Electric Tankless – Electrical Requirements
Electrical models are much easier to install than their gas counterparts. The most important piece of information you need to know before purchasing your electric tankless water heater is the amount and type of electricity you have available. Please use the factors below to help you ensure you have enough electricity to run a tankless water heater.
Average household Statistics (1985 or newer)
- Most modern homes have a total of 150-200 amps
- All appliances added up use 100-150 amps on average
- 50% or more of electric tankless water heaters will use 100+ amps while running
- 50% or more of electric tankless water heater installations will require some update or upgrade of existing electrical work
- Some household water heaters run on 120 Volts, all of the tankless water heaters below run on 208-240 Volts
Use the chart below to determine if your chosen tankless water heater will work with your electrical situation.
| Model |
GPM@ 45 degree temp rise* |
Breaker Size |
Min. Recommended Total House Amperage |
Electrical Remainder (200 amp house) |
| Tempra 36 |
5.5 GPM |
3 x 60 amps |
300 amps |
N/A |
| Tempra 29 |
4.5 GPM |
3 x 50 amps |
250 amps |
N/A |
| AE125 |
4.0 GPM |
3 x 40 amps |
200 amps |
80 amps |
| Tempra 24 |
3.7 GPM |
2 x 60 amps |
200 amps |
80 amps |
| Tempra 20 |
2.8 GPM |
2 x 50 amps |
180 amps |
100 amps |
AE115 |
2.6 GPM |
2 x 40 amps |
180 amps |
120 amps |
| Tempra 15 |
2.25 GPM |
2 x 40 amps |
150 amps |
120 amps |
| AE12 |
2.0 GPM |
1 x 50 amps |
120 amps |
150 amps |
| Tempra 12 |
1.75 GPM |
1 x 60 amps |
150 amps |
140 amps |
*Remember the more gallons per minute of hot water you require the higher your electrical requirements will be.
Listing from left to right is shown the following:
- Tankless water heater model # - Model of the specific water heater
- Water flow - Gallons per minute (GPM) raising the incoming water temp. by 45 º. For example your cold water comes in at 60º you will have 105º hot water coming out of your faucet.
- Breaker size –the amount of amps required when wiring the unit to avoid overloading the circuit.
- Min. Recommended House Amperage – the minimum amount of amps for the entire house that is recommended for best results
- Electrical Remainder (200 amp house) –simply the amount of electricity leftover for your other electric drawing applications to use in a standard 200 amp house. The average home needs 100-150 amps for their other appliances. If it looks like you may go over 200 amps for your home, we recommend contacting your electric company or electrician to inquire about an upgrade.
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