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Re-activateYou might have recently seen a TV ad showing a troop of snow monkeys bathing in a hot spring that's seemingly heated by the new GE GeoSpring electric heat-pump water heater. "Heating your water in your home any other way is going to seem primitive" the ad concludes as the monkeys soak blissfully in the steaming water.
It's a neat commercial, but what could be most interesting to you is how much money the GeoSpring water heater might save you. GE says the unit could reduce electric-water-heater operating costs up to 62 percent and save the average U.S. household $320 a year.
The GeoSpring works by reversing the workings of a refrigerator or air conditioner. An evaporator unit on top of the GeoSpring draws in ambient heat from the surrounding air. That heat is transferred to the water in the tank through condenser coils that spiral around the heater's tank. During periods of peak demand when the ambient air isn't warm enough, the heat pump can't keep up to heat the water sufficiently, so a pair of traditional electric heating elements kick in.
The GeoSpring, $1,700 without installation (you might find it for less), installs just like a conventional water heater. At 61 inches tall, the GeoSpring is 4 to 15 inches taller than standard GE electric water heaters. The GeoSpring also requires a drain or pump to remove the water that condenses during operating.
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