RINNAI RETL12
0.99 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade C: 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).
If you are checking the RINNAI RETL12, an electric tankless unit, it uses 597 kWh of electricity a year. That figure applies to the very small draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. At that draw, it sits 18 kWh below the 615 kWh median of its 271-model class.
Energy use per year
597 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 below the median of 615 kWh for the 271 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 3 of 271, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (597 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
- 0.99 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
- 1.2 gal/min DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
$1,314–$1,910 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 what replaces your water heater
Enter the model number off your old unit and see what is on file today, with the yearly cost difference.
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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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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 RINNAI model on file
What this brand files, by heater type.
UEF 0.99 · Grade C Price it on your ZIP
This site calculated the 597 kWh figure. The registry does not list it. It combines the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, with the DOE test's daily hot-water draw for the very small draw pattern. The RETL12 has a listed UEF of 0.99. The annual figure applies only at the federal test's draw. It is not a meter reading from any home. Among the 271 models registered as electric tankless units at this draw pattern, it ranks 3rd lowest energy use of 271. That puts it in the lowest quarter of its class for energy use. The source is DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. The method behind the annual energy and cost figures is documented separately.
The very small draw pattern covers small units that serve a single bathroom, or a point-of-use heater under a sink. The 597 kWh figure describes that level of daily use and no other. The unit's maximum flow rate in gallons per minute is 1.2. If you need more hot water than this draw pattern assumes, this page cannot tell you how the RETL12 would perform. This data does not include a rating for a larger draw pattern. Its rank of 3rd of 271 also holds only within this class. To compare units by fuel, space and size, use the water heater selector by fuel, space and size. To match this model number within the same class, see same-class replacements by model number.
This text does not state the running cost. It depends on your own utility's electricity tariff, and this page has no such rate. The page applies your rate to the 597 kWh yearly figure. That cost assumes the very small draw pattern, the same as the energy figure. If your household draws more or less hot water than the DOE test, your actual cost will differ by an unknown amount. To see the figure for your ZIP, use the running cost calculator for your own ZIP. The installed price range appears in its own block, with its source and date. It is a modeled installed-cost range, not a quote from an installer.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19