This tool provides a simple comparison of the annual fuel costs you can expect with various types of gas and electric water heaters.
The default values below are often standard, but enter your expected daily hot water use and your fuel costs, then click Calculate to get started. 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 |
|||
Water heater type |
Annual energy costs ($) |
||
Gas |
Electric |
Differencea |
|
| Tank, baseline | |||
| Tank, efficient | |||
| Tankless | |||
| Heat pump | |||
a. Positive difference numbers indicate that an electric water heater is more expensive than a comparable gas version; negative numbers show that a gas water heater is more expensive than electric.
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.