Gas Furnaces Face 95% Efficiency Standard With Final DOE Rule

The Biden administration has finalized national efficiency rules for residential gas furnaces affecting about a third of all US homes, updating a 36-year-old standard that effectively phases out older furnace models.

Non-weatherized gas furnaces and furnaces used in mobile homes would be required to achieve a 95% annual fuel utilization efficiency standard, up from 80% efficiency standard today, according to the final rule, shared in advance with Bloomberg Law. That standard effectively phases out less-efficient non-condensing furnaces and makes newer, less wasteful furnaces mandatory by late 2028.

The department said it carefully considered the benefits and costs of the ...