What the A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-66C 1** costs to run
At 1,341 kWh/yr, the A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-66C 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 $252 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
The category average is 1,105 kWh/yr; this model runs 21.4% above it, ranking 495 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 $44/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-66C 1**: A. O. Smith HPACO-45 1**+AXST-66TTP 1** ($252/yr, 1,341 kWh/yr), then A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-66CTTP 1** ($252/yr, 1,341 kWh/yr).
Within the A. O. Smith lineup
Ranked 44 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
11 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $252/year, the A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-66C 1** adds up to about $2,773 in electricity over that span.
Shopping for a new one
Running above the category average, $252/year is exactly the kind of number that makes a newer, more efficient model pay for itself faster.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
Whether or not the A. O. Smith HPACO-45C 1**+AXST-66C 1** ever needs replacing, a repair is the more common failure for a electric water heater, one a protection plan budgets for ahead of time.
Where this number comes from
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 1,341 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. 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.