Residential Boiler NOPR Withdrawal

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has withdrawn its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) to update minimum efficiency standards for residential boilers. The NOPR was originally published in August of 2023 and would have required gas-fired hot water boilers to achieve condensing efficiency levels at a minimum of 95% AFUE. The current gas boiler energy conservation standard (84% AFUE for gas-fired hot water boilers and the 9W maximum off and standby mode power consumption) remains in place.

The withdrawal document noted that DOE still agrees with the intent and purpose of the rule but felt it did not have enough time to efficiently address stakeholder comments, especially given the administrative changeover. Moving forward, DOE would need to begin the rulemaking process all over again if/when considering more stringent efficiency standards for these products.

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