Just like HVAC systems, water heaters have standardized efficiency ratings. You’ll see a rating sticker on each water heater if you are shopping around. With a variety of different water heater types, these efficiency ratings help you make sense of which water heaters offer the best bang for your buck, whether they are gas or electric, big or small, tank or tankless.
When you need water heater service in O’Fallon, MO, you can give our team a call anytime. If it’s time for a new water heater, we can visit your home and talk to you about your upgrade options. In the meantime, you can keep reading for our guide on how to make sense of the energy efficiency ratings you find on water heaters.
Standardized Ratings
UEF is short for Uniform Efficiency Factor and it is the rating tool used for water heaters. Factors it takes into account include the amount of water used and the energy required to heat the water. You’ll find the efficiency rating for a water heater on an attached yellow tag. This helps you to compare similar types of water heaters to one another.
UEF ratings assign water heaters to one of four categories based on their usage. These usage categories are called bins. Keep in mind that for the most comparable results, you should compare ratings within the same bin category – very small, low, medium, or high. These rating stickers also help you understand how many gallons of water your water heater can provide per minute, among other factors.
Other Considerations
If you want a high-efficiency water heater, you can look for the ENERGY STAR logo on the yellow UEF label. When it comes to an efficient water heater, energy use is just part of the equation. When you look for the ENERGY STAR logo, you know that you’re getting a high-quality water heater with the following qualifications:
- Elevated energy efficiency
- High overall ability to deliver hot water
- Reasonable warranty
- Increased safety
Sizing a Water Heater
Of course, it doesn’t matter if you get the highest-rated water heater available if it’s the wrong size. You have to take into consideration how much water your family will use on a daily basis. Water heaters are sized according to expected average use.
Getting a large water heater if you have a small family may not make sense. Getting a small water heater for a large family can mean that your water heater is overworked and cannot keep up with demand. Don’t worry – you’re not expected to know what size water heater you need. Our team can talk to you about your options and help you choose the water heater that is right for your home and family.
Caring for Your Water Heater
Taking care of your water heater will go a long way to maintaining its energy efficiency. If you skip out on annual maintenance tasks, your water heater may lose some of its efficiency and cost more to operate as time goes on. Plus, you risk shortening your water heater’s lifespan by skipping out on regular tune-ups.
When you prioritize care for your water heater, it can last longer than what is considered an average lifespan. A gas water heater will last for 8-12 years on average while an electric water heater can last for 10-15 years. Plus, you can know year after year that your water heater is in the best possible shape without risks of breaking down in the near future.
Warm People, Cool Ideas, Quality Solutions. Give our team at Swiss Air Heating and Cooling a call today to schedule an appointment for water heater service.
