Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) took to social media on Saturday to oppose a new proposal from the Biden administration, stating, “Leave us alone” about the new energy efficiency standards.
The proposal, released by the United States Department of Energy on Friday, would require the most common-sized electric water heaters to use heat pump technology, and would also require gas-fired instantaneous water heaters to use condensing technology. However, Massie expressed disapproval of the proposal, as such products “already exist in the free market.”
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“Leave us alone,” Massie wrote on Twitter. “These products already exist in the free market. Consumers should decide whether the upfront cost of a heat-pump water heater is worth the possible long term savings. In many cases, the monthly savings never make up for the upfront cost of the equipment.”
Leave us alone.
These products already exist in the free market. Consumers should decide whether the upfront cost of a heat-pump water heater is worth the possible long term savings. In many cases, the monthly savings never make up for the upfront cost of the equipment. https://t.co/I0j36USrr4
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) July 22, 2023
If the department’s proposal is approved in its proposed time frame, the new rule would apply to new water heater models by 2029 and would save consumers $1,868 on average over the life of an appliance, with savings being higher for renters and those in low-income households.
“This proposal reinforces the trajectory of consumer savings that forms the key pillar of Bidenomics and builds on the unprecedented actions already taken by this Administration to lower energy costs for working families across the nation,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said in the press release.
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The proposal comes after many Republican lawmakers have expressed opposition to President Joe Biden’s proposals on energy efficiency. In total, Biden has issued proposed or final efficiency standards for 18 product categories for this year alone.
Last month, the House of Representatives passed Republican legislation to hamstring the federal government’s ability to regulate natural gas stoves more stringently, which supporters said was necessary to preserve the choices of consumers and protect them from government overreach. Many Republicans, as well as centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and fossil fuel interests, complained at the notion of regulating residential stoves and said the president was overreaching in implementing his climate change agenda.
