Energy standards are coming out feds are aiming to push high efficiency. Furnaces and the the energy department. Standard would ban non condensing furnaces. So in addition to all the things we've talked about recently in videos.

New refrigerants new standards with air conditioners and heat pumps. And now yes. They're now coming after furnaces so during the making of this video you can still purchase an 80 non condensing. I guess you could call it low efficiency furnace.

It's not high efficiency. So i guess you would call it low non condensing indoor furnaces. They're hoping that they're going to be phased out in 2029 under a plan announced on june 13th. So just this past month.

And that was announced by the biden administration. The proposal from the department of energy. If adopted would require new non weatherized gas furnaces to have an annual fuel utilization efficiencies of at least 95. So that not even just 90 or 92.

They're now saying at least 95 percent. I think with most high efficiency furnaces. 96. It seems to be kind of becoming the standard anyway uh even single stage systems they're you know bumping up to 96 instead of 90 or 92.

Which was not always the case. So this means that they would have to produce at least 95 btus of heat for every 100 btus of natural gas consumed that would ban non condensing furnaces. Which currently must be at least 80 percent efficient and is intended to steer consumers towards more efficient technology like condensing furnaces. Which capture additional heat from exhaust gases.

What does all this mean to you if you're a homeowner and you're seeing this video. And you're like well josh. I want a higher efficiency furnace. What's the big deal.

I think the biggest thing to keep in mind here is if you're no longer going to be able to buy an 80 furnace is the flu vent. The biggest difference now there's other differences too. But the biggest difference between a high efficiency furnace and an 80 furnace is the flu vent for a high efficiency furnace is plastic and we'll get into that in just a second why. But the flu vent for an 80 furnace is metal.

You can take that through the roof. You can take it into a chimney. I've seen and the flu vent itself gets hot to the touch you can touch it and if it's a single walled metal flue it can burn you it gets really hot but in contrast with a high efficiency furnace having the plastic flue vents that they come with what happens is because the temperature of the exhaust is so much lower meaning you can touch that flue vent and it's not hot at all maybe get a little warm. But it's not hot and so what happens is as it's exhausting out the flu.

The temperature falls and if you imagine a cold winter day now you've got this flu pipe that's exhausting these gases as it goes up that flue pipe and it's starting to get cooler and cooler and cooler. It actually will produce condensation so the inside of that pipe will start to condensate. It'll actually have some sweating and some water beating up enough to where it'll start to drain back down the flue into the furnace and then you would have a drain on it so for example. If you have a 80 furnace in your basement.

And it has a metal flue and it goes up either into a chimney or all the way through the house into the attic and out the roof. You will now have to figure out a way and some houses. This is easier said than done somehow. It's not a big deal right.

But some houses it's easier said than done. Because i've actually had customers say to me well josh. I want a high efficiency furnace and after going through how we're going to be able to get a plastic flu vent into that house and exhausting out of the house safely sometimes the customers have changed their mind. But with these new laws.

There's no minds being changed. You're gonna have to figure it out and pay the extra money possibly so this move would reduce carbon emissions by 373 million metric tons over 30 years according to the department of energy estimate a homeowner who replaced a non condensing furnace with a condensing model would save 60 a year in utility costs said. The department of energy. So just 60 bucks.

So the possible money that you might have to spend getting the higher end furnace and now the extra flu vent. I know it's not all about money and every decision. But if you were just comparing apples to apples you may actually lose money in the end these efficiency measures not only reduce carbon and methane emissions. But also provide huge material benefits to american households in the form of cleaner air modernized technology and cheaper energy said energy secretary jennifer granholm in a press release.

Which i think is an interesting statement they're basically saying that americans american households americans. The homeowner you that you care to have modernized technology or cheaper energy. I think the cheaper energy statement that she said at the very end that could possibly be incorrect depending on the situation. And so on this article also goes on to say at the air conditioning heating and refrigeration institute.

Which represents hvacr manufacturers. President ceo. Stephen urich. Said the rulemaking process is long overdue and the doe plan will be closely studied there.

We will be reviewing with our member companies. The proposed rule and analysis and will actively participate in the notice. And comment process to ensure the rule is complete fair and adequately reflects the needs of our member companies and the customers they serve europe. Said in a prepared statement.

The proposed standard is the administration's second move toward decarbonization within two weeks on june 6th. President. Joe biden. Invoked the defense production act epa to expand the manufacturing availability of certain energy.

Saving technologies. Including heat pumps and building insulation invoking the dpa paves the way for more federal investment in those technologies gas furnaces account for an estimated 15 percent of annual residential energy use in the us. According to figures from the census bureau. More than 47 million homes more than 38 percent of all homes in the country are heated with warm air natural gas furnaces this article that i'm reading it goes on to say a few other things when it comes to the you know where they're going to go from here.

But the main thing. I'm going to put a link down in the description of this video is they are putting a proposal in a pre publication federal register notice. I'm gonna put a link to that where the energy department. Will take public comments for up to 60 days after the proposed rule is officially published in the register.

And has scheduled a public webinar in the proposal for wednesday august 3rd. We've done other videos on some of the energy standards. We've got high inflation. We've got new energies coming out.

We've got new refrigerants coming out i in my entire career and not even my career way before my career have we ever seen it like this we've never seen so many things hitting all at once on one industry like this or at least in the heating and air industry. I think that you're just going to see all kinds of things hitting our market over the next couple years. That are just going to be one thing after another so anyway. If you are in the market for a heating and air system.

And you need an 80 furnace. You might want to go ahead and get it i would not hold out you might not be able to even buy one very soon thanks for watching hit that subscribe button. We'll see you next time you.