WATER HEATER REPLACEMENT IN BITHLO

Bithlo Water Heater
Replacement

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Written by Victoria StewartTechnical review by Phil Montoya, licensed plumber, September 30, 2026Updated September 30, 2026How we research

BITHLO AT A GLANCE

Replacing a water heater in Bithlo.

Bithlo is unincorporated, so a water heater swap needs a $38 Orange County plumbing permit. Duke Energy supplies power. Bithlo is a rural east Orange County community along State Road 50 where about 36% of homes are mobile homes (Census estimates), and homes have long relied on private wells and septic tanks. A job here is more like a rural well-and-mobile-home replacement than an Orlando suburban swap.

Bithlo is an unincorporated community in Orange County, so county offices handle permits.

Permit to replace with the same type: Yes · Orange County Division of Building Safety
Permit fee: $38 for a stand-alone plumbing permit to replace a water heater, under the Orange County Fee Directory (pages marked effective July 2025).
Who gets the permit: Either a contractor whose license covers the work, or a homeowner for their main home only. Homeowners must complete an Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement and accept responsibility for following code.
Electric utility: Duke Energy Florida
Gas utility: Peoples Gas (TECO) and Florida Public Utilities (FPU)
Water: Orange County Utilities or OUC, depending on address · OUC water averages 129 ppm (7 gpg); Orange County Utilities' 2025 report does not list hardness
Rebate worth checking: Duke Energy Florida heat pump water heater rebate (Home Energy Improvement) (Active)
Typical home: Built 2003 (median) · 81% owner-occupied
Companies found: 1 that advertise water heater work

01 / TYPICAL PRICES

What a new water heater costs.
Know before you call.

Gas or electric tank

Storage tank

Conventional electric storage water heater illustration

$1,600–$2,400Typical cost, including installation

Hybrid electric storage

Heat-pump tank

Hybrid heat-pump water heater with upper air grille illustration

$2,500–$5,000Typical cost, including installation

Gas or electric tankless

Tankless

$2,400–$5,400Typical cost, including installation

AI equipment illustrations; models vary and images are not to scale. Typical national prices from Home Depot ↗, checked September 28, 2026. The source doesn’t say how many jobs the ranges are based on. These are not Bithlo averages or guaranteed quotes.

Compare what each quote includes.Equipment · Labor · Permits · Old heater removalHow to compare quotes →

What we know about prices in Bithlo

National installer’s published range
The ranges above. Home Depot ↗
Local permit fee
$38 for a stand-alone plumbing permit to replace a water heater, under the Orange County Fee Directory (pages marked effective July 2025).. Orange County Division of Building Safety fee source ↗
Local company’s advertised price
None of the local company websites we checked list a full installed price.
Measured local data
Not collected yet, so no Bithlo average is shown.

How we label prices →

Yearly running cost at Florida energy prices

$429 gas storage tank$295 gas tankless$544 electric storage tank$143 heat-pump tank

Estimated yearly energy cost for medium hot water use, based on Department of Energy test conditions. How we calculated this.

What can change the price in Bithlo?

Some jobs also need an electrical permit. Gas work needs a gas permit based on job value ($64 for the first $1,000, then $6 for each added $1,000). Any job over $5,000 needs a recorded Notice of Commencement.

What affects installation cost →

02 / COMPANIES WE FOUND

Who replaces water heaters in Bithlo?

Companies that advertise water heater replacement here, with what their water heater customers say.

Companies we found in our research. They are not Ember & Tank providers or partners. We show selected reviews, not a rating or every review. How we choose reviews →

Frank Gay Services

Lists Bithlo among the areas it serves. Based in Orlando.

Tank
Tankless
Heat pump
Repair
Emergency service

What the reviews say

Water heater feedback BBB reviewers praised water heater replacements finished within hours of the call, clean-up, and technicians who explained the equipment.

Worth knowing Two BBB complainants (2025, 2026) said Frank Gay had not obtained or closed out the county permit for a water heater install months later; the company said it was working on one and that the other customer declined access.

6 water heater reviews read, checked September 30, 2026.

Full profile and reviews → Website ↗

Order: companies based in Bithlo first, then companies whose water heater reviews we’ve read. Each group is alphabetical. These businesses are not our employees or vetted partners and do not receive requests from Ember & Tank. We haven’t checked their license, insurance or quality of work. DBPR license search (MyFloridaLicense) ↗.

See before-and-after replacement examples from independent companies →

HOMES IN BITHLO

What Bithlo homes are like.

2003Median year built

14%Built before 1980

81%Owner-occupied

0%Heat with utility gas

60%Single-family homes

The median home was built in 2003. A first or second replacement is common in homes this age.

97% of homes heat with electricity, which usually means an electric water heater. It’s worth getting a price on a heat pump model too.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2024 5-year ↗ (2020-2024). Heating fuel is what homes use to heat the house. It often, but not always, matches the water heater’s fuel.

LOCAL CONDITIONS

What’s different in Bithlo.

Manufactured homes follow HUD appliance rules

Census estimates put about 36% of Bithlo's roughly 3,600 homes in mobile homes. Under the federal HUD code, a tank water heater in a manufactured home needs a drain pan that won't rust and drains outside or to a drain. Gas-burning heaters must keep combustion fully sealed off from the living space (sealed combustion or a cabinet you open from outside). Orange County charges the same $38 for a mobile home plumbing permit as for a stand-alone water heater permit.

U.S. Census Bureau – ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, housing tables B25024/B25034/B25035/B25040 (Census Reporter profile) ↗ · data.census.gov – community profile ↗ · 24 CFR 3280.707 – Manufactured home heat-producing appliances (drain pan rule, par. h) ↗ · 24 CFR 3280.709 – Manufactured home appliance installation (combustion separation, par. d) ↗ · Orange County Fee Directory (PDF) ↗

Private wells and the county water extension

News reports on the county's plan say Bithlo homes have relied on wells and septic tanks, and residents reported groundwater contamination. In January 2024, Orange County commissioners approved a first phase, paid for with American Rescue Plan money, to bring county water to 337 parcels south of State Road 50. About 2,000 homes are planned by the last phase. Homes still on a well should expect more sediment and think about a filter before installing a new heater.

WFTV – Hundreds of Bithlo homes to get access to clean drinking water (Jan. 9, 2024) ↗

Almost no natural gas

Census estimates show almost no Bithlo homes heating with utility gas and under 1% using propane; about 97% heat with electricity. Replacements here are almost always electric. Switching to gas would mean propane, since there's no utility gas line.

U.S. Census Bureau – ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, housing tables B25024/B25034/B25035/B25040 (Census Reporter profile) ↗ · data.census.gov – community profile ↗

ENERGY & WATER

Who supplies Bithlo homes.

Energy

Electric: Duke Energy Florida (Duke's tariff lists Bithlo as a community it serves)
Gas: Peoples Gas (TECO) (Unincorporated Orange County is listed)
Gas: Florida Public Utilities (FPU) (Unincorporated Orange County is listed)

Duke Energy Florida tariff Section V, communities served (2013 PSC filing) ↗ · Peoples Gas tariff Sheet 6.101, communities served (effective Jan. 1, 2026) ↗ · Florida Public Utilities natural gas tariff, communities served ↗

Water

Orange County Utilities or OUC, depending on address: OUC water averages 129 ppm (7 gpg); Orange County Utilities' 2025 report does not list hardness

Orange County Utilities 2025 Drinking Water Report (PDF) ↗ · OUC – Water Services FAQ ↗

REBATES & CREDITS

Rebates for Bithlo homes.

For Duke Energy Florida, Peoples Gas (TECO) and Florida Public Utilities (FPU) customers in Bithlo. Ask installers for the price before rebates, then check with the program that you qualify.

Duke Energy Florida heat pump water heater rebate (Home Energy Improvement) ↗Active$500 for a 50-gallon or $800 for an 80-gallon ENERGY STAR heat pump (hybrid) water heater with a UEF of at least 3.3.
Peoples Gas residential water heating rebates ↗ActiveNatural gas tank water heater: $350 gas-to-gas or $550 electric-to-gas ($400 / $650 for ENERGY STAR tanks).
Federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (25C) ↗EndedCovered improvements made through December 31, 2025.

Checked September 30, 2026. Who qualifies and the conditions: Florida rebates · How to check an incentive.

PERMITS & LICENSING

Permits and licenses in Bithlo.

Permits and who issues them

According to Orange County's 'Do I need a permit?' page, a water heater replacement takes a plumbing permit, plus an electrical permit in some cases. The county's Fast Track online system issues stand-alone plumbing permits for these swaps, and the job must pass a final inspection.

Orange County Division of Building Safety ↗ · Orange County – Do I need a permit? ↗ · Orange County – Plumbing Permits ↗ · Orange County Fee Directory (PDF, plumbing page effective July 2025) ↗

Check the installer’s license

Ask for the license number and search it yourself on the DBPR license search (MyFloridaLicense) ↗. A listing on Ember & Tank is not a license check. Florida licensing explained →

NEARBY CITIES

Compare places near Bithlo.

Permit and utility comparison for nearby cities
City	Distance	Permit to replace	Fee	Electric
Alafaya	7 mi	Required (county)	$38	Duke Energy Florida, OUC (Orlando Utilities Commission)
Oviedo	8 mi	Required	$50	Duke Energy Florida
Union Park	9 mi	Required (county)	$38	Duke Energy Florida or Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC)
Goldenrod	12 mi	Required (county)	$38	Duke Energy Florida
Azalea Park	13 mi	Required (county)	$38,	OUC (Orlando Utilities Commission), Duke Energy Florida or Florida Power & Light
Winter Springs	13 mi	Required	$15	Duke Energy Florida

COMMON QUESTIONS

Bithlo water heater questions.

Does a mobile home in Bithlo need a special water heater?

It must be installed according to its listing and the HUD code. Tank heaters need a drain pan piped outside or to a drain. Gas or propane models need combustion air and venting fully sealed off from inside the home. Orange County issues the plumbing permit.

24 CFR 3280.707 – Manufactured home heat-producing appliances (drain pan rule, par. h) ↗ · 24 CFR 3280.709 – Manufactured home appliance installation (combustion separation, par. d) ↗ · Orange County Fee Directory (PDF) ↗

Is my Bithlo home on county water?

Maybe not. Orange County's first phase of new water lines (approved January 2024) covers 337 parcels south of SR 50, and many other homes are on private wells. Check your bill or ask Orange County Utilities.