VAUGHN THERMAL ME30
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 verifying the VAUGHN THERMAL ME30, it uses 2,439 kWh of electricity a year. That figure applies at the low draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. It is 0 kWh from the class median of 2,439 kWh, and it ranks 19th lowest in energy use of 163 electric tank models.
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
- 42 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
- Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
- 29 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
What it costs to install
$1,490–$1,627 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 30-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
This site calculated the 2,439 kWh figure; the registry does not publish it. The calculation combines the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, of 0.92 with the DOE test's daily hot-water draw for the low draw pattern. The inputs come from the DOE CCD, retrieved 2026-09-19. The figure holds only at that test draw. A household that draws more or less hot water will use a different amount. The unit's first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, is 42 gallons, from a rated volume of 29 gallons. The annual figure uses neither of those two values; it rests on UEF and the test draw alone. The steps are set out in how the annual cost is calculated.
This unit is compared with the 163 models registered as an electric tank at the low draw pattern. Its 2,439 kWh is equal to the class median of 2,439 kWh, a difference of 0 kWh. It ranks 19th lowest energy use of 163, which places it in the lowest quarter of its class for energy use. The low draw pattern corresponds to a one- or two-person household, so the comparison applies at that usage level. A plumber or seller confirming a listing can quote the rank and the median together, with the draw pattern attached. The class comparison covers only the low draw pattern. For a home that needs more hot water than that pattern assumes, the rank does not apply. The selector by fuel, space and size filters by those needs instead.
This text gives no running cost, because the cost depends on your own utility's electricity tariff. The 2,439 kWh figure is the input, and the rate comes from your utility. The cost calculator on your own ZIP applies your local tariff to that figure at the low draw pattern. The installed-price block on this page shows a modeled installed-cost range with its own source and date; it is not a quote. If you are checking a like-for-like swap, you can find a same-class replacement by model number. Some data is not available here: standby loss, warranty terms and any field measurement of this unit. The page shows only registry values and this site's calculation from data retrieved 2026-09-19.
DOE CCD · 2026-09-19