A. O. SMITH GCG-50 4**
0.62 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade G: 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).
For a larger household, or one where showers and laundry overlap, the A. O. SMITH GCG-50 4** gas tank uses 273 therms of natural gas a year at the high draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. That is 13 therms above the 260 therms class median.
Energy use per year
273 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 260 therms for the 414 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 367 of 414, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (273 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
- 0.62 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
- 81 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
- 48 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
$1,674–$2,831 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 0.62 · Grade G Price it on your ZIP
The 273 therms figure is computed by this site, not published by the registry. It combines the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, of 0.62 with the DOE test's daily hot-water draw for the high draw pattern. The source is DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. The figure holds only at that draw. A household that uses more or less hot water will use more or less gas, and this page does not estimate those cases. The method behind the annual figure is documented separately.
The class for comparison is the 414 models registered as a gas tank at the high draw pattern. Their median is 260 therms, so this model sits 13 therms above it. Its rank is 367th lowest energy use of 414, which places it in the highest quarter of its class for energy use. Its first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, is 81 gallons, with a rated volume of 48 gallons. The data does not say whether that capacity covers a particular household. Readers who want lower gas use at this draw pattern can compare other units with the water heater selector by fuel, space and size.
The running cost is not stated here, because it depends on your state's average residential gas price. Multiply the 273 therms by your own rate per therm, or enter your ZIP in the cost calculator to have it computed. The installed price range on this page is a modeled installed-cost range with its own source and date. It is not a quote. If you are checking this unit against a replacement, find a same-class replacement by model number using GCG-50 4**.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19