(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Not content with driving people into the poor house with runaway inflation and soaring gas prices, the Biden administration’s Department of Energy has proposed a new rule to bring households more financial pain.
The edict would require that gas-burning residential furnaces be jettisoned for condensing gas furnaces, which reuse gas and water vapor that normal non-condensing furnaces vent into the atmosphere, reported the Daily Mail.
The requirement would come at considerable cost to American households, with some industry experts pegging the expense to make the change at about $350. The condensing models also cost about $1,500 to $2,200 to install.
Biden’s plan would require that all gas-burning furnaces on the market to be changed over by 2029, and with the petunia-in-chief’s economy it might take that long to save enough money to make the switch. The current national average cost to replace a furnace, including materials and labor, is $4,671, according to HomeAdvisor.
The Department of Energy estimated that the new furnaces would cost about $60 more per year for every household, a number that climbs upward of $30.3 billion over 30 years.
Biden’s radical green mandate, which his old boss Barack Obama tried to pass, will be open for public comment on the Federal Register for 60 days, then a final consideration will be made, the Daily Mail reported.
The American Gas Association said the new rule is under review and they will “vigorously object” if the natural gas industry would be harmed.
“At this moment, when natural gas is imperative for our country’s and the world’s stability, placing enormous costs on everyday Americans is wrong-headed at best,” AGA President and CEO Karen Harbert said in a statement.
The Biden administration has a different take.
“By updating energy standards for many carbon-emitting appliances, such as home furnaces, the Biden Administration is working to save consumers money,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement.
Homeowners will also be able to purchase electric appliances as an alternative to condensing gas, despite the fact that many of them are powered by natural gas through the power grid.
Biden’s new green tax proposal comes shortly after Granholm suggested that more Americans purchase electric cars, to avoid skyrocketing gas prices.
“If you filled up your EV and you filled up your gas tank with gasoline, you would save $60 per fill-up by going electric rather than using gasoline but it’s a very compelling case, but again, we want to bring down the price at the point of purchase,” Granholm said.
