DoesTheMath

VAUGHN THERMAL ME50HPT

3.46 UEF DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
B

Grade B: where this UEF sits among the 426 models in its class, lowest (G) to highest (A). A position, not an official label. How the grade is set

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

If you are checking the VAUGHN THERMAL ME50HPT, this electric tank uses 939 kWh of electricity a year at the medium draw pattern, the standard daily hot-water usage DOE tests against. That is 2,592 kWh below the class median of 3,531 kWh, and it ranks 90th lowest in energy use of 426 electric tank models.


Energy use per year

939 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 3,531 kWh for the 426 models registered in the same heater type and draw pattern; it ranks 90 of 426, lowest energy first.

This model: 939 kWh

Solid line: this model (939 kWh). Dashed line: the class median.

Min 773 kWh Median 3,531 kWh Max 3,569 kWh

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 on your own utility’s electricity rate.


What the registry files

UEF (Uniform Energy Factor) how much hot water you get for each unit of energy the heater uses
3.46 DOE CCD · 2026-09-19 Compared only with other models registered as an electric 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
58 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
Rated Storage Volume the tank size in gallons
47 gal DOE CCD · 2026-09-19
On the market since (ENERGY STAR) the date the manufacturer told ENERGY STAR the model went on sale
2023-09-01 ENERGY STAR · 2026-09-19
Connected / demand response (ENERGY STAR) whether the unit can take signals from your utility to shift when it heats, and by which standard (such as CTA-2045)
No ENERGY STAR · 2026-09-19
Refrigerant and GWP (ENERGY STAR) the refrigerant a heat pump unit uses and its global warming potential, a leak's climate effect relative to carbon dioxide (CO2 = 1)
R-134a, GWP 1430 ENERGY STAR · 2026-09-19
Sound level (ENERGY STAR) how loud the unit is while it runs, in decibels as filed
54 dB ENERGY STAR · 2026-09-19

What it costs to install

$3,056–$4,129 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

Does it fit your space?

Enter your own numbers below — this compares them to what ENERGY STAR publishes for this model, it does not tell you what to buy.

Compressor operating range (ENERGY STAR)
the air temperatures around the unit in which its heat pump runs; outside this range the heat pump stops
Dimensions (ENERGY STAR)
the unit's filed height, width, depth or tank diameter, in inches
Input voltage and maximum current (ENERGY STAR)
the circuit voltage the unit is certified on and the most current it draws
  • Ambient temperatureEnter your numbers35°F min
  • Physical footprintEnter your numbers28" ⌀
  • Electrical supplyEnter your numbers240V, 23A max
ENERGY STAR · 2026-09-19

What these figures mean

The 939 kWh figure is computed by this site; the registry does not publish it. It combines the registry's UEF, the ratio of hot water delivered to energy used, with the daily hot-water draw the DOE test sets for the medium pattern. This model's UEF is 3.46, from the DOE Compliance Certification Database, retrieved 2026-09-19. The annual figure holds only at that test draw. A household using more hot water than the medium pattern assumes will use more electricity. A household using less will use less. This page has no data on any single household's actual use, so the figure is a test-based estimate, not a metered reading. The formula is set out in how this site calculates annual energy and cost.

Sizing is a separate check from efficiency. The registry lists a rated volume of 47 gallons. It also lists a first hour rating, the gallons of hot water available in the first hour from a full tank, of 58 gallons. The medium draw pattern represents a typical mid-sized household with a busy morning. A household whose peak-hour demand stays within 58 gallons matches the conditions behind the annual figure. A household that regularly needs more than that in one hour falls outside the tested pattern. For that household, neither the first hour rating nor the annual figure describes its use. Other sizes and fuels can be compared with the water heater selector by fuel, space and size. A same-class replacement search by model number lists comparable units.

The class gap stated above comes from applying the same test draw to all 426 electric tank models at the medium pattern. It therefore ranks tested energy use, not the bill in a given home. The 90th lowest position shows where the 3.46 UEF places this model among those registered units. The running cost is not stated in this text, because it depends on your own utility's electricity rate. The page computes it from your ZIP code in the running cost calculator for your 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.

DOE CCD · 2026-09-19

How this compares

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


Keep going

UEF 3.46 · Grade B Price it on your ZIP