Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) has received an advance copy of the Department of Energy's Final Rule for revising the federal minimum efficiency standards for residential water heaters, direct heating equipment, and pool heaters. AHRI sources say AHRI expects the standards to appear in the Federal Register shortly.

The following are statements from AHRI regarding the Final Rule:
"It should be noted that compared to the proposed levels we informed you about back in December, the new minimum standards for lower-volume gas storage units is a little lower than what was originally proposed, while the new minimum standards for higher volume electric and gas storage water heaters are appreciably higher than the original proposed level.

"In the case of higher-volume electric storage units, for example, the final rule sets a minimum efficiency level more than twice as high as what was originally proposed and will, de facto, require heat pump technology. The pool heater revised minimum is lower than the level proposed in December. The final direct heating equipment requirements are lower than the proposed levels but still increase the current requirements.

The complete Final Rule can be downloaded here: