Water heaters
Rheem Performance XG50T06TC38U1 Atmospheric Gas Water Heater, 50 gal
Prices are the equipment only — the appliance, before install labour. Every product in this catalogue currently has at least one real, seller-observed equipment price (see the SKU verification and price observation notes on each product). Get contractor quotes for the install itself, especially for anything needing new electrical circuits or condensate drainage.
Rheem's baseline atmospheric natural gas tank: 50 gallons, UEF 0.63, an 85-gallon first-hour rating, and a 6-year tank-and-parts warranty.
Our take
This is the tank a plumber reaches for when the job is a straight like-for-like replacement and the homeowner wants the lowest defensible price. It actually out-delivers its own step-up sibling, the Performance Platinum, on first-hour hot water -- 85 gallons against 77 -- because Rheem tuned the value tier for recovery speed rather than for the extra insulation and warranty backing Platinum charges for. The trade you're making is coverage: 6 years of tank-and-parts warranty against Platinum's 12, and a 1-year labor term instead of 3.
Best for
Straightforward gas-tank replacements where minimizing upfront cost matters more than warranty length, or households that run hot water hard and want the higher first-hour number.
Watch out for
Half the warranty term of the Platinum sitting next to it at the same size -- if the tank fails in year 8, you're paying out of pocket where a Platinum buyer wouldn't be.
What sellers are actually charging
The lowest in-stock, full-equipment price we've seen is $709, at Home Depot, seen 2026-08-30. Every listing from the last 30 days, newest first, is below — prices change, click through to check before you act on any of them.
| Seller | What you get | Price | Stock | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Depot
big box retailer |
equipment system | $709 | in stock | 2026-08-30 |
Equipment price is not installed price. The listings above are what the hardware costs. Installation — labour, electrical, refrigerant lines, permits, removing the old system — is typically a similar amount again, and varies more between contractors than between brands. Where we have an installed figure it is labelled as such and comes from someone who actually installs.
Compare against
Bradford White Defender RG250T6N Atmospheric Gas Water Heater, 50 gal
Bradford White's baseline pro-channel natural-gas tank, atmospheric vent, with the Defender flammable-vapor-resistant (FVIR) burner chamber. UEF 0.63 — confirmed as UEF, not an older Energy Factor rating, on Bradford White's own current spec sheet, though some retailers mislabel the same number 'EF'.
Rheem Performance Platinum XG50T12HE40U0 Atmospheric Gas Water Heater, 50 gal
Rheem's step-up atmospheric natural gas tank: 50 gallons, UEF 0.64, a 77-gallon first-hour rating, and a 12-year tank-and-parts warranty (versus 6 years on Rheem's value-tier Performance gas tank).
Rheem ProTerra Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater, 50 gal
The default heat pump water heater for most US households: 50 gallons, UEF 3.75, widely stocked and widely serviced.
Rheem ProTerra Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater, 80 gal
80-gallon version of the ProTerra, UEF 4.0 — the highest efficiency in the mainstream heat pump water heater market.
Before you buy this
Ask for the first-hour rating, not just tank size, and check it against your household's simultaneous demand — showers and laundry at the same time — rather than headcount alone. If it's a heat pump water heater, confirm the room has enough air volume (or a duct kit) that it won't spend winter on resistance backup, and that there's a real route for condensate, not just a nearby floor drain. Confirm the panel has spare 240V capacity. And if you're removing a gas unit that shared a flue with a furnace, ask what happens to that flue once your water heater's draft is gone — an orphaned flue can backdraft.