Water heaters for Bellevue homes — tank, tankless, and heat pump

A water heater is the single most-replaced major appliance in a Bellevue home. Most homeowners face this decision once or twice in a decade-plus of ownership, and the wrong choice locks in $1,500-$3,500 of avoidable cost. The three current options — conventional storage tank, on-demand tankless, and heat pump (hybrid) — each fit a different household profile. This section breaks down the math by household size, gas line size, ownership horizon, and Bellevue-specific factors like soft municipal water (which extends tank life) versus harder well water in rural Sammamish/Issaquah areas (which kills tankless without descaling).