Our current tank heater is about 2 feet from the wall so I figure
sweating in a few elbows and maybe 10 feet of copper tube and a few
feet of electrical isn't going to cost me $50 for an install. Not sure
how they come up with those installation charges, but the labor could
be the bulk of it. I don't think they would really "Have" to be wall
mounted if your current unit sits in the middle of a room. Just make a
little mock-up mounting platform and mount it to that if you want it to
remain in the same area.