Storage tank
$1,600–$2,400Typical cost, including installation
WATER HEATER REPLACEMENT IN UNIVERSITY
University Water Heater
Replacement
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See what replacement costs ↓UNIVERSITY AT A GLANCE
Replacing a water heater in University.
The University area is unincorporated, so a water heater swap needs a $130 Hillsborough County plumbing permit, not a City of Tampa one. Tampa Electric supplies power, and water comes from the City of Tampa at out-of-city rates. The area wraps around USF's Tampa campus: a dense, mostly rental district of apartment complexes, duplexes, mobile home parks and small block homes just outside Tampa city limits.
University 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, filed under the 'Plumbing (General)' residential permit 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. That means signing an Owner Builder Disclosure Statement and holding the property for a year after the work is complete.
- Electric utility
- Tampa Electric (TECO)
- Gas utility
- Peoples Gas (TECO)
- Water
- City of Tampa Water Department at outside-city rates (entire CDP in Tampa's service area on the county map) · 211 mg/L (12.3 gpg) average, City of Tampa 2025
- Rebate worth checking
- Peoples Gas residential water heating rebates (Active)
- Typical home
- Built 1986 (median) · 13% owner-occupied
- Companies found
- 3 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 University averages or guaranteed quotes.
Compare what each quote includes.Equipment · Labor · Permits · Old heater removalHow to compare quotes →
What we know about prices in University
- National installer’s published rangeThe ranges above. Home Depot ↗
- Local permit fee$130, filed under the 'Plumbing (General)' residential permit 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 University average is shown.
What can change the price in University?
'Gas (General)' and 'Electrical (General)' are each separate $130 residential permits on the schedule, so gas piping or new wiring may need its own. The county's video inspection list pairs a water heater replacement with a final electrical inspection.
02 / COMPANIES WE FOUND
Who replaces water heaters in University?
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 University 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 University 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.
Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup (Tampa)
Lists University 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 University 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 UNIVERSITY
What University homes are like.
1986Median year built
32%Built before 1980
13%Owner-occupied
4%Heat with utility gas
15%Single-family homes
The median home was built in 1986. A first or second replacement is common in homes this age.
94% of homes heat with electricity, which usually means an electric water heater. It’s worth getting a price on a heat pump model too.
Only 13% of homes are owner-occupied. Renters should ask the landlord or property manager; replacing the heater is usually the owner’s decision.
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 University.
Hard, ozone-treated river water from Tampa
On the county's map, the whole area is in the City of Tampa's water service area. Tampa draws mainly from the Hillsborough River, disinfects with ozone and then chloramine, and reported average hardness of 211 mg/L, about 12.3 grains per gallon, in 2025. That's hard enough that tank sediment and scale in tankless heaters are regular upkeep.
Hillsborough County GIS - Utilities Service Areas, 'COT Water Service Area' layer ↗ · City of Tampa Water Department - 2025 Water Quality Report ↗
Paying Tampa's outside-city water rates
Because the area is unincorporated, Tampa bills it at out-of-city rates. For October 2026, a single-family home pays $11.25 a month for the water base charge instead of $9.00, and $4.48 instead of $3.59 per 100 cubic feet in the first tier. Apartments pay similarly higher charges per unit. Every gallon a leaking relief valve or oversized tank wastes costs more here than across the city line.
City of Tampa - Residential water and wastewater rate schedule effective Oct. 1, 2026 ↗
Landlord duty in apartment buildings
Most University households rent, mostly in apartment complexes. Florida Statutes section 83.51 says landlords of units other than single-family homes and duplexes must provide hot water unless the written lease says otherwise. So a dead heater is usually management's job, and its licensed plumber gets the Hillsborough County permit.
Florida Statutes 83.51 - Landlord's obligation to maintain premises ↗ · data.census.gov - University CDP profile ↗
County repair help for owner-occupants
Homeowners here use Hillsborough County's Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program, not the City of Tampa's. The county program, funded by SHIP, covers water heater replacement for low-, very low- and moderate-income owners of single-family homes they've homesteaded for at least two years.
Hillsborough County - Funding available for residents to repair their homes (Sept. 15, 2026) ↗
ENERGY & WATER
Who supplies University homes.
Energy
- Electric: Tampa Electric (TECO) (covers most of Hillsborough County; confirm your address)
- Gas: Peoples Gas (TECO) (gas lines only on some streets; many homes use electric water heaters)
Tampa Electric – economic contribution (service area) ↗ · Peoples Gas residential water heating rebates ↗
Water
City of Tampa Water Department at outside-city rates (entire CDP in Tampa's service area on the county map): 211 mg/L (12.3 gpg) average, City of Tampa 2025
Hillsborough County GIS - Utilities Service Areas, 'COT Water Service Area' layer ↗ · City of Tampa Water Department - 2025 Water Quality Report ↗ · City of Tampa - Residential water and wastewater rate schedule effective Oct. 1, 2026 ↗
REBATES & CREDITS
Rebates for University homes.
For Tampa Electric (TECO) and Peoples Gas (TECO) customers in University. 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 University.
Permits and who issues them
University is unincorporated, so Hillsborough County issues the permit on HillsGovHub. The county finishes a water heater replacement with a final plumbing inspection and a final electrical inspection, and both can be done by live or 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 University.
| City | Distance | Permit to replace | Fee | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University | 0 mi | Required (county) | $38 | Duke Energy Florida, OUC (Orlando Utilities Commission) |
| Lake Magdalene | 3 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| Temple Terrace | 4 mi | Required | — | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| Lutz | 5 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| Carrollwood | 5 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
| Egypt Lake-Leto | 6 mi | Required (county) | $130 | Tampa Electric (TECO) |
COMMON QUESTIONS
University water heater questions.
I rent near USF and my water heater died. What happens next?
Tell your landlord or property manager in writing. In apartment buildings, Florida law makes hot water the landlord's job unless the lease says otherwise, and the owner's contractor gets a Hillsborough County permit, not a City of Tampa one.
Florida Statutes 83.51 - Landlord's obligation to maintain premises ↗ · Hillsborough County - Permits for Homeowners ↗
Is there help paying for a water heater in the University area?
Yes, for owners who live in the home and qualify by income: Hillsborough County's Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program covers water heater replacement. Tampa's own repair programs are only for city residents.
Hillsborough County - Funding available for residents to repair their homes (Sept. 15, 2026) ↗
Is the water hard in the University area?
Yes. It's City of Tampa water, which averaged 211 mg/L (about 12.3 grains per gallon) in 2025.
City of Tampa Water Department - 2025 Water Quality Report ↗
More guides: Florida water heater replacement · All local guides