VAUGHN THERMAL ME-40
0.92 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19Grade G: where this UEF sits among the 163 models in its class, lowest (G) to highest (A). A position, not an official label. How the grade is set
An electric tank, low draw pattern (a one- or two-person household).
If you are checking this unit against a second source: the VAUGHN THERMAL ME-40, an electric tank, uses 2,439 kWh of electricity a year at the low draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against, for a one- or two-person household. That equals its class median of 2,439 kWh, a difference of 0 kWh.
Energy use per year
2,439 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 equal to the median of 2,439 kWh for the 163 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 19 of 163, lowest energy first.
Solid line: this model (2,439 kWh). Dashed line: the class median.
Min 724 kWh Median 2,439 kWh Max 2,550 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
- 0.92 DOE CCD · 2026-09-19 Compared only with other models registered as an electric tank at the low draw pattern.
- Draw Pattern the standard daily usage profile DOE tests the unit against
- Low 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
- 46 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
- 37 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
$1,605–$1,828 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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Is a 40-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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All electric resistance tank water heaters
Electric tanks that file a UEF below 2.0 — heated by elements, not a heat pump.
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Every VAUGHN THERMAL model on file
What this brand files, by heater type.
UEF 0.92 · Grade G Price it on your ZIP
The figure of 2,439 kWh is computed by this site, not published by the registry. It comes from the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, which is 0.92 for this model, and from the DOE test's daily hot-water draw for the low draw pattern. The registry record was retrieved from DOE CCD on 2026-09-19. The figure counts electricity only and holds only at that test draw. A household that uses more or less hot water than the test assumes will use a different amount, and this page has no value for those cases.
Against the 163 models registered as an electric tank at the low draw pattern, this model sits at the class median of 2,439 kWh, a difference of 0 kWh. The data list it as 19th lowest energy use of 163. They do not show how models with the same figure are ordered. The first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, is 46 gallons, and the rated volume is 37 gallons. Those values fit the one- or two-person household the low draw pattern describes. They do not describe a larger household, and no annual figure for a higher draw pattern is given here. To compare other fuels or sizes, use the water heater selector, or find a same-class replacement by model number.
The running cost is not stated in the text because it depends on your own utility electricity tariff. The page multiplies 2,439 kWh by the rate for your ZIP, and the cost calculator does that step. The result applies only at the low draw pattern and only at the 0.92 UEF listed for the ME-40. If your actual hot-water use differs from the federal test, your bill will differ as well. The methodology page explains how the annual cost is calculated. The modeled installed-cost range appears in its own block with its source and date, and it is not repeated here.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19