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Example: New 2007 Ruud 50 gallon electric water heater vs a New 2022 Ruud 50 gallon electric water heater. Are 2022 more efficient? If so, what are improvements in 15 years in electric water heaters?
Thanks.
Well my Rudd (installed in 2019) is one of the heatpump models. so it pulls heat from the basement to assist in the heating. This also lowers the humidity in the basement. I can also connect to it wirelessly. I haven't done that but I am going to set it up so I can tell when the power glitches when I am not home (we had power problems just before Christmas) but the purpose is actually so you can monitor performance, set temp ranges, etc.
I replaced a unit installed in 1996 so my savings were probably more and we made other improvements at the same time so I cannot pin down where any savings came from. The 'yellow label' numbers were markedly better on the new WH but I don't remember what they were right now. I replaced because my blue pressure tank (the real name escapes me right now) had sprung a leak and I figured it was warning me that the 23 year old WH was next.
I asked some questions here so the thread is back somewhere in this group.
I just bought a heat pump water heater to replace the one in this house I bought (installed in '98 it says, so I'm glad it lasted this long--the hot water is starting to run out in about 15 minutes or so, so I figure it's on its last leg).
I've ordered an AO Smith Voltex 50 gallon, should be installed next week (let's hope so!). It's only me here so I imagine the hot water supply should be plenty for just the one person, but it's supposed to be good for a family of 3 if I'm remembering correctly. It's a pretty steep price to pay upfront, but the savings are supposed to be pretty good. I'll let you know how it goes--if it does get installed, I never like to be 100% sure about these things because you can never know what will happen (so maybe I'll just be back to a regular old electric WH--but at least have more hot water than 15 minutes' worth!).
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Water heaters have not changed as much as other major appliances, but they have made improvements. They are always going to be more efficient, with better insulation, as required by stronger federal requirements. Also, with age there is a buildup of debris in the bottom of the tank that causes a loss of efficiency. The average life of a water heater is 13 years so yours has done well at 15.
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