A. O. SMITH PETX-55 1**
0.94 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade G: where this UEF sits among the 194 models in its class, lowest (G) to highest (A). A position, not an official label. How the grade is set
An electric tank, high draw pattern (a larger household, or one where showers and laundry overlap).
If you are checking the A. O. SMITH PETX-55 1**, it uses 5,278 kWh of electricity a year under the high draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. That figure is 3,972 kWh above the 1,306 kWh median for the 194 electric tank models registered at that draw pattern.
Energy use per year
5,278 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 above the median of 1,306 kWh for the 194 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 172 of 194, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (5,278 kWh). Dashed line: the class median.
Min 1,002 kWh Median 1,306 kWh Max 5,334 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
- 0.94 DOE CCD · 2026-09-19 Compared only with other models registered as an electric 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
- 76 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
- 55 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
$1,879–$2,711 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 0.94 · Grade G Price it on your ZIP
This site computed the 5,278 kWh figure; the registry does not publish it. The calculation combines the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, with the DOE test's daily hot-water draw for the high pattern. This model's UEF is 0.94. The source is the DOE Compliance Certification Database, retrieved 2026-09-19. The figure holds only at the federal test's draw, so a home using a different amount of hot water will use a different amount of electricity. Among the 194 models in its class, it ranks 172nd for lowest energy use. That puts it in the highest quarter of the class for energy use. The registry data does not explain why the gap to the median is this large. The method behind the annual energy and cost figures sets out each input.
In plain terms, the high draw pattern means a larger household, or one where showers and laundry overlap. This model's first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, is 76 gallons, with a rated volume of 55 gallons. A plumber or seller checking a quote can compare these two values with the unit's label. The 5,278 kWh figure applies to homes whose hot-water use resembles that test pattern. Its rank of 172nd of 194 means most models in the same class register lower annual energy use at the same draw. If you need a unit in the same class, you can look up a same-class replacement by model number and compare its figures.
This text does not state a running cost, because the cost depends on your own utility's electricity tariff. The page calculates that cost from your ZIP by applying your rate to the 5,278 kWh figure. The running-cost calculator for your own ZIP shows the result for this model. Applying the same rate to the 1,306 kWh class median shows the 3,972 kWh energy gap as a cost. The installed price range on this page appears in its own block, with its source and date. It is a modeled installed-cost range, not a quote. Neither the rate nor the installed price changes the 3,972 kWh gap, which measures energy, not cost. Your actual use below or above the test draw is not available in the registry.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19