DoesTheMath

GSW WATER HEATERS GPDL-40 3**

0.68 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
C

Grade C: where this UEF sits among the 288 models in its class, lowest (G) to highest (A). A position, not an official label. How the grade is set

A gas tank, medium draw pattern (a typical three- or four-person household, about 55 gallons on a busy morning).

You are checking the energy use of the GSW WATER HEATERS GPDL-40 3**, a gas tank. It uses 163 therms of natural gas a year at the medium draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. That is 22 therms below the class median of 185 therms for 288 gas tanks.


Energy use per year

163 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 185 therms for the 288 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 5 of 288, lowest energy first.

This model: 163 therms

Solid line: this model (163 therms). Dashed line: the class median.

Min 148 therms Median 185 therms Max 194 therms

DOE CCD · 2026-09-19

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What it costs to run where you live

Enter your ZIP to see what this unit costs to run a year at your state’s average natural gas price.


What the registry files

UEF (Uniform Energy Factor) how much hot water you get for each unit of energy the heater uses
0.68 DOE CCD · 2026-09-19 Compared only with other models registered as a gas 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
74 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
38 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19

What it costs to install

$1,877–$3,364 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) · 2026-04-01

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Safety 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 · 2026-09-24

What these figures mean

The figure of 163 therms is computed by this site, not by the registry. It uses the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, which is 0.68 for this model. The site applies it to the federal test's daily hot-water draw for the medium draw pattern, a typical three- or four-person household. The source is DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. Ranked by energy use, the model is 5th lowest of 288 gas tanks at the medium draw pattern. That lowest-quarter position holds only for this pattern; other patterns are not covered here.

The first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, is 74 gallons. The rated volume is 38 gallons. Neither enters the 163 therms calculation, which uses only UEF and the daily draw. The figure suits a reader whose household resembles the medium draw pattern and who heats water with natural gas. It does not describe an electric unit, or a household with much heavier or lighter use. Such readers can compare options with the water heater selector, which filters by fuel, space and size. For a same-class swap, find a replacement by model number.

Running cost is not stated in this text. It depends on the state average residential gas price, so the page computes it from your ZIP. Multiplying 163 therms by that price gives the yearly gas cost at the medium draw pattern. The cost calculator applies your own ZIP to this model. The method for the annual cost is published separately. The 22 therms gap to the class median of 185 therms converts to cost the same way. The installed-cost range sits in its own block as a modeled range, not a quote.

DOE CCD · 2026-09-19

How this compares

The closest models in the same class — same fuel, type and draw pattern.


Keep going

UEF 0.68 · Grade C Price it on your ZIP