the Hamptons
Water heaters in the Hamptons: tank, tankless or heat pump, what each costs installed, and the $1,200 rebate
A 40-gallon tank water heater costs $800–2,300 installed, a 50-gallon $800–2,500, a 75-gallon $1,100–4,000; gas $700–2,700, propane $700–2,500, electric $600–3,500. A whole-house tankless averages $2,638 ($1,404–3,901) and a heat-pump water heater $1,200–3,500, with PSEG Long Island rebating up to $1,200 on an ENERGY STAR heat-pump model; the federal 25C credit ended after 2025. Tank heaters last 6–15 years by one guide and 8–12 by another; tankless about 20. New York’s plumbing code requires a relief valve set no higher than 210°F and 150 psi and, on a closed system, an expansion tank.
Last updated · Reviewed by Wainscott Plumbing Co.
Three kinds
Tank. The standard: 40, 50 or 75 gallons, gas, propane or electric, $600–4,000 installed by size and fuel, labor $150–450 for a like-for-like swap. Six to fifteen years by one guide, eight to twelve by another; the guides disagree and we print both. In a house on propane or oil, which is most of the South Fork outside the village centers, this is what is usually in the basement.
Tankless. Heats on demand, no tank to fail, about 20 years of life: $2,638 average installed, $1,404–3,901 typical, $380–6,000 across the market by unit and fuel, with labor of $600–1,900 because venting and gas supply usually change; permits $50–500. Gas or propane units run $1,000–1,500 in equipment with operating costs of about $200 (gas) or $350 (propane) a year by one guide; electric whole-house units from $450–1,500 and single-point units $100–250. A second-home owner who arrives Friday night to a cold house likes tankless for the same reason a full house of guests in August does.
Heat pump. An electric tank that pulls heat from the air around it, $1,200–3,500 installed, and the one with money behind it: PSEG Long Island rebates up to $1,200 on an ENERGY STAR heat-pump water heater in 2026. It wants a basement with some air volume and warmth, which the houses here have. The federal 25C credit that covered 30% of the cost ended for equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025.
What it costs (2026, national)
| Heater | Installed |
|---|---|
| Tank, 40 / 50 / 75 gallon | $800–2,300 / $800–2,500 / $1,100–4,000 |
| Tank by fuel: gas / propane / electric | $700–2,700 / $700–2,500 / $600–3,500 |
| Tankless, whole-house | $2,638 average; $1,404–3,901; $380–6,000 full range |
| Heat-pump (hybrid) | $1,200–3,500; PSEG LI rebate up to $1,200 |
| Labor: tank swap / tankless | $150–450 / $600–1,900 |
| Permit, tankless | $50–500 |
| Repair, not replacement | about $550 |
The fuel
The place-level heating-fuel split for East Hampton is roughly half oil, a quarter propane and a sixth natural gas, and Southampton village two-fifths oil and a third gas, per figures our sheet rates low; the county as a whole is gas-dominant and the South Fork is not, which is why the propane price matters here: $3.086 a gallon statewide in July 2026 by NYSERDA’s survey, with heating oil at $5.42 on Long Island. A house that is on gas mains is the exception east of the village centers, and the plumber should know before quoting a gas tankless.
The code
The 2020 Plumbing Code of New York State, read verbatim: a storage water heater needs an approved temperature-and-pressure relief valve set no higher than 210°F and 150 psi (or the tank’s rating), located to sense the top six inches of the tank, discharging through an air gap in the same room and never straight into the drain; and where the heater is fed through a check valve, pressure-reducing valve or backflow preventer, a thermal expansion tank goes on the cold supply downstream of them. Most SCWA-fed houses with a backflow device are closed systems; the expansion tank is not optional. Water-heater permits are the building department’s; the Town of East Hampton publishes no plumbing-specific line, so the plumber files what the town asks.
FAQ
Common questions
Tank or tankless: which water heater for a Hamptons house?
A tank if the budget and the basement are ordinary: $800–2,500 installed for 40–50 gallons, labor $150–450 for a swap, 6–15 years of life by one guide and 8–12 by another. A tankless if the house fills up on Fridays and empties on Mondays: $2,638 average installed ($1,404–3,901), labor $600–1,900 because the venting and gas change, about 20 years of life, and no tank to fail in an empty house. A heat-pump water heater if the basement is big and warm: $1,200–3,500 installed and PSEG Long Island rebates up to $1,200 on an ENERGY STAR model in 2026, the only water-heater rebate left after the federal credit ended in 2025. On a propane or oil house, which is most of the fork, the fuel at the street decides more than the brochure does.
Do I need a permit to replace a water heater or boiler in East Hampton?
Ask the building department, because it does not say online. The Town of East Hampton’s Building Department publishes its permit requirements — two sets of quarter-inch plans, licensed-contractor documentation, notarized signatures, workers’ compensation, a survey — and a 13-question FAQ that never mentions plumbing, water heaters, boilers or gas piping; its fees rose in May 2024 and its desk ran 16–20 weeks behind in 2026. The Village of East Hampton issues in two to four weeks. The general pattern for like-for-like equipment swaps that touch no structure or service is a lighter permit, but no Town page states it, so we do not. The code applies either way: a temperature-and-pressure relief valve set no higher than 210°F and 150 psi, and an expansion tank on a closed system. The plumber we send you to files what the department asks.
How does Wainscott Plumbing Co. work?
You tell us about the house once: where it is, what is wrong or what you want done, and when. We put you in touch with one licensed, insured plumber who works your town and does that kind of work, and they call you within one business day, sooner for an emergency. From there it is their quote, their schedule, their warranty. It is free for homeowners; participating plumbers pay us a referral fee for the introduction. We are not a plumbing company, and we do not sell your details; the one company we send you to is the only one that gets your number. If the job is really a septic installer’s, a well driller’s or a heating contractor’s, we say so first. We cover 9 South Fork towns and 6 kinds of plumbing work.
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Emergency Plumbing & Burst Pipes
What a burst pipe costs to fix ($200–3,000, about $500 typical), what the emergency call adds, the first ten minutes before the plumber arrives, and why one home in sixty files a water-damage claim every year.
Boilers & Heating Plumbing
Boiler replacement at $3,600–8,400 (about $5,900) by type and fuel on a fork that burns oil and propane, radiant floors at $6–20 a square foot, the combi disagreement, lifespans, and why there is no boiler rebate.
Winterization & House Reopening
Drain it or heat it: the 55°F rule insurers apply, what a winterization includes, the $580 shutoff and the $25 alarm, the temperatures the pipes will see, and the spring reopening.
Well Pumps & Water Treatment
A well pump at $975–2,821, a pressure tank at $800–3,800, the iron and manganese in South Fork well water, what SCWA charges and is doing about lead and PFAS, and the softener price nobody publishes.
Remodel Plumbing & Gas Lines
Repiping at $8,000–13,500, fixtures from $150 to $5,500 installed, drains and sewers, a gas line at $15–30 a foot for the range, grill and pool heater, the permits, and the outdoor shower nobody prices.
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