Product comparisons
Water Heaters compared, with a verified Canadian price.
9 products verified · checked Oct 6, 2026
For the Ontario homeowner facing "my tank just started leaking" or "my technician says it's time" — and for anyone Enbridge, Reliance, or Enercare has already called about a water heater rental. Nine verified units across three groups: tank water heaters (gas and electric, 40 to 50 gallon), tankless water heaters (gas and electric), and a heat pump water heater sized to compare directly against the two Rheem ProTerra heat pump water heaters already verified in our heat pumps comparison. Every row carries a verified Canadian price, a fuel type, a venting type, and a warranty read straight off the merchant's own page — not a rental quote, and not a marketing claim.
Tank water heaters (gas and electric, 40–50 gallon)
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| Product | Type | Fuel | Capacity | Venting | Warranty | Price | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giant 3000 W Electric Water Heater Standard 40 UK Gallon 182L (152STE-3F7M) Giant | Standard tank | Electric | 40 Imperial gallons (182 L) | None (electric) | 6-year tank, 1-year parts | $614.99as of Oct 6, 2026 Rona.ca → | Giant's standard 40-gallon electric tank, made in Canada with a magnesium anode rod and GreenFoam insulation — the budget pick for a household that already has electric service to the mechanical room. More+ Canadian-made (Giant, "Well Made Here") and the cheapest verified unit in this entire table at $614.99 – Only a 1-year parts warranty — the shortest in the tank group, and the 3,000 W element recovers more slowly than the gas power-vent tanks below |
John Wood PV50N-40 50 Gal. Power-Vent Natural Gas Water Heater John Wood | Power-vent tank | Natural gas | 50 US gallons | Power vent (fan-assisted) | 6-year tank and parts | $3,043.00as of Oct 6, 2026 4Most Energy Shop → | An A.O. Smith-made John Wood power-vent tank built for basements and mechanical rooms without a usable chimney — vents through PVC out a side wall instead of straight up. More+ Energy Star certified at 0.70 UEF — the highest-efficiency plain power-vent tank verified in this table – At $3,043 the most expensive tank we verified — a licensed gas fitter and the power-vent exhaust run add to that number before it's installed |
Rheem Performance 40 Gal. Power-Vent Gas Water Heater — 36,000 BTU Rheem | Power-vent tank | Natural gas | 40 US gallons (151 L) | Power vent (fan-assisted) | Heat exchanger 15 yr (residential), parts 5 yr, labor 1 yr | $1,498.00as of Oct 6, 2026 4Most Energy Shop → | Rheem's Professional-series power-vent gas tank, UEF 0.65, with fan-assisted venting for basements that can't run a standard chimney. More+ 36,000 BTU burner recovers quickly, and the 15-year heat-exchanger warranty outlasts every other gas tank in this table – Only a 1-year labor warranty, and the same Rheem Performance line is sometimes priced lower at Home Depot Canada — but Home Depot's own pages blocked every automated read we attempted, so we couldn't verify a current HD price to compare against |
Bradford White 40 Gal. Power-Vent Gas Water Heater Bradford White | Power-vent tank | Natural gas | 40 US gallons | Power vent (fan-assisted) | 6-year tank and parts | $1,840.00as of Oct 6, 2026 4Most Energy Shop → | A trade-only Bradford White power-vent tank with the Hydrojet total-performance system, which stirs sediment out through the drain instead of letting it bake onto the bottom of the tank. More+ Bradford White tanks are sold only through licensed contractors, not big-box stores — trade-only build quality with a Hydrojet sediment-reduction system – 6-year warranty is the shortest of the three gas tanks in this table, and it isn't sold at a counter you can walk into — only through an installer |
Prices and specs read directly from each merchant's Canadian product page on the date shown — never a guess. A product never appears here until we've verified it first-hand.
Tankless water heaters (gas and electric)
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| Product | Type | Fuel | Flow (GPM) | Venting | Warranty | Price | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rinnai RU199iN SENSEI SE+ Condensing Tankless Gas Water Heater Rinnai | Tankless (condensing) | Natural gas | Up to 11.0 GPM | Direct vent, PVC (runs up to 65 ft) | 15-year heat exchanger, 5-year parts, 1-year labor | $2,799.00as of Oct 6, 2026 4Most Energy Shop → | Rinnai's SENSEI SE+ condensing tankless, Energy Star qualified at 0.95 UEF, sized for a whole house rather than a single fixture. More+ 199,000 BTU and 11 GPM covers two showers and a dishwasher running at once, with PVC venting that's cheaper to run than stainless steel – At $2,799 for the unit alone, before a gas fitter and venting, this is a bigger upfront number than any tank in this table — see our rent-vs-buy FAQ below |
Navien NPE-240A2 Condensing Tankless Gas Water Heater with ComfortFlow Navien | Tankless (condensing) | Natural gas | Up to 11.2 GPM | Direct vent, PVC | 15-year heat exchanger, 5-year parts, 2-year recirculation pump | $2,890.00as of Oct 6, 2026 4Most Energy Shop → | Navien's flagship condensing tankless with factory-built ComfortFlow recirculation, engineered for cold-climate performance and Canadian winters. More+ Built-in ComfortFlow recirculation keeps hot water ready at the tap without a separate pump — the most "tank-like" tankless unit in this table – The highest sticker price we verified for any single unit in this table, at $2,890 for the equipment alone |
EcoSmart ECO 27 Electric Tankless Water Heater, 27 kW at 240V EcoSmart | Tankless (small whole-home) | Electric | 2.7–6.5 GPM (inlet-temperature dependent) | None (electric) | Lifetime on electronics, exchanger and element (parts only, no labor) | EcoSmart's largest electric self-modulating tankless unit, sized by the manufacturer for Canadian and northern-U.S. cold-climate inlet water. More+ At $947, the cheapest whole-home-capable tankless we verified, and the manufacturer's own listing states it's configured for cold inlet water as low as 37°F – Needs three 40-amp double-pole breakers and roughly 112 amps of panel capacity — many older Ontario homes will need an electrical panel upgrade first | |
Rheem RTEX-18 Electric Tankless Water Heater, 18 kW at 240V Rheem | Tankless (small whole-home) | Electric | Up to 4.4 GPM | None (electric) | 1-year limited | Rheem's 18 kW electric tankless, self-modulating, with external digital temperature control and copper immersion elements. More+ Rated to serve up to two showers at once with field-serviceable copper heating elements, and the best-reviewed electric tankless we checked at 2,102 verified Canadian ratings – Only a 1-year warranty, and several verified reviews describe heating-element or control-board failures after 2-3 years of hard use |
Prices and specs read directly from each merchant's Canadian product page on the date shown — never a guess. A product never appears here until we've verified it first-hand.
Heat pump water heaters
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| Product | Type | Capacity | Efficiency | Warranty | Price | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A.O. Smith Voltex HPTU-50N 50 Gal. Hybrid Electric Heat Pump Water Heater A.O. Smith | Heat pump water heater | 50 US gallons | 3.42 Energy Factor, 70-gallon first-hour rating | 10-year limited tank and parts | $2,990.00as of Oct 6, 2026 4Most Energy Shop → | A.O. Smith's Voltex hybrid electric heat pump water heater, sized here to compare directly against the two Rheem ProTerra units already verified in our heat pumps table. More+ Four operating modes (Efficiency, Hybrid, Electric, Vacation) trade off speed for savings, and its 70-gallon first-hour rating beats both Rheem ProTerra sizes in our heat pumps comparison – Needs a dedicated 208/240V, 30-amp circuit plus a condensate drain or pump — a bigger installation lift than a straight tank swap, and (unlike a space-heating heat pump) it doesn't qualify for Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program |
Prices and specs read directly from each merchant's Canadian product page on the date shown — never a guess. A product never appears here until we've verified it first-hand.
Also on Amazon.ca
A few things most owners of the systems above end up buying anyway — verified on Amazon.ca's own page, same rules as the table.
How we're free: Rows marked Affiliate link: the retailer pays us a commission if you buy are affiliate links: if you buy through them the retailer pays us a commission at no cost to you. Rankings are never for sale. How we make money →
Solimeta 2.1 Gallon Potable Water Expansion Tank
A closed plumbing system (a check valve, a pressure-reducing valve, or a backflow preventer added during any tank or tankless swap) needs somewhere for heated water to expand, or pressure spikes stress the tank and its relief valve every time the heater fires.
X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector Kit (4 Sensors + Base Station)
A failed tank or a tankless fitting that lets go while you're at work or asleep is the single most expensive water-heater failure mode — a Wi-Fi sensor placed under the tank or the tankless unit's isolation valves texts your phone before the basement floods.
Corro-Protec Powered Anode Rod
A sacrificial anode rod is the single part most responsible for a steel tank's lifespan — it corrodes so the tank doesn't. A powered rod never needs replacing, works on any of the gas or electric tanks above, and stops the rotten-egg smell some well-water households get from a standard magnesium rod reacting with sulfur bacteria.
Reviewed by John Moelker
Founder, CompareLocal.ca · Oxford County, Ontario · Updated Oct 6, 2026 · How we choose
Near you: Woodstock, Stratford, St. Thomas — local water, utility and installer notes for water.
How we chose
We open each product's own Amazon.ca listing or Canadian retailer page ourselves and read the price, BTU or kW, flow rate or capacity, venting type, and warranty off it before it appears here — see each row's source for the exact page and date. Tanks and gas tankless units are mostly not sold on Amazon.ca at all: we checked anyway (see each row's note) and came up empty, so five of our tank and gas-tankless rows link instead to 4Most Energy Shop, a Southwestern Ontario/GTA dealer that posts equipment-only CAD pricing online, and one links to Rona.ca for a Canadian-made Giant electric tank. Home Depot Canada's own product pages blocked every automated read we attempted — the same limitation already documented in our heat pumps comparison — so its Rheem Performance electric tank listing couldn't be verified and was left out rather than guessed. We are not gas fitters, electricians, or plumbers: installing or replacing a gas water heater needs a licensed gas technician working for a TSSA-registered contractor, full stop, and any new electrical circuit — the 208/240V, 30-amp circuit every electric tankless and heat pump unit here needs — requires an Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) permit. None of the equipment prices shown above include labour or permitting.
Already comparing the heat-pump water heater options? See the two Rheem ProTerra heat pump water heaters we've already verified →
On a well with hard water on top of an aging tank? Compare water softeners with a verified Canadian price →
Worried about a leak or a failed sump pump flooding the mechanical room? Compare sump pumps and their battery backups →
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to rent or buy a water heater in Ontario?
Almost always cheaper to buy outright if you can afford the upfront cost and plan to stay in the home for several years. Reliance's own published 2026 Ontario rental pricing guide prices a 40-gallon electric tank at roughly $20–23 a month and a 50-gallon power-vent gas tank at roughly $42–47 a month — that works out to about $2,400–$2,760 and $5,040–$5,640 over 10 years respectively, against a one-time $614.99 for the Giant electric tank or $1,498–$1,840 for the gas power-vent tanks in our table above, before any rental company's annual rate increase. Renting does bundle in no-charge repairs and same-day replacement if the unit fails, which is worth something; the trade-off is paying a premium for that insurance every month, for as long as you rent. If you already rent and want to buy instead, ask your rental company for a buyout quote — Reliance states the buyout amount is based on the age of the unit, not a fixed number, so get it in writing before you commit to a new purchase.
Does a tankless water heater actually work in an Ontario winter?
Yes, but its maximum flow rate drops as incoming water gets colder, and Ontario groundwater runs colder than some sizing charts assume. Every tankless unit's GPM rating is tied to a specific inlet temperature and a specific temperature rise — EcoSmart states its ECO 27 is "configured for climates where incoming water temperature can reach as low as 37°F" and delivers closer to 2.7 GPM at that temperature rather than its headline 6.5 GPM. Colder inlet water reduces tankless output generally, so size up rather than down if you're buying a tankless unit for a Canadian winter, and don't trust a GPM number on a box without checking what inlet temperature it was measured at.
Do I need a licensed gas fitter, and can I install a water heater myself?
For any gas unit in this table — tank or tankless — yes: Ontario requires gas work to be done by a licensed gas technician working for a TSSA-registered contractor, and that isn't optional for a DIY swap. Electric units carry their own licensing requirement too: every electric tankless and the heat pump water heater here need a dedicated 208/240V circuit, and any new circuit requires an Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) permit. We are not gas fitters, electricians, or plumbers, and none of the equipment prices shown above include labour or permitting. One more thing worth knowing before anyone shows up at your door: Ontario's Consumer Protection Act bans unsolicited door-to-door sales of water heaters outright — a salesperson can't knock on your door and sign you up unless you contacted them first — and even a solicited in-home sale still comes with a 10-day cooling-off period during which you can cancel the contract for any reason once you have a written copy of it (ontario.ca, "Door-to-door sales and home service contracts").
How long does a water heater actually last, and does the anode rod matter?
John Wood's own spec sheet for the PV50N-40 in our table states 8–12 years with proper maintenance, a realistic range for most tank water heaters in this comparison; tankless units typically run longer (15–20 years is commonly cited) because there's no standing water constantly corroding a steel tank wall. The sacrificial anode rod is the single part most responsible for a tank's lifespan — it corrodes on purpose so the tank itself doesn't, and once it's fully consumed, usually every 3–5 years, the tank starts rusting from the inside instead. A powered anode rod like the one in our consumables below never needs replacing and also stops the rotten-egg smell some well-water households get from a standard magnesium rod reacting with sulfur bacteria.
Is a water heater leak alarm actually worth it?
Given how much water a failed tank or a burst tankless fitting can put on a basement floor in a single night while you're asleep or at work, yes — a roughly $50 battery or Wi-Fi sensor is cheap insurance against a four- or five-figure flood-restoration bill, and some home insurers offer a small discount for having one installed. Place it directly under or beside the tank, or under the tankless unit's isolation valves, where any leak pools first rather than just somewhere in the general area. See our leak-detector pick in the consumables below — it alerts your phone over Wi-Fi rather than relying on you being home to hear a local alarm.
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