A new regulation issued by President Joe Biden will ban certain types of water heaters after 2029.

The order, published the day after Christmas, prohibits the sale of new non-condensing natural gas-fired water heaters due to concerns about carbon dioxide emissions, the New York Post reported.

Proponents of the changes said it would reduce emissions and save energy while cutting costs by an average of $112 over the life of the product compared to less-efficient tankless models. Critics say it will force consumers to purchase more expensive – up to $450 more –  or less efficient water heater models.

“It has determined that the amended energy conservation standards for these products would result in significant conservation of energy, and are technologically feasible and economically justified,” the Department of Energy said in its filings.

Understanding the orders

The orders require new gas tankless water heaters, also known as instantaneous heaters, to use about 13% less energy than less efficient models, a change that effectively requires products to use condensing technology that wastes less heat, according to the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

More than 60% of new units sold today already meet the new standards and all major water heater manufacturers sell these models.

There are two types of instantaneous water heaters, non-condensing and condensing. However, according to the Washington Free Beacon, the new efficiency requirements raise the level to a threshold only condensing models can meet, effectively banning cheaper but less efficient non-condensing models.

Other standards will require a similar percentage efficiency improvement for gas tank models and “significantly” larger efficiency for most electric tank models, ASAP explained. Those standards will take effect in 2029 while the standards for tankless models will take effect in late 2029 or early 2030.