About the only advantage I can really think of, is with that touch screen/electronic crap, it beeped to let me know it was going bad. Although, it would have been nice if it had let me know sooner. I noticed my electric bill seemed a little high in January, but didn't think too much of it. However, for February, it was almost double what it was, compared to February of 2023. There were other factors at play (billing cycle was 4 days longer, electric rates about 5.4% higher, average temp a bit cooler at 41 degrees this time, vs 46 last time), but none of that would be enough to make it almost double. FWIW, average daily use went up about 63%, to 93KW per day. I've never gone that high before. My highest daily usage has always been in July. Winter's usually not THAT bad on the electric, because when it gets cold enough, the downstairs unit switches to oil backup.
I probably could go with a cheaper one, but figured I'd just do a direct replacement. FWIW, I looked at Home Depot, and the cheapest 50 gallon Rheem I could find, without the digital crap, and a 6 year warranty, and same overall shape, was about $520.
As for "Old reliable", I don't think they make those anymore. I imagine water heaters are like other appliances these days, built for efficiency, not longevity. So the days of one lasting 30 years are gone with the wind.
I'm wondering why installation is so expensive, though. I mean, I don't know how to do it, so there's obviously value to me in paying someone to do it. But still, it's two pipes and a wire. Why is that ~$1000? Or, around $1800, using an estimate from the first quote?
