A. O. SMITH GCFL-50 1**
0.69 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade F: where this UEF sits among the 414 models in its class, lowest (G) to highest (A). A position, not an official label. How the grade is set
A gas tank, high draw pattern (a larger household, or one where showers and laundry overlap).
If you are checking the A. O. SMITH GCFL-50 1**, this gas tank water heater uses 245 therms of natural gas a year. That figure applies at the high draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. It sits 15 therms below the 260 therms median of the 414 gas tank models registered at that draw pattern.
Energy use per year
245 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 below the median of 260 therms for the 414 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 130 of 414, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (245 therms). Dashed line: the class median.
Min 188 therms Median 260 therms Max 277 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
- 0.69 DOE CCD · 2026-09-19 Compared only with other models registered as a gas tank at the high draw pattern.
- Draw Pattern the standard daily usage profile DOE tests the unit against
- High 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
- 78 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
- 49 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
$2,097–$3,919 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
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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.
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Find a water heater that fits
Three questions — fuel, hot water need, install space — narrow every model on file to the ones that fit.
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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 0.69 · Grade F Price it on your ZIP
The registry does not list the 245 therms figure. This site calculated it from two inputs. The first is the model's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used. For this model the UEF is 0.69. The second is the daily hot-water draw that the DOE test sets for the high draw pattern. Both inputs come from the DOE Compliance Certification Database, retrieved 2026-09-19. The figure therefore holds only at that test draw. A household drawing less hot water than the test assumes would use less gas than this figure, and one drawing more would use more. The registry does not record how any home actually uses water. A home's real annual use is therefore not available here. The steps are set out in how the annual cost is calculated.
The high draw pattern describes a larger household, or one where showers and laundry overlap. For that level of demand, this model lists a first hour rating of 78 gallons. The first hour rating is the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank. The model's rated volume is 49 gallons. It ranks 130th lowest in energy use among the 414 models in its class. That puts it in the second-lowest quarter of the class, not at the lowest end. The test does not cover a home with a lighter daily draw than the high pattern, and the registry gives no energy figure for that case. You can compare other fuels, sizes and spaces with the selector by fuel, space and size.
This text does not state the running cost. The cost depends on the average residential gas price in the reader's own state. The page applies that rate to the 245 therms figure for the high draw pattern. Use the cost calculator on your own ZIP to see the result. The same gas price applies to both this model and the class median. At that price, the 15 therms gap below the 260 therms median means a lower yearly fuel cost for this model than for a model at the median. This page shows an installed-cost range in a separate block. That range is modeled, has its own source and date, and is not a quote. To compare this model with others in its class, find a same-class replacement by model number.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19