Water Heater Installation in Kennewick, WA
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Kennewick asks a water heater to run eight months a year
Homes here need hot water from October through May. Winter nights average 28°F from December through February, and a water heater has to bring cold ground-temperature water up to heat on those nights, not just warm it.
Power loss is a real risk here. Washington saw 23% of households lose power for 24 hours or more in 2024, and the region has recorded 14 winter storms and 25 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage. One with electronic ignition will not light until power is back. Whatever you install, it has to meet the federal minimum efficiency for its size, set by a formula tied to the tank's rated volume, so two tanks of different sizes are held to different numbers even if they're the same type of heater.
- 28°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 23%
- of Washington 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 $280 a year to run in Washington compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Washington home, from EIA household energy data and Washington fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- Water pooling around the base is the clearest sign, and it usually means the tank itself has failed inside. Rusty or metallic-tasting hot water is another, especially if it happens at the tap and not just right after the heater runs. If the unit is making popping or rumbling noises, sediment has built up on the bottom of the tank, and that shortens what's left of its life. If yours is showing any of these signs, it's worth having a contractor look at it before it fails outright and floods the space around it.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on one being better than the other. A tankless unit heats water only as you use it, so you never run out during a long shower or back to back loads of laundry, and it doesn't sit there keeping a tank of water hot all day. A storage tank costs less to install and is simpler to service. Winter nights here average 28°F, and incoming water is colder in winter, which means a tankless unit works harder to reach the same temperature at the tap than it would in a warmer climate. A contractor can size either option to the house and tell you what fits the plumbing you already have.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is what's on the wall instead of on the floor. A tankless unit mounts to the wall and takes up a fraction of the space a storage tank does, which matters if you're trying to free up a closet or utility area. Gas tankless units often need a larger gas line and a different vent than the tank they're replacing, since they draw more gas when they're firing to heat water on demand. Electric tankless units may need a larger electrical circuit for the same reason. A contractor will check the existing gas line, vent, or wiring against what the new unit needs before installing it.