Electric water heater shipments top 5 million in 2025 as gas lags
In 2024, residential electric water heater shipments crossed five million units for the first time on record, and in 2025, crossed it again
Image: Getty Images
U.S. shipments of residential storage water heaters have diverged by fuel type since the industry’s Covid-induced demand spike, AHRI data shows.
What’s happening: Manufacturer shipments of both gas and electric residential water heaters, on a rolling 12-month basis, grew from 2020 through 2021 and contracted from early 2022 until April 2023, when volumes bottomed out.
- Yes, but: As of December 2025, electric shipments sat 11 percent above that low point, surpassing their 2021 peaks. Gas shipments, meanwhile, sat seven percent above their April 2023 bottom and remain below their 2021 highs.
- (AHRI data excludes tankless water heaters.)
The big picture: In 2024, residential electric water heater shipments crossed five million units for the first time on record, and in 2025, crossed it again. Gas water heater shipments, though they came close in 2021, have yet to reach that mark.
Chart source: AHRI
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