DoesTheMath

MARATHON MRG85245 vs Ruud MRG85238: which uses less energy?

At the high draw pattern the MARATHON MRG85245 and the Ruud MRG85238 use the same energy, 5,392 kWh a year each, on the same federal test. Both are filed as an electric tank your utility can shift to off-peak hours, so the comparison holds; what separates them is below. Enter your ZIP to price either one on your own rate.


Side by side

Compared within one class only: models filed as an electric tank your utility can shift to off-peak hours at the high draw pattern.

Filed and computed figures
Figure MARATHON MRG85245 Ruud MRG85238
UEF (Uniform Energy Factor) 0.92 0.92
Energy use per year (kWh) 5,392 5,392
First hour rating (gal) 77 76
Rated storage volume (gal) 84 84
Installed cost range not published not published
ENERGY STAR certified not matched not matched
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19

What it costs to run

Enter your ZIP to price both units on the same rate where you live.


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 MARATHON MRG85245 if its price or availability suits you — on energy the two are level.
  • Pick the Ruud MRG85238 if it is the one you can get installed sooner or for less — on the filed figures it has no advantage over the MARATHON MRG85245.
  • Neither if your household's busiest hour needs more than 77 gallons of hot water — neither lists more.

Each model on its own