A. O. SMITH UPVA-18K 1**
0.94 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade F: where this UEF sits among the 271 models in its class, lowest (G) to highest (A). A position, not an official label. How the grade is set
An electric tankless unit, very small draw pattern (small units - a single bathroom, or a point-of-use heater under a sink).
Checking the yearly energy of A. O. SMITH UPVA-18K 1**? At the very small draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against, it uses 628 kWh of electricity a year. That is 13 kWh above the class median of 615 kWh among 271 electric tankless models.
Energy use per year
628 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 615 kWh for the 271 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 188 of 271, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (628 kWh). Dashed line: the class median.
Min 562 kWh Median 615 kWh Max 649 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 tankless unit at the very small draw pattern.
- Draw Pattern the standard daily usage profile DOE tests the unit against
- Very small DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- Maximum Gallons Per Minute how many gallons a minute it can heat while running continuously
- 0.2 gal/min DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
$1,300–$1,790 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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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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How to size a tankless water heater by GPM
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 electric tankless water heaters
Electric instantaneous units, sized by flow rate rather than tank gallons.
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Every A. O. SMITH model on file
What this brand files, by heater type.
UEF 0.94 · Grade F Price it on your ZIP
The registry lists this model with a UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, of 0.94. The annual figure of 628 kWh is computed by this site, not by the registry. It comes from that UEF and the DOE test's daily hot-water draw for the very small draw pattern. It is electricity use only, and it applies only under that test condition. The class median under the same condition is 615 kWh, so this model sits 13 kWh above it. Ranked from lowest energy use, it is 188th of 271. The source of the energy figure is DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19.
The very small draw pattern covers small units: a single bathroom, or a point-of-use heater under a sink. This model's maximum flow rate in gallons per minute is 0.2, which is consistent with that kind of single-fixture use. The comparison suits a reader who is verifying a unit for such a load and wants a check at the same test condition. It does not suit a reader who needs a comparison at a larger draw pattern, because the 271 models in this class share only the very small pattern. Energy use for this model at other draw patterns is not available on this page. To look for a unit in the same class, use the same-class replacement finder by model number.
Running cost is not written here because it depends on your own utility electricity tariff. Multiply the 628 kWh figure, which holds for the very small draw pattern at the federal test's daily draw, by your rate per kilowatt-hour. The cost calculator on your own ZIP does this calculation, and how the annual cost is calculated describes the method. Use in your home may differ from the test draw, and this page cannot say by how much. The 13 kWh gap to the class median of 615 kWh becomes a cost difference only at your own rate. A modeled installed-cost range appears in its own block on the page with its source and date. It is not a quote.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19