A. O. Smith HPACO-45 1**+AXST-80 1**: running cost
At 1,306 kWh/yr, the A. O. Smith HPACO-45 1**+AXST-80 1**'s ENERGY STAR certification puts it more expensive than most models in its category to run against every other certified electric water heater.
That $246 is priced at 18.8¢/kWh, the average of all 51 state rates this site tracks. Your own state's rate is one click away.
How the A. O. Smith HPACO-45 1**+AXST-80 1** compares to other electric water heaters
The category average is 1,105 kWh/yr; this model runs 18.2% above it, ranking 471 of 596 electric water heaters tracked here for running cost. 596 certified electric water heaters, one average, about $38/year of daylight between it and this model; the full methodology has the rest.
Neighbouring models
Right next to the A. O. Smith HPACO-45 1**+AXST-80 1** on that list: Ruud PROUH80 T2 RU350UM ($245/yr, 1,303 kWh/yr) runs slightly less, while A. O. Smith HPACO-45 1**+AXST-80TTP 1** ($246/yr, 1,306 kWh/yr) runs slightly more.
Comparing A. O. Smith's own models
Ranked 38 of A. O. Smith's 61 certified electric water heaters, this sits between the HPS10-50H45DV 2** ($156/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the HPV10-80H01DV 2** ($311/yr, its priciest).
Cost over its typical lifespan
11 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $246/year, the A. O. Smith HPACO-45 1**+AXST-80 1** adds up to about $2,701 in electricity over that span.
Is it worth replacing?
At $246/year, this is on the expensive side for a electric water heater; the cheapest certified model in this category runs about $121/year, worth knowing before buying either the A. O. Smith HPACO-45 1**+AXST-80 1** or its replacement.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified electric water heaters before buying.
If you're keeping it
A electric water heater like the A. O. Smith HPACO-45 1**+AXST-80 1** is a real household expense whether or not it needs replacing yet; a protection plan is one way to budget for a repair rather than a full replacement.
How this was checked
The full Electric Water Heater category page shows all 596 electric water heaters ranked by cost; the state-rate guide covers the half of this number that isn't the appliance. The 1,306 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.