AMERICAN GUC-50 4**
0.61 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade G: 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).
Checking the AMERICAN GUC-50 4**? At the high draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against, this site computes 277 therms of natural gas a year. That is 17 therms above the 260 therms class median, among the 414 models registered as a gas tank at this draw pattern.
Energy use per year
277 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 above the median of 260 therms for the 414 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 400 of 414, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (277 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
- 0.61 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
- 84 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
$1,615–$2,681 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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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 0.61 · Grade G Price it on your ZIP
The figure of 277 therms is not a registry value. The registry lists a UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, of 0.61. This site combined that UEF with the DOE test's daily hot-water draw for the high draw pattern. The fuel is natural gas, and the source is the DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. The figure holds only at that test draw, so actual use in a home will differ with the hot water drawn. The data does not record how many people use the hot water in a given home. The method for the annual cost is described on the methodology page.
Among the 414 models registered as a gas tank at the high draw pattern, this one has the 400th lowest energy use. That places it in the highest quarter of its class for energy use. Its 277 therms sits 17 therms above the class median of 260 therms. The high draw pattern describes a larger household, or one where showers and laundry overlap. Its first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, is 84 gallons. Its rated volume is 48 gallons. The data does not say whether those figures match the peak demand of a particular household.
Running cost depends on the state average residential gas price, which is not stated in this text. Multiplying 277 therms by the price per therm gives a yearly figure at the test draw. The cost calculator applies your own ZIP to that calculation. Because this model sits 17 therms above the class median of 260 therms, the same gas price gives it a higher yearly cost than the median model. A reader who puts low gas use first can try the water heater selector by fuel, space and size. A reader who needs a match can find a same-class replacement by model number. This page does not estimate a cost.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19