A. O. SMITH FMDV-50 2**
0.57 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).
If you are checking A. O. SMITH FMDV-50 2**, a gas tank water heater, the figure is 194 therms of natural gas a year. That is at the medium draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. It sits 9 therms above the class median of 185 therms among 288 registered models.
Energy use per year
194 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 278 of 288, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (194 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
- 0.57 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
- 67 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
- 47 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
Not published: Installed cost range
This model's UEF lies outside the range NLR REMDB's cost model was fitted on, and the range is not stretched past it.
The annual energy figure on this page does not depend on this range and is unaffected.
Safety 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
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What a water heater costs to run
Prices a unit's efficiency against your own utility's filed tariff for your ZIP code.
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Is a 50-gallon water heater enough?
Answered from what models in this size actually file.
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Water heaters
Every model on file with the Department of Energy, by heater type.
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All gas tank water heaters
Gas-fired storage tanks, every size and draw pattern on file.
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Every A. O. SMITH model on file
What this brand files, by heater type.
UEF 0.57 · Grade G Price it on your ZIP
The figure of 194 therms was computed by this site, not published by the registry. It starts from the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, which is 0.57 for this model. The site combines that with the daily hot-water draw DOE assigns to the medium draw pattern. The fuel is natural gas, and the source is DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. The figure holds only at that test draw, so a household that uses more or less hot water will see a different total. Among the 288 models registered as a gas tank at this draw pattern, this model ranks 278th lowest for energy use, which places it in the highest quarter of its class. The gap to the class median of 185 therms is 9 therms.
This model lists a first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, of 67 gallons, with a rated volume of 47 gallons. These figures describe a household whose busiest hour needs less hot water than 67 gallons and whose use resembles the medium draw pattern. The data does not describe other patterns. The model does not suit a reader whose main aim is the lowest gas use, because 194 therms is 9 therms above the class median of 185 therms. To compare within the same class, use the same-class replacement finder by model number or the water heater selector by fuel, space and size. Neither changes the figures shown for this model.
Running cost is not stated here because it depends on your state's average residential gas price. You can multiply 194 therms by your own rate, or enter your ZIP in the cost calculator for your own ZIP, which applies the state average for you. The annual cost methodology explains the steps. The same rate applies to the 9 therms gap from the class median, so the yearly cost difference against a median model also depends on that rate. An installed price range is not published for this model. Its ratings lie outside the range the cost database's model was fitted on, and the range is not stretched past it. An installed price for this unit is not available on this page.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19