The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday proposed energy efficiency standards on water heaters it said would save consumers $11.4 billion on energy and water bills annually.
The standards on residential water heater efficiency, which are required by Congress, have not been updated in 13 years. Water heating is responsible for roughly 13% of both annual residential energy use and consumer utility costs, the DOE said.
Economy of scales will definitely have an impact as well. It’s not like a compressor is a terribly expensive, look at how cheap basic window unit air conditioners and mini fridges have gotten. If these become the default and get subsidized even a little, they can get near enough to price parity that it’s a no brainer, a la LED light bulbs.