GE Launches #GeoSpring™ – Its Most Energy-Efficient, Hybrid Electric Water Heater
Earlier this year, GE Appliances opened its GeoSpring™ Hybrid Water Heater manufacturing facility at Appliance Park in Louisville, Ky. – the first new plant to open there since 1957. The $38 million investment in the new product line and a revitalized facility was the first milestone in commitments GE has made to invest a total of $1 billion – $800 million in Louisville – and create more than 1,300 new jobs in the U.S. by 2014. The new product and other recent investments at Appliance Park has also created hundreds of highly skilled salaried jobs in fields like engineering, industrial design and manufacturing as well as hourly operator positions.
Lean manufacturing and a more competitive wage structure for new employees led to the selection of Louisville as the production site for the new water heater instead of China, where an earlier version of the product was made. Not only is the new product now be made more competitively in the U.S., the GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater, developed by the Louisville team, it has an enhanced feature set, offers better performance with greater energy savings and is more affordable for consumers.
The GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater combines energy-saving heat-pump technology with traditional electric heating elements. Hybrid technology absorbs heat in the ambient air and transfers it into the water. Since this requires much less energy than the energy used to generate radiant heat – as used in a conventional electric tank water heater – the GeoSpring Hybrid Electric Water Heater is more economical to operate.
The new GeoSpring Hybrid Electric Water Heater uses about 1830 kWh per year.* It saves approximately $325 per year, less than half the cost of a conventional electric water heater — that’s $3,250 in savings in energy costs over a 10-year period based on 10.65 cents per kWh, which means the new GeoSpring will pay for itself in less than 2.5 years.
The GeoSpring is available at national retailers as well as many local retailers and distributors. For more information on features and availability, click here.
*Based on DOE test procedure and comparison of a 50-gallon standard electric tank water heater using 4879 kWh per year vs. the GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater using 1830 kWh per year.
If you can invest in Louisville… why not Milwaukee as well rather than such a disasterous decision of moving Medical Headquarters to China?
MORE ABOUT THE GEO SPRING HYBRID ELECTRIC WATER HEATER, PLEASE.
WHEN IS IT ON “THE MARKET”??
HOW IS THE INITIAL PRICE COMPARISON?
HOW ABOUT THE UNIT SIZE COMPARISON??
ARE YOU OVERSEAS YET?
I AM WRITING FROM ENGLAND..
WE ALL NEED HELP THESE DAYS..
CAN YOU GIVE A PAYOUT COMPARISON FOR A GIVEN $/KWH ???
I AM A RETIRED [M.D} FROM VETCO OFFSHORE… THANK YOU,
HOWARD SMITH
I would like to know the cost of this water heater & installation to know if it is worth the extra cost….also I am a retiree of GE and was wondering if there is an employee rebate that goes along with the regular rebate?
Hi Ted,
GE did not move its medical headquarters to China. Please see: http://www.gereports.com/ge-and-china-growing-market-overseas-more-jobs-at-home/
At the end of July, GE Healthcare announced it would move 4 executives of the X-Ray Division to China to lead the development of specific products for use in China. Subsequent media reports inaccurately described the announcement – GE is not moving its entire X-Ray Division to China. The team on the ground in China will develop X-Ray products suited to the specific needs of the Chinese market: for example, Chinese hospitals in rural markets require very basic products. This on the ground business development will help support jobs at home.
GE’s overall business in China—across all divisions—will support nearly 4,500 American jobs, including those along GE’s U.S. supply chain.
Hi Howard,
For more info see here: http://www.geappliances.com/heat-pump-hot-water-heater/
Hope that helps!
Hi Daniel,
New products are added all the time to the GE Appliances store. You can access the store and see the details for yourself at http://www.geappliances.com/employee-retiree-store.htm
Thanks for your interest!
I purchased and have been using a GE Hybrid Water Heater
since 03/2011. It has performed well. It sits in the
corner of my garage – it looks great and better yet, we
have never run out of hot water, even after 4 people have taken showers. Looks like a great product. Proud
to be a GE Retiree. Oh, forgot the most important thing: My power usage has gone down. Because nothing else has changed – I will credit my hybrid H2O heater.
Thank you Robert!
As a side benefit will it dehumidify the space around the unit?
Hi Bill,
Good question, see here: http://www.geappliances.com/heat-pump-hot-water-heater/
You can also click “Support” on that page to ask a question. Hope that helps!
As a GE retiree are there any rebates from GE with the purchase of this water heater?
Hi John,
Yes, check out http://www.geappliances.com/employee-retiree-store.htm
Thanks for your service!