A. O. SMITH GPVL-50 2**
0.72 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade E: 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 GPVL-50 2** against a spec sheet, here is the figure. At the high draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against, it uses 235 therms of natural gas a year. That is 25 therms below the class median of 260 therms among 414 gas tank models.
Energy use per year
235 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 50 of 414, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (235 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
- 0.72 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
- 79 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
$2,272–$4,370 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 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 0.72 · Grade E Price it on your ZIP
The figure of 235 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 0.72 for this model. That value is applied to the DOE test's daily hot-water draw for the high draw pattern. The source is the DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. The result applies only to natural gas and only to that test draw, so a household that uses more or less hot water than the test will use more or less gas. The class median is 260 therms, which puts this model 25 therms lower. Its rank is 50th lowest energy use of 414, in the lowest quarter of its class. The calculation steps are described in how the annual cost is calculated.
The high draw pattern describes a larger household, or one where showers and laundry overlap. For that use, the first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, is 79 for this model, with a rated volume of 49 gallons. Compare those two values with your own busiest hour of hot-water use. A household size for this model is not available in the registry data, so this page does not state one. The energy figure is useful for comparing gas tank models tested at the same draw pattern. It does not compare a gas tank with an electric or heat pump unit, because this page reports therms of natural gas only. To narrow options by fuel, space and size, use the water heater selector.
The running cost is not written in the text because it depends on your state's average residential gas price. The cost calculator on your own ZIP applies that price to the 235 therms shown here. The same applies to the 25 therms gap from the class median of 260 therms: it turns into a cost difference only at your own rate. If your hot-water use differs from the test draw, the real gas use will differ from 235 therms, and this page does not estimate by how much. The modeled installed-cost range is shown in its own block with its source and date, and it is not a quote. To look for a same-class unit, you can find a replacement by model number starting from GPVL-50 2**.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19