General Electric’s Consumer & Industrial division announced that it will start to manufacture highly energy efficient hybrid electric water heaters in Louisville, Kentucky, which will create about 400 new jobs. The new hybrid patented technology will make GE the first manufacturer to introduce a water heater that will meet the new 2009 Department of Energy ENERGY STAR standards for heat pump hot water heaters, putting GE well ahead of the competition, a position their recent financial troubles has made precarious.

“We made the decision to build these products in Louisville because of the strong support from our state and local governments and the cooperative spirit of our Union leadership and our employees at Appliance Park. This clearly indicates GE’s vote of confidence in this facility and our employees as a place where we can invest in our future, continuing our 50+ year history,” said GE Consumer & Industrial President and CEO James Campbell. “Leadership from Governor Steve Beshear, Mayor Jerry Abramson, IUE-CWA President Jerry Carney and many others will help rebuild America’s manufacturing base, create jobs and enable innovative, energy-efficient American-made products to be competitive in the marketplace.”

The new industry-exclusive GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater is designed to provide hot water in the quantities homeowners demand but uses only about half the energy of conventional water heaters to produce it.