Storage tank
$1,600–$2,400Typical cost, including installation
WATER HEATER REPLACEMENT IN KEYSTONE
Keystone Water Heater
Replacement
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See what replacement costs ↓KEYSTONE AT A GLANCE
Replacing a water heater in Keystone.
Keystone is unincorporated, so a water heater swap needs a $130 Hillsborough County plumbing permit; Tampa Electric supplies power. This rural, lake-dotted northwest corner of the county is mostly beyond public water: only about a quarter of Keystone is on the county's Northwest system. Many Keystone water heaters run on well water, which changes how you maintain and treat them.
Keystone is an unincorporated community in Hillsborough County, so county offices handle permits.
- Permit to replace with the same type
- Yes · Hillsborough County Development Services (Building Services), unincorporated Hillsborough County
- Permit fee
- $130 for a residential plumbing permit. It's the 'Plumbing (General)' line, since there's no water heater line (schedule effective Oct. 5, 2024).
- Who gets the permit
- A licensed plumbing contractor, or the owner under Florida's owner-builder rules. Owners sign an Owner Builder Disclosure Statement and agree not to sell for one year after the work is complete.
- Electric utility
- Tampa Electric (TECO)
- Gas utility
- Peoples Gas (TECO)
- Water
- Mostly private wells; Hillsborough County Northwest system covers about 26% of the CDP on the county map
- Rebate worth checking
- Peoples Gas residential water heating rebates (Active)
- Typical home
- Built 1999 (median) · 92% owner-occupied
- Companies found
- 6 that advertise water heater work
01 / TYPICAL PRICES
What a new water heater costs.
Know before you call.
Heat-pump tank
$2,500–$5,000Typical cost, including installation
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 Keystone averages or guaranteed quotes.
Compare what each quote includes.Equipment · Labor · Permits · Old heater removalHow to compare quotes →
What we know about prices in Keystone
- National installer’s published rangeThe ranges above. Home Depot ↗
- Local permit fee$130 for a residential plumbing permit. It's the 'Plumbing (General)' line, since there's no water heater line (schedule effective Oct. 5, 2024).. Hillsborough County Development Services (Building Services), unincorporated Hillsborough County fee source ↗
- Local company’s advertised priceNone of the local company websites we checked list a full installed price.
- Measured local dataNot collected yet, so no Keystone average is shown.
What can change the price in Keystone?
Gas piping and new wiring may each need a permit: 'Gas (General)' is $130 and 'Electrical (General)' is $130 on the same schedule. The county's video inspection list puts a final electrical inspection alongside water heater replacement.
02 / COMPANIES WE FOUND
Who replaces water heaters in Keystone?
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 →
IERNA'S Heating, Cooling & Plumbing
Lists Keystone among the areas it serves. Based in Lutz.
- Tank
- Tankless
- Repair
- Emergency service
What the reviews say
Water heater feedback No water heater-specific praise was found in the sources checked.
Worth knowing A Yelp reviewer (Aug 2025) alleged a water heater installed for a family member had an undrained, improperly routed pressure relief line and that a promised manager callback did not come; an earlier manager reply on the same review promised outreach.
1 water heater review read, checked September 30, 2026.
Performance Air Conditioning, Electric & Plumbing
Lists Keystone among the areas it serves. Based in Clearwater.
- Tank
- Tankless
- Repair
- Emergency service
What the reviews say
Water heater feedback No water heater-specific praise was found in the sources checked.
Worth knowing A BBB reviewer (May 2025) said that after a late arrival and a $240 diagnostic deposit on an $870 quote to install a customer-supplied hot water heater, the company did not return calls to schedule the job; the company apologized and said it had escalated the matter.
1 water heater review read, checked September 30, 2026.
R.J. Kielty Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electric
Lists Keystone among the areas it serves. Based in New Port Richey.
- Tank
- Tankless
- Heat pump
- Repair
- Emergency service
What the reviews say
Water heater feedback One BBB reviewer said the company responded quickly to install a water heater when theirs broke.
Worth knowing BBB reviewers alleged a hybrid water heater still under a 10-year warranty was replaced at their cost, an element repair failed to fix a heater that needed replacing, a different tank shape was installed than requested, and a short flush cost $300; the company said it refunded $478.62, $105 and $164.11 in three of those cases.
5 water heater reviews read, checked September 30, 2026.
What the reviews say
We haven’t found reviews that mention this company’s water heater work yet.
What the reviews say
We haven’t found reviews that mention this company’s water heater work yet.
Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup (Tampa)
Lists Keystone among the areas it serves. Based in Tampa.
- Tank
- Tankless
- Heat pump
- Repair
- Emergency service
What the reviews say
We haven’t found reviews that mention this company’s water heater work yet.
Order: companies based in Keystone 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 KEYSTONE
What Keystone homes are like.
1999Median year built
11%Built before 1980
92%Owner-occupied
16%Heat with utility gas
95%Single-family homes
The median home was built in 1999. A first or second replacement is common in homes this age.
78% 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 Keystone.
Mostly outside the public water system
Our estimate from the county's water map puts about 26% of Keystone in the Northwest system and the rest outside any public water area. Lakes cover about 10% of the area, so well over half the land has no public water, and those homes usually use private wells. The Florida Department of Health says private well owners are responsible for their own water quality and should test every year.
Hillsborough County GIS - Utilities Service Areas, 'HC Water Service Area' layer ↗ · U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb - Census Designated Places (ACS 2025 vintage) ↗ · Florida Department of Health - Private Well Water Testing ↗
Detached homes on owner-occupied lots
About 90% of Keystone homes are detached single-family houses, and only about 8% of households rent (ACS 2020-2024). The median resident age is about 47, older than most of the county.
U.S. Census Bureau - ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25024/B25003/B01002 ↗ · data.census.gov - community profile ↗
More gas than you might expect
About 15.7% of households heat with utility gas and another 1.9% with propane, more combined than suburban Carrollwood or Northdale. A home with a propane tank has different fuel costs than one on a gas line.
U.S. Census Bureau - ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25040 ↗ · data.census.gov - community profile ↗
ENERGY & WATER
Who supplies Keystone homes.
Energy
- Electric: Tampa Electric (TECO) (most of Hillsborough County; not checked for Keystone addresses)
- Gas: Peoples Gas (TECO) (where gas lines exist; many homes have electric water heaters)
Tampa Electric – economic contribution (service area) ↗ · Peoples Gas residential water heating rebates ↗
Water
Mostly private wells; Hillsborough County Northwest system covers about 26% of the CDP on the county map
Hillsborough County GIS - Utilities Service Areas, 'HC Water Service Area' layer ↗ · Florida Department of Health - Private Well Water Testing ↗ · Hillsborough County 2025 Water Quality Report - Northwest System ↗
REBATES & CREDITS
Rebates for Keystone homes.
For Tampa Electric (TECO) and Peoples Gas (TECO) customers in Keystone. Ask installers for the price before rebates, then check with the program that you qualify.
- 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 Keystone.
Permits and who issues them
Keystone is unincorporated, so you get the permit from Hillsborough County on HillsGovHub. The county says water heater replacements get a final plumbing inspection and a final electrical inspection, and either one can be done live by video or with a recorded video.
Hillsborough County Development Services (Building Services), unincorporated Hillsborough County ↗ · Hillsborough County – Building Permit Fees ↗ · Hillsborough County Building Permit Fee Schedule (PDF, effective Oct. 5, 2024) ↗ · Hillsborough County – Virtual Inspections ↗ · Hillsborough County – Permits for Homeowners ↗
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 Keystone.
| City | Distance | Permit to replace | Fee | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity | 4 mi | Required (county) | $45 | Duke Energy Florida |
| Citrus Park | 5 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| Westchase | 5 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| East Lake | 5 mi | Required (county) | — | Duke Energy Florida |
| Northdale | 5 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| Cheval | 6 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
COMMON QUESTIONS
Keystone water heater questions.
My Keystone house is on a well. Does that change my water heater?
The permit is the same Hillsborough County plumbing permit. The difference is water quality: nobody tests a private well for you. The Florida Department of Health recommends testing every year, and the results tell you whether you need a filter or softener before the heater.
How do I know if my Keystone address has county water?
Check your bill or the county's water service area map. Only about a quarter of Keystone is inside the Northwest system's area.
Hillsborough County GIS - Utilities Service Areas, 'HC Water Service Area' layer ↗
More guides: Florida water heater replacement · All local guides