[Article] Article: anatomy of a deal: water heater

April and I kinda like to be green when possible. We've started actually recycling a majority of waste now that our county has started a 'no-sort' recycling policy. Basically, you just throw your paper, plastic, and glass recyclables into a giant trashcan. They come by once a week, take the stuff away, and sort it themselves. Our recycle can now fills up MUCH faster than the regular one does. It's fantastic, and most importantly, convenient enough for me to make the extra effort. I like being green, as long as it isn't much work. It also helps if I can save money in the process, which leads me to this.

I was recently reading in Consumer Report an article about how to save energy (pronounced for me, money). They had a blurb in a side panel about hybrid electric water heaters qualifying for a tax credit through the end of the year. Hey sweet, kinda free money! Turns out that our water heater is almost 15 years old and more than likely on it's way out. I've done most of the yearly maintenance by draining it. However, I've NEVER checked the anode, because I didn't have a wrench big enough to get the damn thing off. So I've mostly taken care of it, but its almost certainly in its 4th quarter of life and horribly energy inefficient as compared to today's models.

Enter the tax credit generating hybrid electric water heater. If you aren't familiar with one, it's basically an electric water heater with a heat pump attached to it. The heat pump pulls heat out of the ambient air around it and somehow heats the water. I've no idea how 60 degree air can heat my water to 120 degrees. Being able to science must be cool. Overall, I guess I really don't care as long as it works. And I'm told it does.

So I bought one for what ended up being over half off. Here's how!

The GE GeoSprings water heater itself retails for $1199 for a 50 gallon model. Ouch. I don't know if you've looked at regular water heaters recently, but that's a sizable difference in price. It's certainly way more than I'd normally like to pay. So let's get cracking.

  • Price: $1199.00
  • The week that we bought it from Lowes there was a $200 coupon. Price: $999.00
  • You can go to the Post Office and request a 'movers pack' from them. In it contains a chit for Lowes that allows you to generate a 10% off coupon. Price: $899.10
  • We have credit cards that earn 5% cashback at grocery stores. Time to buy $1000 in Lowes gift cards and earn $50. Price: $849.10
  • There are portal websites to go through where you can earn cashback on your purchases. Upromise happens to have one that was offering 5% cash back for Lowes purchases. They seemed to calculate the price excluding coupons, so we got another $49.95. Sweet! Price: $799.15
  • As I mentioned the government is giving a tax credit of $300 for purchase of a hybrid water heater through the end of the year. That's $300. Price: $499.15
  • We were able to sell the old water heater since we actually replaced it before it died and made $50. Price: $449.15
  • And finally, there of course was tax on the purchase, so that bumped up the price a bit. Price: $516.58

So that's it. We ended up getting the water heater itself for 60% off the regular price. Of course some of this will take a bit of time to actually realize the savings. The Upromise credit has already shown up, but I think it's like 60 days before you can withdraw it. And obviously, I won't get the tax credit until I actually do my taxes.

Overall, a pretty good savings. And that doesn't include the $200-$300 that I was able to save by installing it myself. Probably the best part is that as compared to the old water heater, this thing should pay for itself in about 2-3 years, which is a pretty good payoff timeline. After that, its 'earning' me money.

Next up will be the fermentor/keezer that we'll be doing for April and Wes' Incestual brewery. I wonder if I can beat 60% off???!?!
 
i just checked out the rebates for here.

350 from my utility company
300 from the fed


thing cost 1200 at lowes



so id be at about your price point.

My hot water heater is less than 6 months old, replaced after a flood. I should have done this then and actually made money on the deal.
 
now you guys need to start composting. My sis does this. she claims once you get started it's easy. They have very little actual 'garbage.' there's 3 of them.

I sold my composter for $35 on craigslist. There's no way I'm keeping my organic garbage in the house until I dump it on top of the wormfarm container. (read: 'composter' for you naturalists.)
 
now you guys need to start composting. My sis does this. she claims once you get started it's easy. They have very little actual 'garbage.' there's 3 of them.

I sold my composter for $35 on craigslist. There's no way I'm keeping my organic garbage in the house until I dump it on top of the wormfarm container. (read: 'composter' for you naturalists.)
We have a composter out back that we throw stuff in occasionally... definitely not in our habit though.
 
my composter is a pile... in the woods.

You dont need those fancy spinny things.


i just realized that was a very ZRH'ey thing to say.

Im sorry.


It is though.
 
we didn't have a spinney thing. It was where you put the garbage on the top of the pile, the worms in the middle processed it, & you took the 'good' junk out of the bottom & put it around your yard/garden, etc.

I'd forget about it all the time. the random banana peel or coffee grounds seemed too little for all the effort.

But, we've been doing the 'all recycling in one bin' for 10+ yrs. I was kind of impressed how little actual garbage I had once we started recycling that way.
 
Nah, the bin just went from three small separate ones to one large one.

Oh, gotcha. Our bin is a massive blue single one, and they only collect it every two weeks so it fills up pretty quick. Especially when one's wife spends a lot of time on Amazon and Rue La La and then can't be bothered to break down the neverending stream of cardboard boxes.
 
Oh, gotcha. Our bin is a massive blue single one, and they only collect it every two weeks so it fills up pretty quick. Especially when one's wife spends a lot of time on Amazon and Rue La La and then can't be bothered to break down the neverending stream of cardboard boxes.
As of now they are still collecting ours on the regular cycle of once a week, but I bet that will change as they realize they don't need to
 
my composter is a pile... in the woods.

You dont need those fancy spinny things.


i just realized that was a very ZRH'ey thing to say.

Im sorry.


It is though.
Ours is just some chicken wire tied together to make a circle and shit is dumped into it and tossed around rarely.