With our water heater ratings, you can compare units side by side using our Head To Head tool.
You can compare more than 40 models from 21 brands in ten categories such as warranty, efficiency, capacity, & cost.
You can also read the individual reviews of each brand below.
Our simple rating system gives each brand a color code and a star rating. If the card is green, then, that is one of the top picks from HvacRepairGuy. If the card is yellow, then, that would be a budget pick from HvacRepairgGuy. If the card is red, then, the brand is not recommended by HvacRepairGuy. With our water heater reviews you can cut through the sales hype and find value. It truly is like you were taking a repairman shopping with you! These reviews are for units that use electricity to heat a tank of water (at least 30 gallons) for domestic consumption. They are commonly called whole house storage water heaters.
This brand is from AO Smith and is sold in home improvement/hardware stores. The ProLine EE10U models feature electronic controls with a communicating port for utility company demand response programs. They have a glass lined tank that uses self cleaning technology to limit sediment buildup and a heavy duty stainless steel core anode rod for corrosion control. They are available in 40, 50, or 55 gallon sizes and have a durable brass drain valve for maintenance. The water heaters have a 0.94 efficiency rating and are backed by a decent warranty.
These water heaters are made in the USA but are only sold through their authorized dealer network. They offer standard top connect models as well as low boy tanks with side connections for the water. They are available in 30, 40, or 50 gallon sizes and feature factory installed heat traps to minimize the standby heat losses through the water lines. The units use a basic magnesium anode for corrosion control and use self cleaning technology to reduce sediment buildup but their guarantee is not as good as some of the other brands. The Demand Response Top Connect water heaters are available in either 40 or 50 gallon sizes and feature electronic controls with a communicating port for utility company demand response programs. They have digital control with an i-memory self learning algorithm which learns the usage patterns of hot water in the home and adjusts the water heater settings to meet demand while saving energy. They are backed by a pretty good guarantee.
This brand is made in the USA and is backed by a decent warranty but they are only available through their limited dealer network. The water heaters have a glass lined tank that uses self cleaning technology to limit sediment buildup and a heavy duty stainless steel core anode rod for corrosion control. The Proline Master HETF models feature electronic controls with a communicating port for utility company demand response programs have a 0.94 efficiency rating while the HNT models are standard models with a 0.92 efficiency rating. The PNL models are low boy models for installation in tight spaces and have side connections for the water.
This brand is made in the USA and can be purchased through home improvement stores such as The Home depot and Menards. The water heaters feature durable stainless steel tanks that are backed by a lifetime guarantee when they are registered and titanium low watt density elements for durability. The Suprema model features flexible capacity where the same tank can produce from 55 to 100 gallons of hot water based on the setting of the thermostats. They have a mixing valve that prevents scalding and allows the tank to store water at temperatures up to 170 degrees to provide the extended capacity. This can be the last hot water heater that you ever need as, if and when the hot water needs of the home change, the capacity of the unit can be changed to meet the new demand.
This brand is made in Mexico and can be purchased through their Amazon store. The Tronic 5000T models are available in 30, 40, or 50 gallon sizes and in medium, tall, or lowboy styles. The water heaters feature basic glass lined steel tank construction but they have dual magnesium anodes for corrosion control as well as incoloy elements. They have factory installed heat traps to minimize standby heat losses through the water lines. They are backed by a decent warranty and they are reasonably priced.
This brand is made in the USA but the units are only sold through dealers for professional installation and the warranty is not as good as some of the other brands. The water heaters have glass lined tanks for corrosion resistance and they have built-in microban antimicrobial protection. The water heaters have factory installed heat traps to minimize the heat loss through the water pipes when hot water is not being used. They have durable copper elements and the RE models are available in four sizes from 30 to 55 gallons as well as in low boy models for installation in tight spaces.
These water heaters are made by Oso Hotwater AS and they are sold throughout Canada and the western part of the USA through a very limited dealer network. The units have durable stainless steel tanks as well as a built-in mixing valve and the ability to store water at up to 170 degrees. They are available in 52, 80, 86, and 112 gallon sizes and the Saga S models have a single heating element while the Saga SX models have two elements for a faster recovery rate. The guarantee on these water heaters is not as good as other brands.
This brand is from GE Appliances which is a part of Haier Company and the units can be purchased through their website or Amazon store. The water heaters have glass lined tanks for corrosion resistance and durable stainless steel heating elements. The Smart models feature built-in Wi-Fi for control through a smartphone app and electronic controls with a digital display. They have normal and vacation modes for energy savings and are backed by a pretty good guarantee.
These water heaters are made and sold in Canada through a dealer network but their guarantee is not as good as some of the other brands. The Standard models bring the cold water in the top while the Cascade and Super Cascade units bring it in the bottom for less mixing and more usable hot water. They use basic glass-lined tank technology and magnesium anodes for corrosion protection as well as durable low watt density elements. They have factory installed heat traps to minimize heat losses through the water pipes when hot water is not being used. The Standard and Cascade models have a plastic drain valve while the Super Cascade models have a more durable brass valve.
This brand is made in Canada and is owned by A O Smith. The water heaters are sold through hardware and home improvement stores throughout Canada but their guarantee is not very good when compared to other brands. The Standard models feature glass lined tanks to minimize corrosion and an insulated base to minimize heat loss through the floor. They have factory installed heat traps to minimize heat loss through the water pipes when hot water is not being used and they have a 0.92 efficiency rating. The Space Saver models are for installation in tight spaces with the water connections on the side of the tank.
This brand is from Heat Transfer Products which is a part of Ariston Thermo and the water heaters are sold through a limited dealer network. They feature durable stainless steel tanks that are backed by a lifetime guarantee when they are registered and titanium low watt density elements for durability. The Everlast models are basic water heaters while the Everlast Elevate model features flexible capacity where the same tank can produce from 55 to 100 gallons of hot water based on the setting of the thermostats. They have a mixing valve that prevents scalding and allows the tank to store water at temperatures up to 170 degrees to provide the extended capacity. This can be the last hot water heater that you ever need as, if and when the hot water needs of the home change, the capacity of the unit can be changed to meet the new demand. The Elevate Demand Response model features electronic controls with a communicating port for utility company demand response programs. The unit features an i-memory self learning algorithm which learns the usage patterns of hot water in the home and adjusts the water heater settings to meet demand while saving energy.
These units are made by GSW which is owned by AO Smith and the units are sold through a limited dealer network in Canada. The ProLine models feature glass lined tanks to minimize corrosion and an insulated base to minimize heat loss through the floor. They have factory installed heat traps to minimize heat loss through the water pipes when hot water is not being used and they have a 0.92 efficiency rating. The Space Saver models are for installation in tight spaces with the water connections on the side of the tank. The ProLine Master Connected models feature electronic controls with a communicating port for utility company demand response programs.
This brand is made in the USA and is sold through a very limited dealer network. The Energy-Saver models are basic water heaters with glass lined tanks and zinc anodes for corrosion resistance. They are available in 30, 40, 50, & 55 gallon sizes and have factory installed heat traps to minimize heat loss through the water pipes when hot water is not being used. The guarantee on the units is not very good when compared to other brands.
This brand is made in Norway and is sold throughout Europe and Canada through a limited dealer network but their warranty is not very good when compared to other brands that are available. The Saga models feature durable titanium alloy stainless steel construction which resists corrosion and they offer optional smart control where the water heater operates during times when the electric rates are lowest. The Standard models are available in either 52 or 80 gallon capacities while the Xpress models are available in 40, 53, or 80 gallon sizes. The Express models heat the water up to three times faster by alternating using the upper and lower elements.
This brand is a part of AO Smith and is available at hardware stores. The Smart models have built-in Wi-Fi so they can be controlled through a smartphone app and electronic thermostats for precise temperature control. They feature durable stainless steel heating elements and have self-cleaning features to minimize sediment build-up. They have automatic leak detection with an automatic water shutoff to prevent water damage to the home in case of tank failure and they are backed by a good warranty.
This brand is a part of the Paloma Group and the units are sold through their dealer network. The Performance Series offers basic water heaters while the Performance Plus models have a port for demand response programs from utility companies. The Performance Platinum Gladiator model has built-in Wi-fi as well as leak detection with a water shutoff valve to protect the home. They can be controlled with voice commands from Alexa or Google but their guarantee is not very good when compared to other brands.
This brand is built by Rheem Manufacturing which is a part of the Paloma Group and the water heaters are sold through home improvement stores such as The Home depot and Menards but the guarantee on the tanks is not as good as some of the other brands. The Essential Series offers basic water heaters as well as models with a port for demand response programs from utility companies. The Encore Series model has built-in Wi-Fi as well as leak detection with a water shutoff valve to protect the home. They can be controlled with voice commands from Alexa or Google and they feature durable stainless steel heating elements.
This brand is made by Rheem Manufacturing which is a part of the Paloma Group and the units are sold through their dealer network. The Professional Achiever Series offers basic water heaters as well as models with a port for demand response programs from utility companies but their guarantee is not very good when compared to other brands. The Professional Ultra models have built-in Wi-fi as well as leak detection with a water shutoff valve to protect the home and they are backed by a very good guarantee. They can be controlled with voice commands from Alexa or Google.
This brand is made in the USA and is a part of AO Smith. The water heaters are sold through their plumber/dealer network but they only have an average guarantee. The ProLine models are basic water heaters with glass lined tanks and a 0.93 efficiency while the ProLine Grid Capable models have electronic controls with standard and vacation modes. They have a port for demand response programs from utility companies and use a durable stainless steel bottom element but only a standard element of the top.
This brand is made in the USA by American Water Heater which is owned by AO Smith. The brand offers basic water heaters for the DIY market and they can be purchased through Walmart but their guarantee is not very good when compared to other brands. The units use basic glass lined tank technology but include factory installed heat traps to minimize heat loss through the water pipes when hot water is not being used.
This brand is made in the USA and is a part of Nudyne. The Featherweight water heaters use a plastic tank and so they do not need a sacrificial anode rod. They are available in 30, 45, or 55 gallon sizes but their guarantee is not as good as other brands and they are only sold through a limited dealer network. The Grid-Enabled model has an electronic thermostat and a connection port for demand response programs from utility companies. They use durable low watt density elements and have a 80 to 119 gallon capacity.
| Select Heater | ||
|---|---|---|
| Brand | N/A | N/A |
| Model | N/A | N/A |
| Self Cleaning | N/A | N/A |
| Wi-Fi Enabled | N/A | N/A |
| Efficiency Factor | N/A | N/A |
| Leak Detection | N/A | N/A |
| Electronic Thermostat | N/A | N/A |
| Dealer Required | N/A | N/A |
| Parts Warranty | N/A | N/A |
| Tank Warranty | N/A | N/A |
| Price | N/A | N/A |