H.R. 1281 — Natural GAS Act of 2025

This section establishes the short title of the Act as the “Natural Gas Appliances Standards Act of 2025” or the “Natural GAS Act of 2025.”

This section revises the rulemaking requirements for water heater energy conservation standards under 42 U.S.C. § 6295(e) by adding new paragraph (7) for any water heater rule finalized after enactment. It requires the Secretary of Energy to (1) perform a full fuel cycle analysis and use a full fuel cycle energy descriptor, as described in the 2009 National Academies letter report on site and full-fuel-cycle measurement approaches, and (2) certify that the rule is not likely to cause a significant shift from gas water heaters to electric water heaters in residential construction, commercial construction, or water heater replacement. It also provides that any such rule shall not apply to small major household appliance manufacturers, as defined in 13 C.F.R. § 121.201, and shall require the analysis results and resulting energy descriptor to be prominently disclosed on any Federal Trade Commission energy-efficiency label visible to consumers at the point of sale.

This section revises the rulemaking requirements for furnace and boiler energy conservation standards under 42 U.S.C. § 6295(f) by (1) conforming paragraph (1)(B) to remove a now-obsolete third clause, and (2) adding new requirements for any furnace or boiler rule finalized after enactment. As background, section 325 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act authorizes the Department of Energy to set appliance efficiency standards. For any such post-enactment rule, the Secretary must require a full fuel cycle analysis for energy efficiency standards and a full fuel cycle energy descriptor, as described in the 2009 National Academies letter report on site and full-fuel-cycle measurement approaches, and must certify that the rule is not likely to cause a significant shift from gas furnaces or boilers to electric furnaces or boilers in residential construction, commercial construction, or replacement markets. The section also provides that any such rule shall not apply to small major household appliance manufacturers, as defined in 13 C.F.R. § 121.201, and shall require prominent disclosure of the analysis results and resulting energy descriptor on any Federal Trade Commission-required energy-efficiency label visible to consumers at the point of sale.

This section establishes rulemaking requirements for any final rule issued after enactment on kitchen cooktops, ranges, and ovens under 42 U.S.C. 6295(h). It requires the Secretary of Energy to conduct a full fuel cycle analysis and use a full fuel cycle energy descriptor, as described in the 2009 National Academies letter report on site and full-fuel-cycle measurement approaches, and to certify that the rule is not likely to cause a significant shift from gas to electric kitchen cooktops, ranges, and ovens in residential construction, commercial construction, or appliance replacement. It also prohibits such rules from limiting features and functionality on residential gas kitchen cooktops, ranges, and ovens, including quick-to-boil times, the number and size of burners, and grate design, and exempts small major household appliance manufacturers, as defined in 13 C.F.R. § 121.201, from the rule. Finally, it requires the analysis results and resulting energy descriptor to be prominently disclosed on any Federal Trade Commission-required consumer-facing energy label for the product.