International Builders’ Show Product Preview: GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater

Heating water for showers, loads of laundry and dishes, and other household needs can account for up to 25 percent of the average home’s total energy cost, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. GE hopes that figure will persuade homeowners to upgrade from a conventional electric storage-tank water heater to its new heat-pump water heater, expected out in the fourth quarter of 2009. Heat-pump water heaters are common in Japan, but GE's 50-gallon Hybrid Electric Water Heater represents the only U.S. version from a major manufacturer.

In heat-pump technology, heat is transferred from the air to water stored in an insulated tank.(The GE unit will also retain some traditional electrical heating elements, which will kick in when needed.) GE claims this new appliance will use 2,300 kilowatt hours annually, about half that of a standard electric water heater. Those savings could help defray its cost, which at $1,200 to $1,500 is several times that of a storage-tank unit.

GE says the new water heater will use the same electrical and water connections as a standard electric storage-tank unit, though the unit is taller.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Learn the proper way to size a water heater and read our report on tankless water heaters.

Comments

[Brian]

I hope GE with the help of higher electrical costs can finally be successful selling a very viable product. I have owned a heat pump water heater/home ventilation unit for 16 years with no problems. People need to put their money were their mouths are on this type of product, it works in almost any climate (is not fantasy energy like wind and solar), saves energy and outlasts the standard electric water heater. All you Al Gore disciples here is your chance to not be the typical envoirmental hypocite.

[Chuck Moss]

Brian,
Are there electric heat pumps other than the one GE will introduce in the US in the fourth quarter of '09? Who makes them, and where did you get yours?
Thanks.

[Salt Lake City electrician]

Hi,

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.
Salt Lake City electrician

[Ray Shulstad]

i live near Tampa FL & natural gas is not available so our gas hot water heater uses proppane which is getting more & more expensive. Can you give me an idea of the unit cost and operating cost of en electric water heater ( eg the GE hybrid electric water heater) vs those of a gas/propane heater?

[JD]

Or you could just use a gas water heater, at 1/3 of the cost, with better energy efficiency, and greater water heating performance. I predict this product will flop. You can buy a good gas tankless water heater for $1200 that costs less to operate and provide infinite hot water...so I don't really know what the advatage to this is, unless you have an all electric home.

[Laura]

What is the Energy Factor (EF) of the new heat pump water heater going to be? Will it fit through an attic door?

[Linda]

http://www.airgenerate.com/ You can have these benefits now. This is essentially what GE is putting on top of their new unit.

[da]

ef is 2.0

[Charlie]

Will this unit make sense in cold weather climates? My basement, where my hot water heater is located, is only about 68 degrees in the summer and down to the 50's in the winter.

[John Cameron]

What will the cost be for a 40 gallon GE Hybrid Electric Heat Pump Water Heater?

[Charlie]

How efficient will this unit be for the millions of homeowners who live in a cold climate, and have their hot water heater in their basement? I'd estimate the air temperature in my basement is only about 68 in the summer, and is in the 40's to 50's through the winter and most of the spring and fall. Is the energy and cost savings enough to justify replacing my aging water heater with this one?

[CharlieinNeedham]

GE has not been forthcoming with the real potential savings (if any)for these hybrid heat pump water heaters for homeowners in the North.
Although Rheem contains the same misleading cost savings prominently in their procuct ads, at least lower down they provide the following information:
"Energy Efficiency Zones
The map to the right indicates, on the average, the most favorable locations for heat pump water heaters. Annual weather patterns and other factors will determine your overall energy efficiency.
•Zone 1: Heat pump will be used most of the year (90-100%)
•Zone 2: Combination heat pump (60%) and electric heating elements (40%)
•Zone 3: Combination heat pump (50%) and electric heating elements (50%)"
Their zone map of the United States shows that Zone I includes the South, Zone 3 includes most of New England the Upper Midwest and the Rocky Mountain states, and Zone 2 includes the area in between. http://www.rheem.com/Products/tank_water_heaters/hpwh/hpwhhomeowner/

[CharlieinNeedham]

? cost savings and reliability in Connecticut study

The energy savings of these units are usually tested at an air temperature of 70 degrees.
As air temperature drops, however, the efficiency goes down. That is because the heat pump has to take the heat out of the air to heat cold water up to 130 degrees.
I have been trying to find a study done in households that will tell whether these hybrid heat pump water heaters will be anywhere near as effecient as their claims in actual use in northern households.
Even conferrering with an ENERGY STAR heat pump water heater representative, the following study in 15 Connecticut households is all that I can come up with: http://www.cee1.org/eval/db_pdf/277.pdf
In this study of (non GE) heat pump water heaters, only 6 of the 15 households reported a cost savings, even though the 9 month study included all 6 of the warmest months, and only 3 of the coldest months.

And 4 of the 15 units broke down before 9 months.

While these new GE units carry a 10 year guarantee on parts, there is only a one year guarantee on labor. Hopefully GE has engineered a superior product that will not have high maintenance costs.