Sources and dates
Permit rules come from the city or county, equipment requirements from manufacturers, and services from each company’s own website. Each guide and city page shows when we checked its sources, and we link the source for every fact we can.
What our prices mean
An advertised price range is not a local average or a quote for your home. We label every price by where it came from:
- National installer’s published range. A company’s own nationwide price range for its installation program. Not measured in your city.
- Local company’s advertised price. A local business’s published estimate or starting price. Its own scope and conditions apply.
- Individual customer report. One customer’s account of what they were charged. Not verified and not typical of anything.
- Measured local data. A documented sample of comparable local quotes or invoices. Ember & Tank has not collected this yet.
We don’t treat coupons, heater-only prices or monthly payments as the full installed cost.
Which companies we list, and in what order
A company appears in a local guide when its own website lists that city among the areas it serves. For unincorporated communities that companies rarely name, we show companies that list a neighboring city and say so on the card. Companies based in the city come first, then companies whose water heater reviews we’ve read. Each group is alphabetical. Nobody pays to be listed or to change the order.
A listing is not a recommendation
A company’s website shows what it offers. It doesn’t prove the company is licensed, insured, available or good at the work. We don’t make up reviews, star ratings or project claims. Company photos are shown as the company publishes them, credited and linked.
Where our local data comes from
- Permits and fees come from each city’s or county’s own permit pages and fee schedules. We note when a schedule is old and show fees only with a source.
- Utilities, water and rebates come from utility, city and program pages. Rebates are matched to the utilities that serve each place.
- Housing data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey five-year estimates.
- Running costs use the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s state average residential electricity and natural gas prices and the Department of Energy’s standard medium-use test. They are estimates, not bills.
- Place photos come from Wikimedia Commons with author and license credits.
When we combine places
If two neighboring communities share the same permit office, utilities, water provider and companies, we publish one guide and list the other as covered by it, rather than publishing near-identical pages.
Who writes and checks our guides
Victoria Stewart researches and writes the guides. Phil Montoya, a licensed plumber, reviews them for technical accuracy; each page shows whether its review is complete or scheduled.
How we summarize customer reviews
Company cards show selected reviews about water heater work, checked September 29, 2026. We look for praise and complaints on the BBB, review sites, directories and company websites. We include only reviews that clearly mention water heater work. Reviews about maintenance are labeled separately from reviews about replacements.
Each summary says how many reviews we read, where they came from, when they were posted (if known) and what they can’t tell you. Testimonials on a company’s own site, and reviews copied from other sites, are labeled. If a review only says something like “2 years ago,” we don’t guess the exact date. If we didn’t find a review or a company reply, that doesn’t mean none exists.
These are what customers said. We haven’t checked their invoices, and a complaint doesn’t prove the company did anything wrong. When a company replied or settled a dispute, we include that. BBB complaints are not the same as reviews, and “answered” doesn’t mean “resolved.” A star rating or BBB grade doesn’t tell you about water heater work specifically. We read a small sample, so it can’t tell you how often complaints happen or what prices are typical.
We leave out heating and cooling complaints, and reviews we can’t match to the right business. Sources can change, so use the links to check for updates. We did not contact any companies for this research.
Photos
The heater pictures on price cards are AI-generated, not real products. Before-and-after photos come from the companies credited next to them, show jobs in the places those companies name, and are not our work. Real equipment photographs are credited with their licenses.
Check who handles your address
Your mailing address may name one city while a different city or the county handles permits. Permit exemptions come with conditions. Our summaries link to the office in charge, but they don’t replace a professional looking at your home.
Corrections and future updates
Each page shows when we last checked its sources, and we update the page when a source changes. A way to report mistakes is coming soon.
AI
We use AI to help research and draft, and a person checks the result against the sources. AI photo analysis isn’t turned on yet. If we add it, it must say when it’s unsure, and safety questions, system design and final prices will go to qualified people.