The manufacturing of the heaters is to take place in the company’s Appliance Park facility in Louisville. GE will use a new patented technology to manufacture the water heaters.
With this, GE will emerge as the first manufacturer to create water heaters that comply with the DoE’s 2009 Energy Star standards.
The new GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater is designed to provide hot water using only half the energy required to produce it. It combines energy-saving heating technology with traditional electric heating systems used in most standard water heaters.
This hybrid technology is designed to absorb heat in ambient air and transfer it the water. Since it requires much less energy to absorb and transfer heat than it does to generate it, the water heater provides the same amount of hot water while using less energy.
The water heater features a user-friendly electronic control system that offers as much or as little control of operating modes as consumers like. The thermostat can be set to required temperature or easily change the desired water temperature to maximize energy benefits.
The heater is scheduled to be launched in the last quarter of 2009.
