II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1043 

To amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to modify standards 

for water heaters, furnaces, boilers, and kitchen cooktops, ranges, and 

ovens, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 29, 2023 

Mr. BARRASSO (for himself, Mr. RISCH, Mr. LEE, Mr. CASSIDY, and Mr. 

HOEVEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to modify 

standards for water heaters, furnaces, boilers, and kitchen cooktops, ranges, and ovens, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Natural Gas Appli5 ances Standards Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘Natural GAS Act 

6 of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. RULE REQUIREMENTS FOR WATER HEATERS. 

2 Section 325(e) of the Energy Policy and Conservation 

3 Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(e)) is amended by adding at the end 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(7) REQUIREMENTS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) RULEMAKING PROCESS.—For any 

7 rule relating to water heaters under this section 

8 that is finalized after the date of enactment of 

9 this paragraph, the Secretary shall— 

10 ‘‘(i) require as part of the rulemaking 

11 process the performance of a full fuel cycle 

12 analysis for energy efficiency standards 

13 and a full fuel cycle energy descriptor, as 

14 described in a letter report of the National 

15 Academies entitled ‘Review of Site (Point16 of-Use) and Full-Fuel-Cycle Measurement 

17 Approaches to DOE/EERE Building Ap18 pliance Energy-Efficiency Standards’ and 

19 dated 2009; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) certify that the rule is not likely 

21 to result in a significant shift from gas 

22 water heaters to electric water heaters with 

23 respect to residential construction, com24 mercial construction, or water heater re25 placement. 


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1 ‘‘(B) RULES.—Any rule relating to water 

2 heaters under this section that is finalized after 

3 the date of enactment of this paragraph— 

4 ‘‘(i) shall not apply to small major 

5 household appliance manufacturers (as de6 fined in section 121.201 of title 13, Code 

7 of Federal Regulations (or successor regu8 lations)); and 

9 ‘‘(ii) shall require the results of the 

10 analysis and resulting energy descriptor 

11 described in subparagraph (A)(i) to be 

12 prominently disclosed on any label that— 

13 ‘‘(I) is required by the Federal 

14 Trade Commission to provide energy 

15 efficiency information of the water 

16 heater; and 

17 ‘‘(II) is visible to consumers at 

18 the point of sale.’’. 

19 SEC. 3. RULE REQUIREMENTS FOR FURNACES AND BOIL20 ERS. 

21 Section 325(f) of the Energy Policy and Conservation 

22 Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(f)) is amended— 

23 (a) in paragraph (1)(B)— 

24 (1) in clause (i), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end 

25 after the semicolon; 


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1 (2) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end 

2 and inserting a period; and 

3 (3) by striking clause (iii); and 

4 (b) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(5) REQUIREMENTS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) RULEMAKING PROCESS.—For any 

7 rule relating to furnaces or boilers under this 

8 section that is finalized after the date of enact9 ment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall— 

10 ‘‘(i) require as part of the rulemaking 

11 process the performance of a full fuel cycle 

12 analysis for energy efficiency standards 

13 and a full fuel cycle energy descriptor, as 

14 described in a letter report of the National 

15 Academies entitled ‘Review of Site (Point16 of-Use) and Full-Fuel-Cycle Measurement 

17 Approaches to DOE/EERE Building Ap18 pliance Energy-Efficiency Standards’ and 

19 dated 2009; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) certify that the rule is not likely 

21 to result in a significant shift from gas 

22 furnaces or boilers to electric furnaces or 

23 boilers with respect to residential construc24 tion, commercial construction, or furnace 

25 or boiler replacement. 


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1 ‘‘(B) RULES.—Any rule relating to fur2 naces or boilers under this section that is final3 ized after the date of enactment of this para4 graph— 

5 ‘‘(i) shall not apply to small major 

6 household appliance manufacturers (as de7 fined in section 121.201 of title 13, Code 

8 of Federal Regulations (or successor regu9 lations)); and 

10 ‘‘(ii) shall require the results of the 

11 analysis and resulting energy descriptor 

12 described in subparagraph (A)(i) to be 

13 prominently disclosed on any label that— 

14 ‘‘(I) is required by the Federal 

15 Trade Commission to provide energy 

16 efficiency information of the water 

17 heater; and 

18 ‘‘(II) is visible to consumers at 

19 the point of sale.’’. 

20 SEC. 4. RULE REQUIREMENTS FOR COOKTOPS, RANGES, 

21 AND OVENS. 

22 Section 325(h) of the Energy Policy and Conserva23 tion Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(h)) is amended by adding at 

24 the end the following: 

25 ‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) RULEMAKING PROCESS.—For any 

2 rule relating to kitchen cooktops, ranges, and 

3 ovens under this section that is finalized after 

4 the date of enactment of this paragraph, the 

5 Secretary shall— 

6 ‘‘(i) require as part of the rulemaking 

7 process the performance of a full fuel cycle 

8 analysis for energy efficiency standards 

9 and a full fuel cycle energy descriptor, as 

10 described in a letter report of the National 

11 Academies entitled ‘Review of Site (Point12 of-Use) and Full-Fuel-Cycle Measurement 

13 Approaches to DOE/EERE Building Ap14 pliance Energy-Efficiency Standards’ and 

15 dated 2009; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) certify that the rule is not likely 

17 to result in a significant shift from gas 

18 kitchen cooktops, ranges, and ovens to 

19 electric kitchen cooktops, ranges, and 

20 ovens with respect to residential construc21 tion, commercial construction, or cooktop, 

22 range, and oven replacement. 

23 ‘‘(B) RULES.—Any rule relating to kitchen 

24 cooktops, ranges, and ovens under this section 


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1 that is finalized after the date of enactment of 

2 this paragraph— 

3 ‘‘(i) shall not limit the features and 

4 functionality available on residential gas 

5 kitchen cooktops, ranges, and ovens, in6 cluding— 

7 ‘‘(I) quick-to-boil times; 

8 ‘‘(II) the number and size of 

9 burners, including burners designed 

10 for simmering and high input rate 

11 burners; and 

12 ‘‘(III) the design of grates, in13 cluding continuous grates; 

14 ‘‘(ii) shall not apply to small major 

15 household appliance manufacturers (as de16 fined in section 121.201 of title 13, Code 

17 of Federal Regulations (or successor regu18 lations)); and 

19 ‘‘(iii) shall require the results of the 

20 analysis and resulting energy descriptor 

21 described in subparagraph (A)(i) to be 

22 prominently disclosed on any label that— 

23 ‘‘(I) is required by the Federal 

24 Trade Commission to provide energy 


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1 efficiency information of the kitchen 

2 cooktop, range, or oven; and 

3 ‘‘(II) is visible to consumers at 

4 the point of sale.’’. 

Æ 


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