- Without the right water-based appliances for your home, you could waste money and sacrifice health benefits
- GE makes it easy to give your home a makeover, with a checklist of four solutions to consider
LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- June 12, 2013 --- (NYSE: GE) --- Water. It's one of the biggest staples of our day, but are you using it to your best advantage? Without the right water-based home appliances and replacement parts, you could end up wasting money on utility bills and sacrifice health benefits that come from clean, fresh drinking water.
"Often consumers realize they need a water softener or filter, but might not know the best option for their household," said Steve Downer, general manager for water and global products from GE Appliances. "Go through this checklist around your home tonight to make sure you are using water in the best way."
1. Make hard water harder to come by
Consumers across the country---85 percent to be exact---have hard water.1 It can be costly, resulting in water heater inefficiencies and requiring more detergent and soap to get clothes and dishes clean. A water softener is designed to remove calcium and magnesium, i.e., hardness, from your water. GE's water softeners eliminate scale buildup in your pipes and allow you to use less laundry detergent and dish detergent for cleaning. Softened water will also help extend the life of your water heater.
You can check your water's hardness by taking a few easy steps. If you live in a municipal area, contact your local water company for help. If you live in a rural area, or some suburban areas, you might have the additional option of contacting your county extension agent. Alternatively, an independent EPA-certified laboratory can test your household tap water for hardness, dissolved solids, iron, pH and amount of corrosiveness.
2. Regulate the power hog (aka water heater) in your home
Many homeowners don't realize their water heater is the second single-biggest, energy-consuming appliance in their home, behind the heating and cooling system.2 The technology utilized by the ENERGY STAR®-qualified GE GeoSpring™ hybrid electric water heater offers energy savings that cannot be matched by traditional electric technology. It saves 62 percent on electricity compared to a standard electric water heater, which equates to a savings of $325 per year on utility bills.3 Many local utilities offer rebates for energy-saving water heaters. View GE's Rebate Finder to easily find the rebates available in your area.
3. Consider refrigerator and under-sink filters that give you clean and fresh water
Refrigerator and under-sink water filters reduce contaminants in your drinking water and improve its taste and odor. Some of these filters even reduce chemicals---including certain pharmaceuticals---from the water. In fact, the newest GE French door refrigerators feature the first-of-its-kind water filtration system to have been tested and verified by an independent third party to remove 98 percent of five trace pharmaceuticals, including ibuprofen, atenolol, fluoxetine, progesterone and trimethoprim from water and ice.4
Change your refrigerator water filter every six months to ensure the cleanest drinking water. Sign up for GE's SmartOrder program, and receive water filters in the mail every six months.
4. Your water can "work" hard while it's soft on appliances and fixtures
You might not realize how much your home's water quality affects everyday happenings, from the clothes you wash to the dishes you clean. A GE whole-home water filtration system improves your home's "working" water by reducing sand, sediment, rust and chlorine at your home's main water supply. Your household appliances are protected and water quality is improved. You can feel good knowing you're making a difference in your working water, but not necessarily wasting energy and money to get to a high level you would only want for drinking water.
1. Water Quality Association (WQA), http://www.wqa.org/sitelogic.cfm?ID=472.
2. "Public Attitudes Toward Energy Efficiency and Appliance Efficiency Standards," Consumer Federation of America, March 2011. www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/CFA-Appliance-Efficiency-Report-3-11.pdf
3. Based on DOE test procedure and comparison of a 50-gallon standard electric tank water heater using 4879 kWh every year vs. the GeoSpring hybrid water heater using 1830 kWh every year.
4. The pharmaceuticals and other substances removed or reduced by this filter are not necessarily in any given water supply.
*Retailers set their own prices.
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GE Appliances
GE Appliances is at the forefront of building innovative, energy-efficient appliances that improve people's lives. GE Appliances' products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water filtration systems and water heaters. General Electric (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For more information on GE Appliances, visit www.ge.com/appliances.
Kim Freeman
GE Consumer & Industrial - Americas
[email protected]
502-452-7819