The way you’ve grown accustomed to buying water heaters is all about to change, and we’re doing our best to get the word out to all our customers and the many other homeowners throughout the area.

Bottom line, electric and gas storage tank water heaters – as you now know them – can no longer be manufactured as April 16, 2015. And that’s according to the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act, or NAECA. Trust us; if you haven’t already heard about this, it’s going to become common knowledge before too much time passes by.

Here are the gist of the changes, and how they might impact you:

• New style water heaters under 55 gallons in storage capacity will be about 2” taller and 2” wider to accommodate the added insulation required so they can meet the new energy efficiency standards. So if, for example, you wait until current supplies of conventional storage tank water heaters are all gone, you may be forced to buy a new style replacement system with less storage capacity than you have now.

• When it comes to water heaters greater than 55 gallons in storage capacity, the changes are going to be even more profound. Not only will newly manufactured systems be bigger, they’re going to be completely different types of water heaters. Gas storage tank water heaters are being replaced by gas condensing water heaters, and electric storage tank models are being replaced by electric hybrid water heaters.

While new style water heaters will be up to 30% more energy efficient than their predecessors, they’re also going to be about 35% more costly.

Our advice? If you’ve even been thinking about replacing your water heater, contact Boden Plumbing Heating & Air today while we still have plenty of conventional electric and gas storage tank water heaters on hand in all sizes. But remember: once they’re gone, they’re gone.