美国能源部（DOE）最近完成了一项规则制定程序，修订了现有的家用热水器能效标准。能源部考虑新标准的一个关键因素是对消费者的经济影响。确定此类影响需要将能效设计方案的额外第一成本与运营成本的节约进行比较。本文介绍了燃气和电储能热水器寿命周期成本（LCC）和回收期分析的方法。它给出了一个具有代表性的美国家庭样本中与更节能设备相关的LCC的估计变化，包括热泵电热水器和冷凝式燃气热水器。这项研究包括对所考虑的设计方案的安装成本进行详细核算，重点是适应更大尺寸、更高效热水器的方法。 对于热泵热水器，该研究还考虑了气流要求、通风问题以及这些产品对室内环境的影响。结果表明，与基线设计相比，效率的提高降低了大多数家用燃气和电储水式热水器的LCC，热泵式电热水器和冷凝式燃气热水器为使用大容量热水器的家用热水器提供了较低的LCC。引文:内华达州拉斯维加斯ASHRAE会议论文

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently completed a rulemaking process in which it amended the existing energy efficiency standards for residential water heaters. A key factor in DOE's consideration of new standards is the economic impacts on consumers. Determining such impacts requires a comparison of the additional first cost of energy efficiency design options with the savings in operating costs. This paper describes the method used to conduct the life-cycle cost (LCC) and payback period analysis for gas and electric storage water heaters. It presents the estimated change in LCC associated with more energy-efficient equipment, including heat pump electric water heaters and condensing gas water heaters, for a representative sample of U.S. homes. The study included a detailed accounting of installation costs for the considered design options, with a focus on approaches for accommodating the larger dimensions of more efficient water heaters. For heat pump water heaters, the study also considered airflow requirements, venting issues, and the impact of these products on the indoor environment. The results indicate that efficiency improvement relative to the baseline design reduces the LCC in the majority of homes for both gas and electric storage water heaters, and heat pump electric water heaters and condensing gas water heaters provide a lower LCC for homes with large rated volume water heaters.