A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-50SCTTP 1**: running cost
ENERGY STAR certifies the A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-50SCTTP 1** at 923 kWh/yr, cheaper than most models in its category to run for its category.
That $174 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.
Efficient, or not, for a electric water heater
Against the category average of 1,105 kWh/yr, this model uses 16.5% less, ranking 210 of 596 electric water heaters tracked here for running cost. That average is drawn from all 596 electric water heaters ENERGY STAR currently certifies, not an outside number, a $34/year gap from this model at the national rate. Full sourcing is in the sourcing notes.
Right next to it on the list
A rank or two either side of the A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-50SCTTP 1**: A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-50SC 1** ($174/yr, 923 kWh/yr), then A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-50TC 1** ($174/yr, 923 kWh/yr).
Comparing A. O. Smith's own models
Ranked 22 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).
What this adds up to over time
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical electric water heater's service life at 11 years; run the A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-50SCTTP 1** that long and it costs about $1,909 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Weighing a replacement
Efficient as certified electric water heaters go, $174/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified electric water heaters before buying.
If you're keeping it
The A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-50SCTTP 1** already costs $174/year to run; a repair bill on top of that is the kind of expense a protection plan exists to smooth out.
Where this number comes from
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. Ranked 210 of 596, the A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-50SCTTP 1** sits in the middle of the electric water heater category, see the guide to why your state changes this number for the other half of the math.