Storage tank
$1,600–$2,400Typical cost, including installation
WATER HEATER REPLACEMENT IN PALM RIVER-CLAIR MEL
Palm River-Clair Mel Water Heater
Replacement
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See what replacement costs ↓PALM RIVER-CLAIR MEL AT A GLANCE
Replacing a water heater in Palm River-Clair Mel.
Palm River-Clair Mel is unincorporated, so a water heater swap needs a $130 Hillsborough County plumbing permit; Tampa Electric supplies power. Along McKay Bay and the Palm River on Tampa's southeast edge, it gets almost all its water from the City of Tampa. More than 40% of the area is mapped floodplain.
Palm River-Clair Mel 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)
- Permit fee
- $130 for a residential Plumbing (General) permit, with no water heater line on the schedule (effective Oct. 5, 2024).
- Who gets the permit
- A licensed contractor. Or the homeowner, under Florida Statute 489.103(7), when the home is in their name and is their main home; they sign an Owner Builder Disclosure Statement and can't sell for one year after the work.
- Electric utility
- Tampa Electric (TECO)
- Gas utility
- Peoples Gas
- Water
- City of Tampa (about 72% of the CDP) or Hillsborough County's Seaboard system, which buys Tampa water (about 23%); small South-Central area · City of Tampa water: 211 mg/L (12.3 gpg), 2025
- Rebate worth checking
- Peoples Gas residential water heating rebates (Active)
- Typical home
- Built 1993 (median) · 61% owner-occupied
- Companies found
- 2 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 Palm River-Clair Mel averages or guaranteed quotes.
Compare what each quote includes.Equipment · Labor · Permits · Old heater removalHow to compare quotes →
What we know about prices in Palm River-Clair Mel
- National installer’s published rangeThe ranges above. Home Depot ↗
- Local permit fee$130 for a residential Plumbing (General) permit, with no water heater line on the schedule (effective Oct. 5, 2024).. Hillsborough County Development Services (Building Services) 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 Palm River-Clair Mel average is shown.
What can change the price in Palm River-Clair Mel?
Gas work needs its own $130 residential 'Gas (General)' permit, and electrical work a $130 'Electrical (General)' permit, both from the same schedule.
02 / COMPANIES WE FOUND
Who replaces water heaters in Palm River-Clair Mel?
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 Palm River-Clair Mel 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 Palm River-Clair Mel 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.
Order: companies based in Palm River-Clair Mel 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 PALM RIVER-CLAIR MEL
What Palm River-Clair Mel homes are like.
1993Median year built
36%Built before 1980
61%Owner-occupied
3%Heat with utility gas
72%Single-family homes
The median home was built in 1993. A first or second replacement is common in homes this age.
95% 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 Palm River-Clair Mel.
Tampa water, directly or resold
Our estimate from the county's water map puts about 72% of the area in the City of Tampa's water area and about 23% in the county's Seaboard system, which buys Tampa water and passes it on without more treatment. Only a sliver is on the county's South-Central system. Tampa's 2025 report gives average hardness of 211 mg/L (about 12.3 gpg).
Hillsborough County GIS - Utilities Service Areas, 'HC Water Service Area' layer ↗ · Hillsborough County GIS - Utilities Service Areas, 'COT Water Service Area' layer ↗ · Hillsborough County 2025 Water Quality Report - Seaboard System ↗ · City of Tampa Water Department - 2025 Water Quality Report ↗
About four in ten acres are floodplain
Our estimate from FEMA's flood map puts about 43% of the area in special flood hazard areas, almost all AE. Open water is only about 2%, so this is mostly land. In those zones, the county adds each permitted improvement, water heaters included, to a 12-month running cost total under its substantial-improvement rule.
FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer - Flood Hazard Zones ↗ · U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb - Census Designated Places (ACS 2025 vintage) ↗ · Hillsborough County - Substantial Damage/Improvement Guidelines ↗
Renters and older homes
About 40% of households rent, and about 20% of homes were built before 1970 (ACS 2020-2024). There are also roughly 780 mobile homes (7.2% of homes), which fall under HUD's appliance rules.
U.S. Census Bureau - ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25024/B25034/B25003 ↗ · data.census.gov - community profile ↗ · 24 CFR 3280.707 - Heat producing appliances (HUD Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards) ↗
ENERGY & WATER
Who supplies Palm River-Clair Mel homes.
Energy
- Electric: Tampa Electric (TECO) (serves all of Hillsborough County and parts of Pasco, Pinellas and Polk)
- Gas: Peoples Gas (Peoples Gas lists a Tampa service area; check whether gas reaches your street)
Pinellas County Economic Development – Utilities (Tampa Electric territory description) ↗ · Peoples Gas – Tampa service area page ↗
Water
City of Tampa (about 72% of the CDP) or Hillsborough County's Seaboard system, which buys Tampa water (about 23%); small South-Central area: City of Tampa water: 211 mg/L (12.3 gpg), 2025
Hillsborough County GIS - Utilities Service Areas, 'HC Water Service Area' layer ↗ · Hillsborough County GIS - Utilities Service Areas, 'COT Water Service Area' layer ↗ · Hillsborough County 2025 Water Quality Report - Seaboard System ↗ · City of Tampa Water Department - 2025 Water Quality Report ↗
REBATES & CREDITS
Rebates for Palm River-Clair Mel homes.
For Tampa Electric (TECO) and Peoples Gas customers in Palm River-Clair Mel. 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 29, 2026. Who qualifies and the conditions: Florida rebates · How to check an incentive.
PERMITS & LICENSING
Permits and licenses in Palm River-Clair Mel.
Permits and who issues them
A water heater replacement in unincorporated Hillsborough County requires a plumbing permit. The county's exemption page says HB 803 (2026) doesn't cover plumbing; you can skip a permit only for leak repairs, toilet clogs and septic cleaning. The permit means inspections, not plan review, and it's filed on HillsGovHub.
The county's advice: hire someone with a valid contractor license who is insured to work in Hillsborough County. You can check licenses on HillsGovHub or the state DBPR site.
Hillsborough County Development Services (Building Services) ↗ · Hillsborough County – Permits for Homeowners ↗ · Hillsborough County – Work Exempt from Permits ↗ · Hillsborough County – Building Permit Fees ↗ · Hillsborough County Building Permit Fee Schedule (PDF, effective Oct. 5, 2024) ↗
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 Palm River-Clair Mel.
| City | Distance | Permit to replace | Fee | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progress Village | 3 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| Brandon | 5 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| East Lake-Orient Park | 6 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| Mango | 6 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| Gibsonton | 7 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| Tampa | 7 mi | Required | $120 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
COMMON QUESTIONS
Palm River-Clair Mel water heater questions.
Why is my Palm River water bill from the county if the water is Tampa's?
Parts of the area are on Hillsborough County's Seaboard system, which buys treated water from the City of Tampa and resells it. Other addresses are billed by Tampa directly.
Hillsborough County 2025 Water Quality Report - Seaboard System ↗ · Hillsborough County GIS - Utilities Service Areas, 'HC Water Service Area' layer ↗
Is my Palm River-Clair Mel home in a flood zone?
Quite possibly: about 43% of the area is in FEMA special flood hazard areas. Look up your address on FEMA's Map Service Center.
FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer - Flood Hazard Zones ↗ · FEMA Flood Map Service Center (look up an address) ↗
More guides: Florida water heater replacement · All local guides