Department Of Energy Updates

Commercial D.O.E. Water Heating Standards

Water Heater Standards Are Changing. Bradford White Has You Covered.

New D.O.E. Commercial Standards – Effective For Products Manufactured On or After October 6, 2026*

*Pending further legal challenges

Commercial
Gas-Fired Storage

Must meet or exceed 95% thermal efficiency and more stringent standby loss requirements.

Will require condensing technology to be utilized.

Commercial Gas Instantaneous (Tankless) / Hot Water Supply Boilers (Volume Water Heaters)

Must meet or exceed 96% thermal efficiency.

Will require condensing technology to be utilized.

Residential Duty Commercial*
Gas-Fired Storage

Increased UEF requirements.

Will require condensing technology to be utilized.

*Residential Duty Commercial models may also be known as “Light-Duty Commercial”.

NOTES:

Under the new D.O.E. Commercial Standards, Residential Duty Commercial (Light-Duty) Gas-Fired Storage models (>75,000 BTU/Hr. to ≤105,000 BTU/Hr.) will be required to meet increased UEF requirements that will necessitate the use of condensing technology.
It is important to understand that many of the high input gas water heaters used in residential applications can no longer be manufactured after October 6, 2026 if the input is >75,000 BTU/Hr.
You can purchase and install products manufactured before the effective dates of these standards even if they don’t comply with the new requirements. (Check your local building/plumbing codes for specific site requirements.) Parts will continue to be sold long after these standards go into effect, so older equipment can continue to be serviced.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?

Please contact products@bradfordwhite.com

CONTRACTOR UPDATE: NEW DOE COMMERCIAL WATER HEATER STANDARDS EFFECTIVE DATE: OCTOBER 6, 2026

COMMERCIAL GAS-FIRED STORAGE

Non-condensing

comm-gas-fired-storage-no-longer-made-three

PRODUCTS SHOWN
NO LONGER
MANUFACTURED
AFTER REGULATION
DATE

D Series and Commander Series^® (UCG) do not meet these standards.

Compliant Solutions

New vent system and condensate management required for condensing solutions.

eF Series^® + new condensing gas and Heat Pump Water Heater products

Condensing Volume Water Heater(s) + Storage tank(s)

Tankless and Boiler models available in both condensing and non-condensing.

Tankless Water Heater(s) + Storage tank(s)

Boiler(s) + Indirect Water Heater(s).
Boilers can be condensing or non-condensing.

RESIDENTIAL DUTY COMMERCIAL GAS-FIRED STORAGE

NOTE: Residential Duty Commercial models may also be known as “Light-Duty Commercial”. Residential Duty Commercial is the D.O.E. definition where Light-Duty Commercial is an industry accepted term. Not all Light-Duty Commercial gas models are included in the Residential Duty Commercial definition.

Non-condensing

55, 75, & 100 Gallon Models

PRODUCTS SHOWN
NO LONGER
MANUFACTURED
AFTER REGULATION
DATE

The current 55, 75, and 100 gallon Power Vent, Atmospheric Vent, and Power Direct Vent models do not meet these standards.

Non-condensing atmospheric vent, power vent, and power direct vent 50 gallon models will remain available.

Coming soon –
New 55 gallon model that
will meet these standards.

Compliant Solutions

COMING SOON!

Condensing Power Vent and Power Direct Vent 75 gallon models

Tankless Water Heater(s) + Storage tank(s)

Volume Water Heater(s) + Storage Tank(s)

Boiler(s) + Indirect Water Heater(s).
Boilers can be condensing or non-condensing.

COMMERCIAL GAS INSTANTANEOUS (TANKLESS)/
HOT WATER SUPPLY BOILERS (VOLUME WATER HEATERS)

Non-condensing

comm-gas-instantaneous-vwh-boilers-no-longer-made

PRODUCTS SHOWN
NO LONGER
MANUFACTURED
AFTER REGULATION
DATE

Brute^® Deluxe, Copper Brute^® II, and Brute OmniTech^® do not meet these standards.

Compliant Solutions

New vent system and condensate management required for condensing solutions.

Brute^® XTR
399K – 1,500K BTU/Hr.

Infiniti^® GS/GR
199K BTU/Hr.

Brute MagnaTech^®
1,600K – 4,000K BTU/Hr.

Brute MagnaTech^® HTD 1,600K – 4,000K BTU/Hr.

In boiler-indirect system configurations, overall performance depends on the boiler input and application-specific factors.

Volume Water Heater(s) + Storage Tank(s)

Boiler(s) + Indirect Water Heater(s).
Boilers can be condensing or non-condensing.

COMMERCIAL ELECTRIC & OIL FIRED WATER HEATERS

IMPORTANT: These new standards do not impact commercial electric water heaters (tank or tankless), nor commercial oil-fired water heaters.

COMPLIANT GAS TANK-TYPE PRODUCT OFFERING

eF Series^® (60 & 100 gallon)^*

125,000 to 199,000 BTU/Hr.
Thermal efficiency up to 97%
Three-pass fire tube heat exchanger system
Can vent vertically or horizontally with either 2″, 3″, 4″, or 6″ PVC, CPVC, polypropylene (PP), stainless steel, or ABS vent pipe
BMS integration – BACnet^® compatible via gateway kit
Max vent length: 3″ PVC up to 60ft

eF Series^® (75 gallon)^*

75,000 BTU/Hr.
Natural, Propane, or Ultra Low NOx versions available
Power Vent or Power Direct Vent
Can vent vertically or horizontally with PVC, ABS, or CPVC

eF XT^™ (60, 80, and 100 gallon)^*

125,000 to 199,000 BTU/Hr.
Thermal efficiency up to 97%
Exclusive Dynamic Load Management
Up to 10:1 Turndown Ratio
Multiple air intake and water connection options for optimized retrofits
Common vent up to 8 units
Can vent vertically or horizontally with either 2″, 3″, 4″, or 6″ PVC, CPVC, polypropylene (PP), stainless steel, or ABS vent pipe
Approved for flexible polypropylene venting
Max vent length: 3″ PVC up to 160ft

eF Series^® Turbo (120 gallon)^*

500,000 BTU/Hr.
Thermal efficiency up to 97%
Up to 6:1 Turndown Ratio
Can vent vertically or horizontally with 2″, 3″, 4″, or 6″ PVC, CPVC, polypropylene (PP), stainless steel, or ABS vent pipe (available vent diameters vary by input)
Three-pass fire tube heat exchanger system
BMS Integration – BACnet^® compatible via gateway kit
Max vent length: 4″ PVC up to 50ft (available vent lengths vary by input)
Additional 100 gallon model with 250,000 BTU/Hr. coming soon

*Reference spec sheet for specific model information.

COMPLIANT ELECTRIC TANK TYPE PRODUCT OFFERING

As non-condensing, atmospheric-vented water heaters continue to be phased out, upgrading to condensing technology is often the preferred path. When condensing venting isn’t practical, our electric water heaters offer a reliable alternative—though adequate electrical capacity is required and service or panel upgrades may be necessary.

Light Service^*

65, 80, and 120 gallon capacities
Direct heat transfer with immersed elements (incoloy standard)
277V, single phase, 12.2 kW

Heavy-Duty^*

50, 80, and 120 gallon capacities
Immersion thermostats
Approved field conversion kits available
12.3 to 54 kW offering
208V, 240V, 277V, 380V, 415V, 480V, and 600V offering
ASME available
Hand hole cleanout
Three, six, and nine element options

Light-Duty^*

6 gallon to 120 gallon capacities
120V, 208V, 240V, 277V, 380V, 415V, and 480V offering
1.5 to 12 kW offering
Single or three phase operation
Field conversion kits available

ASME^*

6 gallon to 120 gallon capacities
208V, 240V, 277V, 380V, 415V, 480V, and 600V offering
3 to 81 kW offering
Immersion thermostats for accurate temperature control up to 180° F
Low watt density incoloy elements (screw in style)
Pre-wired at factory to specs; can’t be field converted

Medium-Duty^*

50, 80, and 120 gallon capacities
Factory wired at 240V, three phase, and 18kW
Field conversion kits available
12.3 to 18 kW offering
208V, 240V, 277V, 380V, 415V, and 480V offering
Fully automatic controls
Direct heat transfer with three immersed incoloy element

VR^*

150 to 2,500 gallon capacities
208V, 240V, 277V, 380V, 415V, 480V, and 600V
15 to 360 kW offering
ASME Tank construction standard
Magnetic contactors with immersion thermostats

*Reference spec sheet for specific model information.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS

Q: Can non-condensing commercial water heaters in stock still be sold after October 6th, 2026?

Yes, the October 6th, 2026 date applies specifically to the date of manufacture. Any non-condensing commercial units manufactured prior to that date can still be sold and installed. Be sure to check your local building/plumbing codes on specific site requirements.

Q: What is the most significant change when replacing non-condensing commercial water heaters with condensing commercial water heaters?

A: The most impactful changes will be changing the existing atmospheric vent to a vent system compatible with the new condensing models, as well as planning for condensate removal from the system. Other changes may be required based on the specific site/installation requirements.

Q: Does Bradford White plan to build up extra inventory of non-condensing commercial units prior to the October 2026 transition?

A: Bradford White will be guided by our customer demand but will have limited non-condensing production prior to October 2026.

Q: Will Bradford White be launching new products to transition to in support of the new standards?

Yes, Bradford White has numerous new products under development that will support the transition and further expand our high-efficiency product offerings.

Q: Will every state be subject to the same regulation?

A: As water heater minimum efficiencies are regulated by the Federal government, these minimum efficiencies are required in all jurisdictions in the United States. State or local governments may not pre-empt minimum Federal requirements for water heaters. However, a state or local government may have a regulation or code that necessitates the use of higher efficiency water heaters in certain situations (e.g. energy stretch codes).
Additionally, local energy utilities or other local programs may incentivize the use of higher efficiency equipment.

CONTRACTOR UPDATE: NEW DOE COMMERCIAL WATER HEATER STANDARDS EFFECTIVE DATE: OCTOBER 6, 2026