Water heaters' methane leaks are high, but fixable
Friday, April 17, 2020 - 06:40
in Physics & Chemistry
Natural gas escapes from water heating systems through leaks and because some is not combusted by the burner. These tiny inefficiencies can add up: The resulting emissions of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas—for water heaters across the United States are potentially more than three times higher than expected, according to a new Stanford study. The good news, however, is that simple fixes are available that can be applied across most of the world's economies.