DoesTheMath

EEMAX AM008277T vs RELIANCE WATER HEATERS UPVA-90E 1**: which uses less energy?

At the very small draw pattern the EEMAX AM008277T uses 615 kWh a year and the RELIANCE WATER HEATERS UPVA-90E 1** 635 — 20 kWh (3%) less, about 198 kWh over ten years. Both are filed as an electric tankless unit, so the comparison holds. Enter your ZIP below to price the difference.


Side by side

Compared within one class only: models filed as an electric tankless unit at the very small draw pattern.

Filed and computed figures
Figure EEMAX AM008277T RELIANCE WATER HEATERS UPVA-90E 1**
UEF (Uniform Energy Factor) 0.96 (better) 0.93
Energy use per year (kWh) 615 (better) 635
Max flow (GPM) 0.8 0.8
Installed cost range $1,306–$1,838 $1,297–$1,766
ENERGY STAR certified not matched not matched
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19

What it costs to run

EEMAX AM008277T: 615 kWh a year RELIANCE WATER HEATERS UPVA-90E 1**: 635 kWh a year

EEMAX AM008277T — 615 kWh a year RELIANCE WATER HEATERS UPVA-90E 1** — 635 kWh a year

EEMAX AM008277T is 20 kWh a year lower than RELIANCE WATER HEATERS UPVA-90E 1**.

DOE CCD · 2026-09-19

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Reliability

Not published: Reliability, failure rates and each model’s actual warranty term.

The registries these figures come from certify energy performance under a federal test; none of them records how long a unit lasts or how often it fails, so this page does not rank the two on reliability.

What is here instead:

  • The filed efficiency, capacity and tank size of both models, side by side below.
  • The actual warranty term is printed in each model’s documentation, not in any registry.

Which should you pick?

  • Pick the EEMAX AM008277T if running cost matters most: it uses 20 kWh less a year on the same test.
  • Pick the RELIANCE WATER HEATERS UPVA-90E 1** if it is the one you can get installed sooner or for less — on the filed figures it has no advantage over the EEMAX AM008277T.
  • Neither if you need more than 0.8 GPM at the same time — neither unit lists more. Check how to size a tankless unit by GPM.

Each model on its own