Been pricing water heaters and dragging my feet, as I dreaded having to deal with changing out my slowly leaking heater. While at Costco, I saw that they had a new water heater program (gas, electric, tank-less, solar) in this area and I wanted to prove that doing it myself was the only cost effective solution. Well they proved me wrong, and I ordered one.
Price was about 30% more than a water heater alone, but included all installation, extra parts and comes with a 15 year parts AND labor warranty! Hard to find that warranty anywhere else. The installer was friendly and competent, even bringing me up to the latest building codes. All I had to do is hand them my Costco card, which is the best way to do a plumbing job.
So if you are a Costco member and looking for a water heater, you should really check out this new program.