diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 56557b0e0..6fdae105e 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -297,13 +297,6 @@ class User < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
 
-  def self.avatar_template(email)
-    user = User.select([:email, :use_uploaded_avatar, :uploaded_avatar_template, :uploaded_avatar_id])
-               .where(email: Email.downcase(email))
-               .first
-    user.avatar_template if user.present?
-  end
-
   def self.gravatar_template(email)
     email_hash = self.email_hash(email)
     "//www.gravatar.com/avatar/#{email_hash}.png?s={size}&r=pg&d=identicon"
@@ -314,7 +307,7 @@ class User < ActiveRecord::Base
   #   - self oneboxes in open graph data
   #   - emails
   def small_avatar_url
-    template = User.avatar_template(email)
+    template = avatar_template
     template.gsub("{size}", "60")
   end
 
diff --git a/lib/search/search_result.rb b/lib/search/search_result.rb
index 6e45bdb53..17ef418da 100644
--- a/lib/search/search_result.rb
+++ b/lib/search/search_result.rb
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ class Search
 
     def self.from_user(u)
       SearchResult.new(type: :user, id: u.username_lower, title: u.username, url: "/users/#{u.username_lower}").tap do |r|
-        r.avatar_template = User.avatar_template(u.email)
+        r.avatar_template = u.avatar_template
       end
     end
 
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ class Search
     def self.from_post(p)
       if p.post_number == 1
         # we want the topic link when it's the OP
-        SearchResult.from_topic(p.topic) 
+        SearchResult.from_topic(p.topic)
       else
         SearchResult.new(type: :topic, id: p.topic.id, title: p.topic.title, url: p.url)
       end