AMERICAN GDV-50 3**
0.66 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade F: 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 verifying this model's energy figure: AMERICAN GDV-50 3** uses 256 therms of natural gas a year at the high draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. That is 4 therms below the 260 therms class median, among 414 gas tank models.
Energy use per year
256 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 192 of 414, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (256 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
- 0.66 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
- 77 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
- 48 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
$1,907–$3,432 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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Answered from what models in this size actually file.
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Every model on file with the Department of Energy, by heater type.
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Gas-fired storage tanks, every size and draw pattern on file.
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Every AMERICAN model on file
What this brand files, by heater type.
UEF 0.66 · Grade F Price it on your ZIP
The figure of 256 therms is calculated by this site, not published by the registry. It uses the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, which is 0.66 for this model, together with the daily hot-water draw that the DOE test sets for the high draw pattern. The source is the DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. The class median for the 414 gas tank models registered at this pattern is 260 therms, so this model sits 4 therms below it. Its rank is 192nd lowest energy use of 414, which places it in the second-lowest quarter of the class. The figure describes the test's draw only; measured use in a specific home is not available in this data.
This figure applies to a household that matches the high draw pattern: a larger household, or one where showers and laundry overlap. For that use, the model lists a first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, of 77 gallons, with a rated volume of 48 gallons. Whether those gallons cover a particular home's peak demand is not shown by this data. A household with a different draw pattern should not read 256 therms as its own use, because the figure depends on the high pattern's daily draw, and the energy use at other patterns is not available on this page. The figure is stated for natural gas only. The selector by fuel, space and size covers other combinations.
The running cost is not stated in this text because it depends on the state average residential gas price, which differs by reader. To see it, use the cost calculator on your own ZIP, which applies your price to the 256 therms at the high draw pattern. The steps are described in how the annual cost is calculated. The gap of 4 therms between this model and the 260 therms class median is a difference in yearly gas use, so it changes cost only in proportion to your price per therm. To compare against another unit at the same draw pattern, find a same-class replacement by model number. The modeled installed-cost range, which is a range and not a quote, is shown in its own block on the page.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19