20 year old natural gas HWH replacement options

[Stephenson]

House is in northwest Florida ....$23.68/Mcf ...plus base charge of about $11/month.

Just bought the house ...gas HWH is past normal longevity. Other than a never used gas log set im the fireplace the HWH is the only gas appliance.

Interestingly, the HWH still has a functioning heat recovery system ...amazing it has lasted this long ...even more amazing it was installed on a gas HWH.

Electric company offering free 40 gal with small cost to get 50 gal electric, and a flat $200 subsidy on a heat pump hybrid device.

Gulf Power offers the ability to time and use lower rate during off peak.

What would you guys do? (I would like to experiment with the heat pump option, but it may not make as much sense given the payback period)

Thanks!!

 

[Reach4]

I would flush the current water heater and maybe replace the anode. This presumes it is doing the hot water heating job.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Stephenson]

Thanks, Reach4 .. I think I am going to have to replace it ... BUT, the biggest issue is the single device on gas means I have only one device to amortize the flat fees. Further, the very high price of gas and inability to meter for better pricing means I am looking for other alternatives.

 

[Dana]

I doubt a 20 year old water heater is going to be worth installing a new anode, even if you magically were able to get the old one out without destroying the equipment.

You didn't state your electricity rates, but a big electric water heater with time of use rates that you can program to disable during peak periods will work for lots of people, and could be as cheap or cheaper than a heat pump water heater operating on flat-rate structure. But the actual rates matter.

If you never use the gas log, and you heat water with electricity, turn off the gas service and stop paying the $130/year in connection fees.

Heat pump water heaters that are indoors (rather than in a garage or back porch) will dehumidify & reduce the net cooling load on the house. In a FL climate the "payback" is more than just the cost of hot water- it reduces the cooling bill a bit. Calculating the actual savings is tricky though.

 

[Stephenson]

Thanks, Dana ...that was sort of my thought process ...the single device on gas with the pice structure here doesn't make sense.

While we like gas heat in colder climes, this area is kind of perfect for heat pumps ...so, not likely to add gas furnace when the current heat pump dies.

The HWH is in the garage ...going all electric with the ability to time for lower prices is likely my end state ...gas company here apparently has long term pricing models that guarantee their loss of customers.