Water Heater Installation in Camden, NJ
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What a Camden County winter asks of a new water heater
Winter nights here average 27°F from December through February, and the house is calling for heat from October through April, seven months a year. A water heater runs alongside that heating system the whole time, working through the coldest months without a break.
Storms are part of the picture too. The county has logged 15 winter storms and 225 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 11% of households went at least a day without power in 2024. A gas or propane water heater with a standing pilot keeps making hot water through an outage like that. An electric one won't, but it comes back on by itself once power is restored, no relighting needed.
Whatever fuel type or size you install, it has to meet the federal minimum efficiency for storage water heaters. That minimum is not one number. It is set by a formula based on the tank's rated volume, applied differently depending on how much hot water a household draws in a day. Two tanks of the same type but different sizes can face different minimums, which is worth knowing before you compare models on efficiency alone.
- 27°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, the months homes here need heat
- 11%
- of New Jersey 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 $580 a year to run in New Jersey compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical New Jersey home, from EIA household energy data and New Jersey fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- Look at the age of the tank first. Most tank water heaters have a working life span, and once a unit is old, a repair just delays the same decision instead of avoiding it. Rust-colored water, a tank that's damp or rusted around the base, or water that won't get hot anymore are signs the tank itself is failing rather than one part in it. If your water heater is old and starting to act up during the colder months here, when you're relying on it most, replacing it before it fails outright is worth doing.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on your current tank failing. A tankless unit heats water as you use it instead of storing it, so you don't run out during a long shower or back-to-back loads of laundry, and it takes up much less space than a tank. It's not a fix for a specific problem the way a repair is. A contractor can look at your home's gas line, venting, and water use to tell you whether it's a good fit.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is that hot water becomes available on demand instead of limited to whatever a tank holds. There's no tank to run out, so a shower running while the dishwasher goes won't leave someone with cold water. It also usually needs different venting than a tank unit, and depending on your home's gas line, that line may need to be upsized to keep up with the unit's demand. A contractor can check your setup to know what that involves in your house specifically.