What the A. O. Smith HPTU-66CTA 1** costs to run
The A. O. Smith HPTU-66CTA 1** is certified by ENERGY STAR at 1,381 kWh a year, more expensive than most models in its category to run among electric water heaters currently certified.
The $260 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
A. O. Smith HPTU-66CTA 1** against the category
That's 25% above the electric water heater category average of 1,105 kWh/yr, and ranks 514 of 596 certified electric water heaters for annual running cost, 1 being cheapest. The category average comes from every electric water heater ENERGY STAR currently certifies (596 models), not an outside benchmark, about $52/year above that average at the national rate. See the methodology page.
What sits beside it in the ranking
A. O. Smith HPTU-66DR 1** ($260/yr, 1,381 kWh/yr) costs a little more to run than the A. O. Smith HPTU-66CTA 1**. VAUGHN THERMAL MP80FHPT ($259/yr, 1,375 kWh/yr) costs a little less.
Within the A. O. Smith lineup
A. O. Smith makes 61 ENERGY STAR certified electric water heaters; this one ranks 46 of 61 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the HPS10-50H45DV 2** at $156/yr, and its priciest, the HPV10-80H01DV 2** at $311/yr.
A. O. Smith HPTU-66CTA 1** over 11 years
11 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $260/year, the A. O. Smith HPTU-66CTA 1** adds up to about $2,856 in electricity over that span.
Is it worth replacing?
The A. O. Smith HPTU-66CTA 1** runs above its category average. If the electric water heater you actually own is older still, likely well past ENERGY STAR's efficiency baseline when it was made, a current certified model could cost meaningfully less than this model's $260/year every year.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified electric water heaters before buying.
Protecting what you have
$260/year to run is the predictable cost of the A. O. Smith HPTU-66CTA 1**; a protection plan covers the unpredictable one, a repair bill.
Sourcing
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. 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.