Water Heater Installation in Salt Lake City, UT
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Eight cold months put a real load on your water heater
Salt Lake County homes need heat from October through May, eight months a year. On winter nights averaging 22°F, a tank sitting in an unheated garage or basement is working against that cold the whole time it is holding water hot.
A new tank has to meet a federal minimum efficiency, but the number is not the same for every unit. It is set by a formula tied to the tank's size and how a household draws hot water, so two tanks of the same type can face different minimums depending on their volume. Whoever installs yours needs to know which figure applies to the size you need.
- 22°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 7%
- of Utah households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A heat pump water heater would save about $320 a year to run in Utah compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Utah home, from EIA household energy data and Utah fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- The clearest sign is age. Once a tank water heater has been in service a long time, it has been through enough heating cycles that a leak becomes a matter of when, not if. Watch for water pooling at the base, rust at the fittings, or water that takes on a metallic smell or a rust tint. If it's making popping or rumbling sounds, sediment has built up on the bottom and the heater is working harder than it should to heat the same amount of water. A contractor can tell you whether a repair still makes sense or whether the tank has reached the point of replacing it.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on whether a tank heater is wrong for your house. A tankless unit heats water only when you're using it, so it doesn't hold a standing tank of hot water and won't run out partway through a long shower. It does need enough gas supply or electrical capacity to heat water at the rate your fixtures call for, which is a sizing question a contractor should walk through for your household. If your current tank is doing its job and isn't near the end of its life, there's no need to switch just to switch.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is that hot water is no longer stored, it's made on demand as it passes through the unit. That means no standby heat loss from a tank sitting full of hot water all day, but it also means the unit needs enough gas supply or electrical capacity to keep up with your fixtures. Venting is different too, since a tankless unit typically vents through a different setup than a tank does, so the installation isn't a straight swap in the same spot. A contractor will look at the gas line, venting path, and water lines before saying what the install actually involves in your home.