DoesTheMath

LOCHINVAR GCBL-40 4**

0.57 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
G

Grade G: 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).

If you are checking the LOCHINVAR GCBL-40 4**, a gas tank water heater, it uses 194 therms of natural gas a year. That figure applies at the medium draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. It is 9 therms above the 185 therms median of the 288 gas tank models registered at that draw pattern.


Energy use per year

194 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 185 therms for the 288 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 278 of 288, lowest energy first.

This model: 194 therms

Solid line: this model (194 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
0.57 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
68 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

Not published: Installed cost range

This model's UEF lies outside the range NLR REMDB's cost model was fitted on, and the range is not stretched past it.

The annual energy figure on this page does not depend on this range and is unaffected.


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 registry does not publish the 194 therms figure. This site calculates it from the model's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used. For the GCBL-40 4**, that UEF is 0.57. The calculation applies it to the DOE test's daily hot-water draw for the medium draw pattern. The registry data comes from DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. Among the 288 gas tank models at this draw pattern, the GCBL-40 4** ranks 278th from lowest energy use. A home that uses more or less hot water than the test assumes will burn a different amount of gas. This page does not know that amount and does not adjust for it. Each step of the calculation is set out in how the annual energy and cost figures are calculated.

The GCBL-40 4** has a rated volume of 38 gallons. Its first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, is 68 gallons. DOE tests it at the medium draw pattern. The registry describes that pattern as a typical household on a busy morning. The energy figure on this page is measured against that pattern only. It gives no figure for a home with a larger or smaller morning peak. A plumber or seller checking a quote can compare the model number, the draw pattern and the 68-gallon first hour rating with the registry entry. To look up other gas tank models at the same draw pattern, use the same-class replacement finder by model number.

A reader looking for lower gas use in this class should note the 278th of 288 ranking described above: most models in the class use less gas at the test's draw. This page does not give the running cost for the 194 therms a year in its text. That cost depends on your state's average residential gas price, so the page calculates it from your ZIP. You can run the numbers on your own rate with the water heater running cost calculator for your ZIP. This page does not publish an installed price range for the GCBL-40 4**. Its ratings fall outside the range the cost database's model was fitted on, and the page does not extend that range beyond its fitted data.

DOE CCD · 2026-09-19

How this compares

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


Keep going

UEF 0.57 · Grade G Price it on your ZIP