Up to 35% Price Increase For New Water Heaters – Effective April 16, 2015

New water heater regulations are coming,effective April 16, 2015. Here are the highlights that Homeowners need to BE AWARE of.

• WHAT ARE THE NEW REGULATIONS: Effective April 16, 2015 the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA) will require higher Energy Factor (EF) ratings on virtually all gas, electric, oil and tankless gas water heaters. Quite simply, the EF is the ratio of useful energy output from the water heater to the total amount of energy used to operate the water heater. The higher the EF rating, the more energy efficient the water heater will be.

• WILL THERE BE PRICE INCREASES? Yes, prices for both the water heater and installation will increase. While no price sheets yet have been reported, the rumor from key suppliers of name brands water heaters for all contractors are saying to expect a price increase of up to a 35%.

• HOW WILL CHANGES AFFECT HOMEOWNERS? According to Bradford White (America's Leading Brand), the homeowner may have to deal with the following top three concerns:

1. First off, increased product and installation costs.
2. Secondly, in some cases, the water heater will have to be re-located to operate properly, or mitigate noise.
3. Thirdly, while the operating costs of the new water heaters will be less because of their increased efficiency, it is likely that themaintenance costs will increase because of a more complex design, and the integration of electronics, blowers, fans, condensers, etc.

• WHAT ARE WE, PLUMBING 911, DOING TO HELP CUSTOMERS?

1. We want to inform and educate our current and future customers to be able to make the right decisions for their home and budget.
2. In addition, we recommend if you have an older tank or a tank that seems to have reoccurring issues, to consider replacement before April to ensure you can keep your tax refund, instead of losing it on the new price increase for water heaters.
3. To further help our customers in this process, between now and April 15, 2015 we are offering a FREE WATER HEATER INSPECTION (savings of $85) and FREE ESTIMATES on new installations of high-quality warrantied water heaters and$50 OFF NEW WATER HEATER INSTALLATIONS. We hope that our consumers take advantage of our offers to help them with savings. Call us today toll free (866-720-0911) to schedule your FREE Water Heater Inspection and Estimate.

• HOW ARE WATER HEATER MANUFACTURERS RESPONDING?Many high-quality brand water heater manufacturers have already reportedly stopped reproduction of non-compliant EF rated water heaters; however, come April 15, 2015 the consumer will have no choice but to purchase an EF-compliant water heater and assume the price increase and possible plumbing changes. The enhanced engineering and additional parts have changed production. We are happy to announce that the major brands such as Bradford White, AOSmith and Rheem have been compliant and will have theses new FE-compliant tanks available for consumers in April.

• WHAT IS DIFFERENT WITH THE NEW FE-COMPLIANT WATER HEATERS? According to Bradford White's website, the size and weight of the products will change and these changes will affect costs, transportation, storage and installation. They further state that the new technologies introduced will require product and installation training. The significance of these changes come with more sophisticated engineering, which they assess will increase contractor installations, as they do not feel that the normal do-it-yourself consumer will be able to install water heaters anymore. They also predict that some installations will now require two people as water heaters get larger and heavier and become to awkward, along with a box van or open truck to carry the water heater for models above 55-gallons.