Battling the Behemoth

[smaihlee]

We have lived in our 3BR 3BA house for about 18 months. The house is 58 years old, as is the electric water heater. AO Smith, 80 gallon model. Seriously.

We have never had a problem with it and it's actually in better condition than the much newer gas model in our previous home. With a tax refund in my immediate future, I'm trying to figure out if replacing the behemoth would be a wise use of my $$.

On one hand, I'm thinking "if it ain't broke...". On the other hand, I KNOW this sucker has to be burning some serious KWH and that a new, 50-gallon gas tank model would pay for itself sooner than later. The cost of electricity is going up, while natural gas is actually going down in SC. It would help even out our utility bills a bit throughout the year. Sounds like I've made up my mind, right?

Not exactly. I guess my biggest question is the savings I would realize with the replacement. Duke Power estimates (per online survey) that water heating/laundry accounts for $60 of my monthly electric bill. There are only 3 of us in this house and probably average 25 showers/week altogether. 3-4 dishwasher + 7 laundry loads /week. We have a brand new Bosch dishwasher and Bosch front-loading washer.

I'm estimating that changing over to gas will cut the water heating costs by $30, but I think if anything I'm under-estimating.

Here's my math:
$1200 (unit + install) - $50 rebate = $1150
$1150 / $30/month savings = ~ 3 year payback

Any opinions on this?

[johnjh2o]

In my opinion gas is a far better way to go. Do you have a chimney to connect the flue to? And do you have any existing gas piping? These two Items would add to the installation cost. You may also find that a 40 gallon gas heater would satisfy your needs. Check with your gas company, in may location there giving a $350.00 rebate on new gas water heaters.

John

[smaihlee]

John, the WH is in a utility room with the washer, dryer, and furnace. The room is adjacent to the basement fireplace. WH is about 15 feet from the chimney. We have existing gas service for our cooktop and furnace. WH is about 50 feet away from the main and 15 feet away from the furnace. I don't know anything about gas lines to know whether they would have to be run from the main or can be branched off from the furnace.

[johnjh2o]

Whether you can use the existing gas lines to connect to the new heater depends on the size of the line, the length of the run and the BTUs needed. You may also be able to connect to the furnace flue this depends on the size of the existing flue also. These questions can be answered by the gas company or a licensed plumbing contractor. As always when having work like this done get three estimates. If your new to the area ask your neighbors who they have used in the past.

John