Water Heater Installation in Annapolis, MD
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What a new water heater needs to handle here
Winter nights in Anne Arundel County average 29°F from December through February, and homes here run their heat from October through April, seven months of the year. A water heater sits in that same cold house the whole time. The incoming water is colder for longer, so the tank works harder to bring it up to temperature.
Power is worth planning around too. Across Maryland, 11% of households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024, and the county has logged 10 winter storms and 248 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage. One with electric ignition needs power to light, and an electric tank needs power to heat at all. That is worth raising with your contractor when you choose a model. Whatever you install, it has to meet the federal minimum efficiency set for its tank size, since the standard is set separately for each volume rather than as one number for every heater.
- 29°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, the months homes here need heat
- 11%
- of Maryland households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A heat pump water heater would save about $370 a year to run in Maryland compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Maryland home, from EIA household energy data and Maryland fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- Age is the first thing to check with your contractor, since most tank water heaters have a limited service life and a failure past that point can happen without warning. Rust-colored water from the hot tap, a tank rusting on the outside, or water pooling underneath are signs the tank itself is failing, and a leaking tank can't be repaired. Popping or rumbling sounds usually mean sediment has built up on the bottom, and the heater is working harder to heat the same amount of water. A licensed contractor can tell you whether what you're seeing means the tank is near the end or if something smaller is at fault.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on your old tank failing. A tankless unit heats water as you use it instead of storing it, so you don't run out of hot water partway through a shower. It often costs more to install, especially if your home needs new gas or electric lines sized for it, and a contractor will need to check your home's setup before pricing the job. If your current tank still works fine, replacing it isn't something you have to do on any set schedule.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The unit itself is smaller and mounts on a wall instead of taking up floor space, since there's no tank to store water. It needs a gas line or electric circuit sized for the higher demand of heating water on the spot, which is why a contractor checks your home's existing setup before installing one. Venting is different too, since a tankless unit vents on its own schedule tied to when hot water is running rather than continuously. Most cities and counties, including this one, require a permit from the local building office and an inspection when the work is done, the same as replacing a tank water heater.