Water Heater Installation in Aurora, IL
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Aurora asks a lot of a water heater
Winter nights here average 18°F, December through February, and homes need heat from October through May, eight months of the year. Your water heater is pulling in ground-cold water for most of that stretch, not just a few weeks of it.
Power is part of the picture too. Illinois saw 16% of households lose power for 24 hours or more in 2024, and the county has logged 19 winter storms and 190 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage. One with electronic ignition will not light again until power is back. Whichever type goes in, it has to meet the federal efficiency minimum, which is not one number but a formula based on the tank's size.
- 18°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 16%
- of Illinois households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A heat pump water heater would save about $360 a year to run in Illinois compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Illinois home, from EIA household energy data and Illinois fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- The clearest sign is age. Most storage water heaters last about a decade before the tank itself is more likely to fail. Watch for water that takes longer to heat, rusty or metallic-tasting water, or rumbling and popping sounds from sediment built up inside the tank. Any water pooling at the base of the tank means it is leaking and needs to be replaced, not repaired.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of your hot water and what your home can support. A tankless unit heats water on demand instead of storing it, so you get a continuous supply and it takes up less space than a tank. Switching usually means changes to the gas line, venting, or electrical supply, since tankless units draw more power at once than a storage tank does. A contractor can look at your home and tell you what that would involve for your setup.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is that hot water gets heated as you use it instead of sitting ready in a tank. That means no more running out of hot water partway through a long shower, but it also means the unit needs enough gas supply or electrical capacity to heat water fast, which often means upsizing the gas line or adding circuits. Venting is different too, since tankless units usually require their own dedicated vent. Installation typically takes more work than swapping one tank for another because of these changes.