The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy calls for price cuts through mass production to promote latent heat recovery water heaters
On 14 April , the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) outlined its policy direction for promoting the use of latent heat recovery water heaters. ANRE urges manufacturers to narrow the price gap between conventional water heaters and latent heat recovery water heaters through mass production.
The ANRE presented the plan on the same day at a meeting of the Working Group on Gas and Oil Appliance Evaluation Standards, under the Energy Conservation Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee for Natural Resources and Energy. The government encourages business operators to provide consumers with useful information for choosing water heaters, by utilizing tools such as the “Uniform Energy-Saving Label” under the retailer labeling system based on the Energy Conservation Act. Since the handling of condensate drainage from latent heat recovery water heaters varies by local government, the Agency plans to collect and publish relevant information.
The ANRE also presented the proposal for target standard values for gas hot-water appliances to be achieved by FY2028. The target value for naturally ventilated gas instantaneous water heaters is 77.6%, and for forced ventilation systems, 85.6% multiplied by a certain factor. For gas bathtubs, the coefficient is 89.8%. The target for gas heating equipment is 91.3%.