A. O. SMITH PESX-50 1**
0.92 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade G: where this UEF sits among the 426 models in its class, lowest (G) to highest (A). A position, not an official label. How the grade is set
An electric tank, medium draw pattern (a typical three- or four-person household, about 55 gallons on a busy morning).
Checking the A. O. SMITH PESX-50 1**? At the medium draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against, this electric tank uses 3,531 kWh a year. That equals its class median of 3,531 kWh, a difference of 0 kWh, and ranks it 213th lowest in energy use of 426 models.
Energy use per year
3,531 kWh 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 electricity rate where you live.
That is equal to the median of 3,531 kWh for the 426 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 213 of 426, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (3,531 kWh). Dashed line: the class median.
Min 773 kWh Median 3,531 kWh Max 3,569 kWh
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
- 0.92 DOE CCD · 2026-09-19 Compared only with other models registered as an electric 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
- 70 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
- 46 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
$1,736–$2,053 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
-
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.
-
Find a water heater that fits
Three questions — fuel, hot water need, install space — narrow every model on file to the ones that fit.
-
What a water heater costs to run
Prices a unit's efficiency against your own utility's filed tariff for your ZIP code.
-
Is a 50-gallon water heater enough?
Answered from what models in this size actually file.
-
Water heaters
Every model on file with the Department of Energy, by heater type.
-
All electric resistance tank water heaters
Electric tanks that file a UEF below 2.0 — heated by elements, not a heat pump.
-
Every A. O. SMITH model on file
What this brand files, by heater type.
UEF 0.92 · Grade G Price it on your ZIP
This site computed the 3,531 kWh figure; the registry does not list it. The figure combines the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, with the DOE test's daily hot-water draw. For this model the registry lists a UEF of 0.92. The medium pattern represents a typical household's use, including a busy morning. The figure applies only at that test draw. A home that uses more or less hot water will use a different amount of energy, and this page does not have that amount. The underlying data comes from the DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. For the steps, see how this site calculates annual energy and cost.
The registry lists a first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, of 70 gallons. The rated volume is 46 gallons. A household that needs no more than 70 gallons of hot water in its busiest hour stays within the conditions behind the 3,531 kWh figure. A household that needs more in its busiest hour falls outside those conditions. This page gives no energy figure for that case. A home that needs a different fuel, or has less space for a tank, is also outside this comparison. The water heater selector by fuel, space and size narrows the choice on those points.
This model uses 3,531 kWh a year, 0 kWh away from the class median of 3,531 kWh. So on the same electricity rate, its running cost at the test draw equals that of a median model in its class. This page does not state the amount, because it depends on your own utility's electricity tariff, which this page does not have. The running cost calculator for your ZIP applies your rate to the 3,531 kWh figure. The installed price range has its own block on this page and is a modeled range, not a quote. The 213th place among 426 models ranks energy use at the medium draw pattern only. To check other models in that class, find a same-class replacement by model number.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19