April 4, 08
GE Unveils a Hybrid Electric Water Heater That Cuts Energy Use In Half

GE the mega corporation in known for many things and like any company likes to make money. Sometimes money and eco friendly products converge like in the case of wind energy, where GE is the largest producer in the world. Green fortune has struck again with the introduction of GE's Hybrid Electric Water Heater that is currently in development and represents a quantum leap in home water heating technology.

GE Hybrid Water Heater

The new industry-exclusive GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater is designed to provide the same hot water homeowners are accustomed to, but requires only about half the energy to produce it. For example, based on the same size standard tank water heater that uses approximately 4800 kWh per year, the new GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater is designed to:

• Use less than half of that energy – or about 2300 kWh per year – a savings of approximately 2500 kWh per year.
• Save approximately $250 per year, and $2,500 savings in energy costs over a 10 year period based on 10 cents per kWh.

The GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater combines energy-saving heating technology with traditional electric heating systems used in most standard water heaters on the market today without sacrificing the amount of hot water it can deliver.

This hybrid technology is designed to absorb heat in ambient air and transfer it into the water. Since it requires much less energy to absorb and transfer heat than it does to generate it – as a standard electric water heater would – the GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater provides the same amount of hot water while using less energy.

The GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater features a user-friendly electronic control system that offers both simplicity and flexibility giving consumers as much or as little control of operating modes as they like: Set the thermostat and forget it or easily change the desired water temperature to maximize energy benefits.

Target availability is the fourth quarter of 2009. The GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater is designed for easy installation because it uses the existing water and electrical connections and occupies the same footprint as a traditional tank hot water heater making it perfect for new construction or a replacement upgrade.