A. O. SMITH GDV-40 3**
0.6 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade F: 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).
You are checking one gas tank model against its registry entry. The A. O. SMITH GDV-40 3** uses 185 therms of natural gas a year. That is at the medium draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. It equals the class median of 185 therms for 288 models, a difference of 0 therms.
Energy use per year
185 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 equal to the median of 185 therms for the 288 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 89 of 288, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (185 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
- 0.6 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
- 64 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
- 39 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
$1,424–$2,199 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 40-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 0.6 · Grade F Price it on your ZIP
The figure of 185 therms was computed by this site, not by the registry. It uses the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, which is 0.6 for this model. The daily hot-water draw comes from the DOE test for the medium draw pattern, and the data source is DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. The fuel is natural gas, so the figure is in therms of gas. A household with a different daily draw will use a different amount of gas, and this page does not estimate that amount. The method is set out on the methodology page.
In its class, the model has the 89th lowest energy use of 288, which puts it in the second-lowest quarter of the class. Its energy use equals the class median, a difference of 0 therms. The rated volume is 39 gallons for this model. The first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, is 64 gallons. These figures help confirm a listing against the registry, but they do not show whether the tank meets a particular home's peak demand. The energy figure does not apply to a household with much heavier use than the medium draw pattern. The water heater selector filters by fuel, space and size.
The running cost is not stated in this text because it depends on the state average residential gas price. The cost calculator applies your ZIP to the 185 therms a year at the medium draw pattern. The installed price range appears in its own block with its source and date, as a modeled installed-cost range, not a quote. To find a same-class replacement, search by model number on the replacement page. The registry lists 288 models in this class, and the GDV-40 3** is one of them. Any comparison should use the same medium draw pattern and the same fuel.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19