What Size Water Heater is Right for You?

When it’s time to replace your water heater, you want a water heater that’s the right size for your home. Here’s how to figure it out.

When choosing your water heater, first figure out your home’s first-hour rating (also known as an FHR). A home’s FHR indicates the amount of hot water a water heater will be able to provide during an hour of heavy usage. The FHR can be found on the heater’s yellow EnergyGuide label, or you can check it by using this formula with a four-bedroom house as an example:

Assign twelve gallons of hot water to each person in the household. And determine the home’s maximum capacity as the number of rooms plus one.

Assuming your home has three bedrooms, we add one to get four people as the maximum home occupancy. Multiply four people by twelve gallons of hot water per person, and you get an FHR of 48 gallons.

Next, you should investigate the EF – or energy factor – of water heaters. The higher the EF rating, the more efficient the unit. But instead of finding the most suitable unit possible, you want to find the most efficient unit within your home’s FHR. 

Assuming your home’s FHR is 48, then look for the water heater with the highest EF rating with an FHR of 48.

Using these tips, you will be able to find the most efficient water heater for your home that fits all of your needs.

Need a new water heater? Contact the plumbing experts at Agentis to learn more and ensure a professional installation of your new water heater.