WATER HEATER REPLACEMENT IN LAKE BUTLER

Lake Butler 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

LAKE BUTLER AT A GLANCE

Replacing a water heater in Lake Butler.

Lake Butler is unincorporated, so a water heater swap needs a $38 Orange County permit. Power comes from Duke Energy or OUC, and water from Orange County Utilities' Western Regional system. The area around the Butler Chain of Lakes near Windermere is unusually watery: about 36% of it is lake. Homes are mostly detached and mostly recent, with about half built in the 2000s alone.

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

Large French-style mansion under construction in Lake Butler Sound, Windermere area — Lake Butler Sound home · Photo: 350z33 ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗

Permit to replace with the same type: Yes · Orange County Division of Building Safety (unincorporated Orange County)
Permit fee: Orange County Fee Directory (plumbing fees effective July 2025): $38 for a stand-alone water heater permit.
Who gets the permit: A licensed contractor, or the homeowner as owner-builder under F.S. 489.103(7)(a), once they complete Orange County's Owner Builder Disclosure Statement. The county posts owner-builder instructions online.
Electric utility: Duke Energy Florida or Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC)
Gas utility: Peoples Gas (TECO)
Water: Orange County Utilities (Western Regional Water System), based on the service-area map in OCU's 2025 report
Rebate worth checking: Duke Energy Florida heat pump water heater rebate (Home Energy Improvement) (Active)
Typical home: Built 2003 (median) · 87% 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 Lake Butler averages or guaranteed quotes.

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

What we know about prices in Lake Butler

National installer’s published range
The ranges above. Home Depot ↗
Local permit fee
Orange County Fee Directory (plumbing fees effective July 2025): $38 for a stand-alone water heater permit.. Orange County Division of Building Safety (unincorporated Orange County) 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 Lake Butler 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 Lake Butler?

According to the county FAQ, a water heater swap may also need an electrical permit, which starts at $38. A project over $5,000 needs a recorded Notice of Commencement.

What affects installation cost →

02 / COMPANIES WE FOUND

Who replaces water heaters in Lake Butler?

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 Lake Butler 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 Lake Butler 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 LAKE BUTLER

What Lake Butler homes are like.

2003Median year built

8%Built before 1980

87%Owner-occupied

10%Heat with utility gas

90%Single-family homes

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

85% 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 Lake Butler.

A 2000s building boom

About 50% of Lake Butler's homes were built between 2000 and 2009, and another 18% since 2010 (ACS 2020-2024). So many of the area's original water heaters went in within the same few years.

U.S. Census Bureau - ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25034 ↗ · data.census.gov - community profile ↗

Detached, owner-occupied homes with some gas

About 86% of homes are detached single-family houses, and only about 13% of households rent. About 9.8% heat with utility gas and 2.4% with propane, so a gas or propane replacement is an option for a fair number of homes.

U.S. Census Bureau - ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25024/B25003/B25040 ↗ · data.census.gov - community profile ↗

Western Regional water, low sodium

Orange County Utilities' 2025 report lists sodium of up to 17 ppm for the Western Regional system. Like the rest of OCU, it stopped adding fluoride in 2025 after a state law change. The report doesn't list total hardness.

Orange County Utilities - 2025 Annual Drinking Water Report ↗

ENERGY & WATER

Who supplies Lake Butler homes.

Energy

Electric: Duke Energy Florida or Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) (Both serve unincorporated Orange County; check your bill or address, since we didn't confirm the line in Lake Butler)
Gas: Peoples Gas (TECO) (Peoples Gas lists unincorporated Orange County, though most Florida homes heat water with electricity)

OUC petition to Florida PSC, Docket 20200107-EM (service area) ↗ · Florida PSC map: approximate investor-owned electric utility service areas (2024) ↗ · Peoples Gas tariff Sheet 6.101, counties and communities served ↗

Water

Orange County Utilities (Western Regional Water System), based on the service-area map in OCU's 2025 report

Orange County Utilities 2025 Annual Drinking Water Report (service area map p. 10) ↗

REBATES & CREDITS

Rebates for Lake Butler homes.

For Duke Energy Florida or Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) and Peoples Gas (TECO) customers in Lake Butler. 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 Lake Butler.

Permits and who issues them

A water heater replacement needs a plumbing permit and possibly an electrical permit, according to Orange County's permit FAQ. Get the plumbing permit on Fast Track, the county's online system. The job must at least pass a final inspection.

Contractors with a state license can get permits. For locally licensed trades, Orange County also issues local competency cards ($69 for a first contractor or master certification).

Orange County Division of Building Safety (unincorporated Orange County) ↗ · Orange County: Do I need a permit? ↗ · Orange County: Plumbing Permit ↗ · Orange County Fee Directory (plumbing fees 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 Lake Butler.

Permit and utility comparison for nearby cities
City	Distance	Permit to replace	Fee	Electric
Winter Garden	4 mi	Required	By job value (from $30)	Duke Energy Florida
Doctor Phillips	5 mi	Required (county)	$38	Duke Energy Florida or Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC)
Ocoee	6 mi	Required	$50	Duke Energy Florida
Horizon West	6 mi	Required (county)	$38,	Duke Energy Florida, OUC (Orlando Utilities Commission)
Pine Hills	7 mi	Required (county)	$38	Duke Energy Florida, OUC (Orlando Utilities Commission)
Oak Ridge	8 mi	Required (county)	$38	Duke Energy Florida or Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC)

COMMON QUESTIONS

Lake Butler water heater questions.

Is Lake Butler water hard?

Orange County Utilities' 2025 report for the Western Regional system doesn't give a hardness number. Ask OCU or test your tap before choosing a softener.