A. O. SMITH FMDV-40 2**
0.59 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade G: where this UEF sits among the 288 models in its class, lowest (G) to highest (A). A position, not an official label. How the grade is set
A gas tank, medium draw pattern (a typical three- or four-person household, about 55 gallons on a busy morning).
Checking this model's energy figure? This A. O. SMITH FMDV-40 2** uses 188 therms of natural gas a year at the medium draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. That is 3 therms above the class median of 185 therms, and it ranks 186th lowest of 288 gas tank models.
Energy use per year
188 therms a year
Computed by this site from the registry's UEF and the federal test's daily hot-water draw for this draw pattern. What it costs depends on the natural gas rate where you live.
That is above the median of 185 therms for the 288 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 186 of 288, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (188 therms). Dashed line: the class median.
Min 148 therms Median 185 therms Max 194 therms
What it costs to run where you live
What the registry files
- UEF (Uniform Energy Factor) how much hot water you get for each unit of energy the heater uses
- 0.59 DOE CCD · 2026-09-19 Compared only with other models registered as a gas tank at the medium draw pattern.
- Draw Pattern the standard daily usage profile DOE tests the unit against
- Medium DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- First Hour Rating how many gallons of hot water the unit can deliver in one hour, starting from a full tank
- 57 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
- 38 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
$1,351–$2,012 installed
Not a quote — a modeled range of what installers have charged for this class of unit; your price will vary with labor rates, access, and local code requirements.
Escalation indexes: equipment (BLS PPI) latest available: August 2026; labor (BLS ECI) latest available: April 2026 to June 2026.
NLR REMDB (BLS PPI/ECI escalated) · 2026-04-01Safety record
No CPSC recall names this model.
Checked against the CPSC recall database. CPSC does not publish a model-level match for this product category, so this list is curated by hand from the manufacturer's recall filings.
CPSC · 2026-09-24What these figures mean
How this compares
The closest models in the same class — same fuel, type and draw pattern.
Keep going
How every figure on this page is calculated
-
Find what replaces your water heater
Enter the model number off your old unit and see what is on file today, with the yearly cost difference.
-
Find a water heater that fits
Three questions — fuel, hot water need, install space — narrow every model on file to the ones that fit.
-
What a water heater costs to run
Prices a unit's efficiency against your own utility's filed tariff for your ZIP code.
-
Is a 40-gallon water heater enough?
Answered from what models in this size actually file.
-
Water heaters
Every model on file with the Department of Energy, by heater type.
-
All gas tank water heaters
Gas-fired storage tanks, every size and draw pattern on file.
-
Every A. O. SMITH model on file
What this brand files, by heater type.
UEF 0.59 · Grade G Price it on your ZIP
The annual figure is computed by this site, not by the registry. It applies the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, of 0.59 to the DOE test's daily hot-water draw. The draw belongs to the medium draw pattern, so the figure applies only to that pattern. The result is 188 therms of natural gas a year, from DOE CCD data retrieved 2026-09-19. Its energy use is 3 therms above the class median of 185 therms, which is the 186th lowest of 288 models. The method is set out in how the annual cost is calculated.
The rated volume is 38 gallons. The first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, is 57 gallons. Both values are registered for this model, A. O. SMITH FMDV-40 2**. The 188 therms figure fits a household whose daily hot-water use matches the medium draw pattern. It does not fit a household with heavier or lighter use, because the figure is tied to that pattern. This page has no energy figure for other draw patterns, so that value is not available. To compare by fuel, space and size, use the water heater selector.
The running cost is not stated in the text. It depends on the state average residential gas price, which differs between readers. To check it, multiply 188 therms by that price. The same price applied to the 3 therms above the class median gives the yearly cost of that gap. The cost calculator on your own ZIP does this for you. The modeled installed-cost range is shown in its own block with its source and date. It is a modeled range, not a quote. For a same-class replacement by model number, see find a same-class replacement.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19