More Efficient Water Heaters
Posted on April 6, 2008 Comments (6)
GE’s New Water Heater Could Kill 30 Coal Plants
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The water heater first uses a heat pump to bring the water up to the temperature of the ambient air. Then the electric water heater takes over, bringing the water up to 140 degrees F.
This new design is more than 50% more efficient than previous water heaters. If every home in America had one right now, we would need 30 fewer coal-fired power plants! Every home that installs one will see their yearly power bills drop up to $250. Because the new device uses a heat exchanger, it will actually make your furnace work harder during the winter. But in the summer, and in warm climates, it will actually help cool your house!
The new water heater will be available in 2009. A great deal of savings are available from simple actions like using compact fluorescent light bulbs, better insulation and when buying new appliances buying energy efficient appliances. Tankless water heaters, for example, are available now: Bosch AquaStar Natural Gas Tankless Water Heater.
Related: Wind-Powered Water Heater – Unglamorous Electricity Savings – The Magnetic Fridge – Engineers Save Energy – posts on decreasing our impact on the environment
6 Responses to “More Efficient Water Heaters”
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April 8th, 2008 @ 4:37 am
I have gas fired tankless water heaters at my home, my office and at 3 of our rentals. All are now working properly, but we encountered a number of issues when installing them.
I’ve put up a page describing some of the specification and installation problems we encountered, and how to resolve them:
http://paragoninspects.com/tankless-heater-home-inspection-evanston-chicago-il-faq.html
April 8th, 2008 @ 2:35 pm
michael — thank you so much for that informative link…
April 11th, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
Just reading about this on the day that GE’s stock has fallen big time due to earnings. However, products like these will in the end make GE a technological leader.
December 26th, 2008 @ 9:50 pm
I have been looking into these tankless hot water heaters. The installation is so much easier than it was a few years ago. The cost for having them install was around $5ooo in years back but now they have improved them to the point you can install them yourself if you are at all handy. I would probably hire it done however. I know a few people that own these tankless water heaters and the savings are huge. Plus the hot water is instant.
December 8th, 2011 @ 5:46 am
I got a lochinvar water heaters last year. Best puchase i have ever done! 🙂
March 16th, 2014 @ 11:51 am
I agree this water heater is super efficient but I think the nations coal plants are safe. Most people aren’t going to buying a new water heater because a new one is out they will wait until theirs breaks.