GE to Members: Put Yourself in Hot Water

GE’s RealMAX water heaters, produced in its revamped Camden, S.C., plant, offer true capacity and key performance features.

Vendor pitches water heaters to BrandSource appliance dealers

YSN Staff 

Appliance dealers looking to expand their assortments without delving into an entirely different industry have an option they may not have considered — water heaters.  

BrandSource members attending last summer’s Convention 2024 in Dallas were presented with that possibility during a product training led by Alexa Ballard, GE Appliances’ commercial operations director-water heating.  

We’re No. 1

GE has been in the water heater business since 1999, she said, when the company licensed a full line of Rheem-made heaters for sale through The Home Depot. Within 15 years GE became the No. 1 brand of residential water heaters, she said. 

Related: GE Converts Refrigerator Factory to Water Heater Production 

Based on its experience, GE developed a program to help appliance dealers test the home heater waters that addresses the category’s main barriers to entry. The company’s Bodewell water heater program has no inventory requirements and includes comprehensive sales training and SPIFFs, an installation solution with a 20% rebate, digital ads and a free display offer with pop-up banners and a QR code that leads to a questionnaire and price quote request. 

Training options include virtual sessions and on-site training at dealer locations and GE’s Camden, S.C., or Appliance Park headquarters facilities in Louisville, Ky., Ballard said. 

Temperature’s Rising

Ballard also touted the benefits of GE’s water heaters, which have a safety shut-off feature, warranties as long as a dozen years and up to 5% more capacity and provide as much as 10% more hot water than competitors’ models, she said.  

Looking ahead, Ballard showcased several forthcoming heaters during the Convention training, including a GeoSpring heat pump expected next year and a tankless gas water heater slated for 2026. 

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