Revised federal regulations require new water heaters to meet updated energy efficiency standards. Although the newer models are more efficient, they also cost more than the traditional units that have been on the market, said officials at several local companies who handle water heaters.

While you may pay a bit more up front, you’ll pay less in the long run in terms of energy savings, said John Phillips, president of Phillips Energy at Gloucester Point and Mathews.

Phillips said his and other companies can sell old, less energy-efficient models of traditional tank water heaters until they can no longer procure them from dealers, some of whom have stockpiled the older models. But Phillips estimates that supply will be gone in a year or so.

Customers will then have to purchase one of the energy-efficient models or consider a tankless heater—which heats water as needed, called “on demand,” and does not store it—popular in Europe and Asia for many years.

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