The GE tankless gas water heaters provide what no old-fashioned, tank-style unit ever could: a continuous flow of precisely heated hot water. There’s no tank, so it can’t run empty. And the water stays hot until you turn it off. 

The Department of Energy recently created a list of ENERGY STAR criteria with which residential water heaters should conform. GE is the first company to announce products which pass the ENERGY STAR standards. The first product to come out on May 1, 2008 will be the GE Tankless Gas Water Heater. The device has the ability to save 25 percent of water heating costs per year. This is because the system activates only when you need hot water, and immediately de-activates when you’re not using it.

The second device, called the GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater, will be released by the fourth quarter of 2009. The Hybrid Water Heater will produce the same hot water we’re all used to, except it will take only half the energy to run. The system absorbs heat from ambient air and uses it to warm the water inside the heater. This technology is combined with the usual electric heating system of more traditional water heaters. According to GE, the Hybrid Electric Water Heater could save $250 per year of operation.  According to GE, the Hybrid Electric Water Heater could save $250 per year of operation.

The new industry-exclusive GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater is designed to provide the same hot water homeowners are accustomed to, but requires only about half the energy to produce it. For example, based on the same standard tank water heater that uses approximately 4800 kWh per year, the new GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater is designed to:

• Use less than half of that energy – or about 2300 kWh per year– a savings of approximately 2500 kWh per year.
• Save approximately $250 per year— that’s $2,500 savings in energy costs over a 10-year period based on 10 cents per kWh.

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.

This hybrid technology is designed to absorb heat in ambient air and transfer it into the water. Since it requires much less energy to absorb and transfer heat than it does to generate it – as a standard electric water heater would – the GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater provides the same amount of hot water while using less energy.

The GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater features a user-friendly electronic control system that offers both simplicity and flexibility, giving consumers as much or as little control of operating modes as they like: Set the thermostat and forget it or easily change the desired water temperature to maximize energy benefits.

Target availability is the fourth quarter of 2009. The GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater is designed for easy installation because it uses the existing water and electrical connections and occupies the same footprint as a traditional tank water heater, making it perfect for new construction or a replacement upgrade.

GE also has a solution for consumers who use gas water-heating systems. The new GE Tankless Gas Water Heater provides hot water while using less energy than a standard-tank gas water heater because it only activates when you need hot water and it immediately de-activates when you turn off the water. This demand-activated technology allows users to receive a continuous supply of hot water.

Demand-activated technology also translates into significant energy savings. A GE tankless gas water heater could help homeowners save up to 25 percent annually on water heating costs compared to the operating costs of a standard 40-gallon-tank gas water heater.

The GE Tankless Gas Water Heater is offered in two sizes (7.5-gallon-per-minute flow and 9.4-gallon-per-minute flow), indoor and outdoor. The 7.5-gallon-per-minute flow is available for natural gas; the 9.4-gallon-per-minute flow is available for natural gas or LP gas.