Congress To Vote On Repealing Rule That Would Save Americans $1.5 Billion A Year On Heating

The Senate is set to vote this week on whether to repeal the first major update to national standards for gas furnaces in four decades in a move experts say would save real estate developers and landlords a few hundred dollars but cost ratepayers and renters thousands in heating bills for wasted energy.

At least a handful of Democrats are expected to break with the chamber’s majority and join Republicans to pass legislation revoking the Department of Energy’s regulation. Starting four years from now, the rule finalized last September requires manufacturers to make the least efficient gas furnaces on the market today waste 15% less energy, cutting back on more carbon dioxide than the entirety of France emits in a single year and saving ratepayers money.

The vote could come as early as Tuesday evening, with the House of Representatives following soon after with a sister bill.

While mostly symbolic — President Joe Biden is almost certain to veto the legislation — the vote represents yet another flex of fossil fuel companies’ political muscle ahead of the presidential election. The industry is heavily betting against a second term for Biden, even though the last four years have brought record production and exports of U.S. oil and gas.

Drilling and sales of American fuel overseas may be up. But for the last two years, sales of heat pumps — essentially two-way air conditioners that heat and cool — nationwide have eclipsed gas furnaces, the gap growing in 2023. That poses a threat to gas utilities — and the sector is fighting back on multiple fronts.

Utilities have historically enjoyed monopolies over geographical areas, giving the companies a captive market of ratepayers whose monthly bills help pay to maintain the