Three fuels, three conversations
Albemarle County heats its water three ways, and which way yours works decides half the service call. In the ACSA-served ring and the growth areas, natural gas and electric split the market. Out in the rural nine-tenths of the county, gas mains never arrived, so the choice runs electric or propane — and propane brings a tank in the yard, its own supplier relationship, and gas-train work that belongs to the licensed gas-fitting side of the trade. Virginia handles that cleanly: gas fitting is its own designation under the state's DPOR licensing system, typically held right inside plumbing and HVAC shops, so a properly credentialed pro can carry both the water side and the fuel side of your job — and should be able to say plainly which credentials cover which.
Water quality writes the other half of the story. Homes on RWSA reservoir water get a consistent, treated supply; homes on private wells inherit whatever their particular drilled seam delivers, and around this part of the Piedmont that can mean enough iron or mineral load to shorten element life and settle sediment on a tank floor years ahead of schedule. If your well water stains fixtures, tell the pro — it changes both the repair diagnosis and the replacement recommendation.