A. O. SMITH GCR-50 2**
0.64 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).
The A. O. SMITH GCR-50 2** uses 264 therms of natural gas a year at the high draw pattern. The draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against, is high for a larger household, or one where showers and laundry overlap. That figure is 4 therms above the class median of 260 therms.
Energy use per year
264 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 236 of 414, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (264 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
- 0.64 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
$1,790–$3,131 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 0.64 · Grade G Price it on your ZIP
The figure of 264 therms is computed by this site, not by the registry. It starts from the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, which is 0.64 for this model. It then applies the DOE test's daily hot-water draw for the high draw pattern. The source is DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. The methodology page explains how the annual cost is calculated. Its rank is 236th lowest energy use of 414 models registered as a gas tank at the high draw pattern. That is 4 therms a year above the class median of 260 therms, in the second-highest quarter of its class for energy use.
The registry lists a first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank. For this model it is 81 gallons, and the rated volume is 48 gallons. The energy figure suits a reader whose household matches the high draw pattern, meaning a larger household or overlapping showers and laundry. Anyone aiming for energy use at or below the class median of 260 therms will find this model 4 therms above it. The selector by fuel, space and size compares other options. Energy use at any other draw pattern is not available on this page.
Running cost is not stated in the text, because it depends on your state's average residential gas price. Multiply 264 therms by the price per therm to get the yearly figure at the federal test's draw. The cost calculator on your own ZIP does this for you. The result applies to the high draw pattern only. Your actual hot-water use may differ from the federal test's daily draw, and the effect on this model's 264 therms is not known. The modeled installed-cost range is shown in its own block with its source and date, and it is not a quote. To compare a same-class unit, find a replacement by model number using GCR-50 2**.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19