style partially solar heated home, through a DIY solar heater from old campaign signs (yeah, politics and hot air...) to a soda can solar panel, we've seen plenty of attempts at harnessing the rays of the sun to actively heat the air inside our homes. Here the folks at Fair Companies present one Seattle man's attempt...

Advise for back up heat for house...kerosene or propane ? Price vs BTU output ...other ?

Our 1985 model 50 gallon electric hot water heater is original to our house and has been extremely reliable since we have lived here, but lately it is showing signs of age and I wonder if there is anything I can do to extend its life. It takes a lot longer for it to recover after one use, a shower or a load of laundry, than it used to. Also I have been cleaning particles of white crusty debris out of our various hot water strainers and it's clear the stuff is coming from the hot water heater. Is there...

A beverage heater and cooler that a Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) member brought aboard an MSDF destroyer without permission was probably the cause of a major fire that broke out on the vessel in December, it has been announced. The in-house investigation committee of the Maritime Staff Office said on Monday that the fire allegedly started after an electronic heater and cooler that an MSDF member brought onto the destroyer Shirane became overheated while the vessel was moored at the Yokosuka base on Dec. 14 last year. The device, designed to cool or warm beverages, was brought into the combat...

Carbonarcs Excellent Kerosene Heater Owners Guide The K1 you see with red dye is intended to discourage truckers from using K1 to reduce their fuel tax by diluting the diesel fuel....[lots more]

Marijuana advocates warned that Canada's plan to decriminalize marijuana could increase prices for the drug and attract criminals to the trade, the Edmonton Sun reported May 11. The federal government is poised to decriminalize simple possession of marijuana, with possession of less than 15 grams of marijuana considered a ticketing offense, rather than a criminal one. However, the proposal also calls for tougher penalties for trafficking and production of marijuana. "If the government is really serious about increasing penalties against people who are trafficking, they're contradicting themselves," said Munir Ahmad of the Edmonton Compassion Network. "Why would they allow consumption,...