During two well-attended breakout sessions at the Industry Partners Meeting, water-heater manufacturers and efficiency program representatives identified several key barriers to advancing more-efficient water heating.
“The sessions provided a valuable exchange of information,” said Stephanie Jones, CEE Gas Program Manager. “Manufacturers learned about the different types of programs and our members were able to hear the concerns of industry.”
In addition, two important accomplishments emerged from the sessions:
- Manufacturers gained a better understanding of the need for shipment data by efficiency program administrators.
- Energy-efficiency program administrators learned about the constraints of the mandated efficiency metrics for different types of gas water heaters.
Information exchange
Representatives from three major water-heater manufacturers (A.O. Smith, Noritz and Rinnai) attended the sessions, and manufacturers and efficiency program representatives quickly found common ground on the importance of sharing information.
Manufacturers want to know which programs are co-promoting their efficient products and found CEE’s 2006 Gas Water-Heating Program Summary to be very helpful. CEE plans to update the program summary annually and will seek input from manufacturers on possible enhancements.
Meeting participants also made headway on the importance of product shipment data for efficiency programs. In the past, water-heater manufacturers have been reluctant to share shipment data, even when this information is aggregated to ensure confidentiality.
At this session, efficiency program administrators explained how important shipment data can be for establishing baseline levels of efficiency to help in planning programs and justifying the use of public funds.
“We agreed that GAMA (Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association) could collect and share that data,” said Bill Hoover, Chief Engineer for A.O. Smith. “We’re supportive of anything that would lead to greater sales of energy- efficient water heaters.”
Comparing efficient products
Manufacturers identified another critical barrier by detailing the limits they face in promoting high-efficiency tank-type equipment. Federal regulations specify the efficiency metric manufacturers must use for testing and advertising. Units that are designated “residential” because of their size (less than 75,000 Btu/hr heat input) are rated with Energy Factor (EF), while larger “commercial” units use Thermal Efficiency.
Most condensing units are designated “commercial” because of their high heat input, but can be used in residential applications. Because these larger units do not have an EF rating, however, consumers have trouble understanding that they are efficient, especially if their local efficiency program defines high-efficiency water heating with EF.
CEE will work with manufacturers to see if there is a way to help consumers understand the efficiency of condensing units. “They are inherently more efficient,” said Hoover, “and could save the average homeowner up to $100/year in fuel costs.”
Condensing units have been a highly popular product in commercial buildings for the past 10 years, according to Hoover. “CEE could help educate consumers about the difference [between thermal efficiency and energy factor],” he said. “A neutral third party could address the confusion and make comparisons between tankless, standard units and condensing heaters.”
Initiative exploration
The meeting was also an opportunity for many of CEE’s members to explain to manufacturers how they currently promote efficient gas water heating.
Their programs vary significantly; some promote tankless systems, some promote traditional tank-type heating and others promote both technologies.
“The overall goal for CEE in its exploration of a gas water-heating initiative is to look for barriers that can be addressed in a common way across efficiency programs,” said Jones.
“The ways our members currently approach efficient water heating differ greatly. A common approach would reduce confusion in the marketplace and leverage local program efforts for a North American impact.”
In addition to exploring opportunities for increased commonality across programs, CEE will work closely with GAMA on the exchange of product shipment data. The Gas Committee will also identify ways to address the confusion between Energy Factor and Thermal Efficiency.
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