The GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater by General Electric is a heat pump water heater. Heat pump water heaters are very efficient because they do not make heat but merely transfer heat from the ambient air into the water in the tank using a reverse refrigeration process.
The GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater is one of the most efficient ways you can heat domestic hot water for your home with an Energy Factor of 2.35 operating in the hybrid mode. In fact it can consume up to 62% less energy and save about $320 per year when compared to a regular electric water heater. Based on this tremendous savings of energy the government is offering rebates and tax credits to help offset the cost of buying and installing a heat pump water heater. The rebate programs vary by state and you should check your states program for details before purchasing. The Income Tax Credit is 30% of the price to purchase and install the water heater up to a maximum of $1500. The DOE estimates that if every person buying an electric water heater this year purchased a heat pump water heater carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 19.6 billion pounds.
The GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater has a heat exchanger coil and compressor mounted on top of the unit with another heat exchanger coil wrapping the tank from top to bottom. This heat pump draws room air through the heat exchanger also known as the evaporator on the top of the unit taking heat from the ambient air. This air is cooled and discharged out of the unit cooling the air in the surrounding area. This cooling process also dehumidifies the air extracting moisture from the air so a condensate drain must be provided. The heated refrigerant is then pumped down through the coil surrounding the tank heating the water.
- When the eHeat mode is selected only the heat pump is used for heating the water, this is the most efficient mode of operation but it is also the slowest to recover and if the demand is high such as a large household or visitors may not meet your needs.
- The Hybrid Mode, which is the recommended mode of operation, uses both the heat pump and the elements combined to deliver both higher recovery of the resistance elements and the savings of heat pump operation.
- The High Demand mode is for use when your hot water usage is higher than normal and increases the usage of the resistance elements to deliver a higher recovery rate then reverts to heat pump use when the elements are no longer needed.
- The Standard Electric Mode uses only the resistance elements for water heating and the water heater acts as a standard electric water heater.
The GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater also can be set for vacations where you can input the number of days from three to ninety days, you are going to be away and the water heater temperature will be lowered to 50-degrees F using the most efficient way to heat the water then turn back up one day before you arrive home again. The GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater has a fifty-gallon tank, and can have a temperature setting from 100 to 140-degrees F while holding within plus or, minus 3-degrees F. The GeoSpring is 60 ½” high and 21 ¾’ wide, weighing 190 lbs. empty. The GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater requires 208/240-volts on a 30-amp circuit for operation and has a noise level of 58 DBA when operating.
The GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater models GEH50DNSRSA and GEH50DXSRGA come with a Limited 1-Year Warranty on Parts and Labor, and a 10-Year Parts Warranty. The GeoSpring can be found at Lowe’s, Sears and other locations with an MSRP of $1699.