Water Heater Installation in Lakeland, FL
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Lakeland barely asks for heat, but the power still goes out
Water heaters here work under different demands than most of the country. Winters are mild, with December through February nights averaging 51°F, so the tank isn't fighting cold groundwater most of the year. That's not the main thing to plan around.
Power is. Statewide, 38% of Florida households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024, and Polk County has logged 37 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage. One that relies on electronic ignition won't, until the power comes back. That's worth weighing when you're choosing what to install, especially since federal efficiency minimums for storage water heaters now vary by tank size, so the same rules don't apply evenly across every unit a contractor might recommend.
- 51°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 1 months
- January through January, the months homes here need heat
- 38%
- of Florida 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 $240 a year to run in Florida compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Florida home, from EIA household energy data and Florida 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 storage water heaters have a working life, and once yours is well into it, a repair might buy a little time but replacement is coming either way. Rust colored water, a tank that's rusting on the outside, or water pooling underneath are signs the tank itself is failing, and a leaking tank cannot be repaired. If it's making a rumbling or popping sound, that's sediment built up on the bottom, which means it's working harder than it should and is more likely to fail soon. A licensed contractor can tell you whether what you're seeing means the tank is near the end or something smaller is going on.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on where you live. A tankless unit heats water only when you run a tap, so you don't pay to keep a tank of water hot all day, and you don't run out of hot water partway through a shower. What it doesn't do is deliver water instantly at the tap, there's still a wait for hot water to travel through the pipes, same as with a tank. Switching also usually means changes to the gas line, venting, or electrical circuit, since a tankless unit draws more power in the moment than a storage tank does. A contractor who has looked at your home can tell you what that involves for your setup.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is what's connected to it. A tankless unit needs a larger gas line or a dedicated electrical circuit than a tank heater, because it has to heat water fast in the moment rather than keeping a tank warm over time. It also needs its own venting, sized and routed differently than a tank heater's vent. Because there's no tank, it takes up much less floor space, and some homes mount it on a wall instead. A contractor will need to look at your gas line, electrical panel, and venting to know what has to change in your home specifically.