This calculator is designed to provide a side-by-side economic comparison of different water heater units.
The default values below are common, but you can input your estimated daily water use in gallons, along with your fuel prices, then select the types of water heaters you’re interested in from the drop-down menus and enter the estimated installed costs of the units (this information can usually be obtained by talking with a contractor).
If you’re not sure what your typical daily hot water use is, here are some general guidelines you can use to come up with an estimate:
- Average 10-minute shower: 20 gallons
- Average faucet flow: 2 gallons/minute
- Average clothes washer, per load: 10 gallons
- Average dishwasher, per load: 6 gallons
Go back to the electric-fired tank water heaters topic.
Go back to the gas-fired tank water heaters topic.
Go back to the heat pump water heaters topic.
Go back to the tankless water heaters topic.
RESULTS |
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Water heater type |
Up-front costs |
Annual energy costs |
Life-cycle costs |
Incremental simple payback period (years) |
| $ | $ | $ | NA (this is the baseline) | |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Notes: Life-cycle costs include both up-front costs and expected annual fuel costs over the life of the water heater. |
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Calculator notes: Energy factor values come from the Energy Star’s final criteria analysis for water heaters. Daily hot water use guidelines come from the U.S. Department of Energy’s online calculator. |
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