We are excited to introduce you to an innovative product that will lower your energy cost, reduce your carbon footprint, and enable you to leave a greener planet for the future.
Meet the GECCO - Green Energy Efficient Cost Conservation Optimizer.
Desert Camouflage
Jungle Camouflage
Rainbow
Smart Device App Screen
What is the GECCO?
The GECCO is a wireless tank water heater control unit. It attaches directly to your
water heater and connects to your smart devices enabling you to automate your water heater
so that it is only on when you need it.
Did you know that one storage tank water heater puts out as
much as 1,000 lbs. of carbon into the air every single year? Now imagine tens of millions
of water heaters doing the same every single day and night. It is estimated
that in the US alone, nearly 170 million metric tons of carbon is emitted! No
matter what your take is on environmental sustainability, this can’t be good.
On top of the carbon emissions, water heating constitutes 14% - 18% of your monthly energy bill.
In order to keep your water hot all day, your
water heater must keep reheating the water to the desired temperature, which is why it costs so much. While the
water heater keeps the water hot, it also loses heat due to what is called stand-by heat loss – the
heat seeps out through the walls of the tank. It is possible to wrap your water heater, but why
even have it on at all when you’re not using it?
Why do water heaters emit so much carbon and cost so much? Well, the average
family uses hot water only 2-3 hours a day, and for the most part, never adjusts the temperature gauge or turns it off. The water heater stays on 24 hours a day even
when one leaves home for work, school, errands or even vacation. Leaving
your water heater constantly running wastes the planet’s natural resources… and, of course, your money!
The GECCO addresses this problem by
helping you use your water heater smartly without sacrificing your comfort.
The GECCO allows you to preset the times that you know you will need hot water; and should you need
hot water at an unscheduled time, our“On-Demand”
system can activate your water heater by simply turning on your hot water
anywhere in the house. Five minutes before you need it,
it’s ready to go!
GECCO Mission Statement:
Our mission is to
empower property owners with water heater control technology that helps users lower their energy costs, reduce their carbon emissions and enjoy piece of mind.
Why is Now the Right Time for the GECCO?
The world at large is learning more and more about how and why environmental sustainability matters.
Engineering on cars and trucks now universally prioritizes
fuel efficiency. SolarCity, the #1 leading provider of solar power panels for home and business, is
proving that clean energy is increasingly more attractive. And if you have heard of the NEST Learning Thermostat, you know that this type of
technology is really taking
off. Why? Because the value is
clear and people everywhere are
joining in to help do their part to improve the environment.
The GECCO is one more step in that direction. If we currently
emit 170 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere by leaving
our water heaters on 24 ours a day, imagine the reduction in pollution by
turning them off for 20 of those hours? We’re talking potentially 120 million tons of
carbon taken out of the atmosphere! That feels good.
How Does the GECCO Work?
The
GECCO comes equipped with the
following capabilities:
· Control
your water heater using the GECCO from your computer, smart-device and control box (included
with GECCO purchase).
· Turn the water heater on when you need it
and off when you don't.
·
Preset
desired times that you will need hot water.
· "On
Demand” capability for unscheduled heating.
· Measure water heater use with informative analytics.
· Configure the GECCO for battery or solar power.
· Hot water re-circulation control ready.
· GECCO automatically responds to outside air temperature fluctuation.
· No installation assistance needed! The
GECCO is VERY simple to install and use. Older units may require tools that will come with the GECCO.
What does this mean for you?
Here is how you benefit:
· Enjoy
peace of mind knowing that you are making an effort to be more energy efficient.
· Remotely control the water heater from anywhere.
·
Preserve
natural resources.
· Reduce the amount of carbon emitted into
the atmosphere.
· Save anywhere from an estimated $0.50 to
$1.50 per day!
The GECCO
comes in 3 great designs: Rainbow, Jungle Camouflage and Desert Camouflage. Since our company is 100% owned by veterans, of whom 80% are combat disabled, we felt that
the camouflage units would be a nice touch.
Remember, because
the GECCO saves you so much money off your heating bill, the GECCO pays itself off in less than a year!
How Do We Know That the GECCO Works?
With
the current prototype, we ran a few tests to see just how valuable the GECCO
could be. We ran tests on three
houses, a restaurant and a shopping center with five stores in it.
Home 1: Two adults. Their water
heater was automated to run one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. The GECCO saved them about $1.00 a day.
Home 2: Two adults, two children.
Their water heater was automated to run one hour in the morning and three
in the evening. The GECCO saved them
about $0.75 cents a day.
Home 3: This
house had 1 adult and there was a re-circulation pump in use. Their circulation pump cools the water down more so the water heater runs more.
Their water heater was automated to
run one hour in the morning and one in the evening. The GECCO saved them about $1.30 a day.
The Restaurant: The
restaurant was open from 6 am to 2 pm, 7 days a week. Their water heater was
automated to run 8 hours on and 16 hours off. The GECCO saved the restaurant nearly $2 a day!
The shopping center: It had a re-circulation pump, but the stores were closed on the weekend so the water heater ran 40 hours a
week instead of 168 hours a week. The
GECCO saved the shopping center
$2.50 a day.
To
measure the gas usage, we used the Elster
Gas Meter bk-g4. These savings are approximate and could vary depending on gas rates,
location of water heaters indoors or out and weather conditions.
We
calculated the gas usage for one month with the GECCO on and a month with it off.
These savings range from $200 - $900 per year!
The GECCO Works With…
The GECCO works with storage tank water heaters. Because
water is held in the tank 24 hours a day, the standby heat loss and sheer
non-stop energy usage makes the GECCO the smart option. To be
fair, however, you could go with other options such as…
·
Instantaneous
“Tankless”/ “On-Demand” Water
Heater: $175 - $1200 for each water
fixture
· Wi-Fi Enabled Heat Pump Water Heater:
$900 - $2500
· Wi-Fi Enabled Conventional Storage Water
Heater: $500 -$900
With the GECCO, you get the value of these three for only $75 during the campaign!
Clearly, going these alternative routes will indeed achieve what the GECCO offers, but the cost is prohibitively expensive. These costs don’t include
shipping, installation and taxes.
The three types of control valves that the GECCO fits look like this:
This Campaign is About More Than just Water Heaters
There is a deeper dimension to
this campaign. While we are very excited about the benefits the GECCO has to offer society and the environment,
we are also focused on sending love to our Veterans. We are giving back to our
vets by donating 25% of ANNUAL
profits to a very worthwhile program:
The Veteran’s Transition Center of Monterey County is a powerful organization located on the historic
Fort Ord military base in Marina, California. Their mission is to help veterans
and their families adjust to normal life after they leave military service.
The VTC is responsible for providing housing
assistance, life skills courses, legal assistance and special events for veterans all throughout Monterey County.
Eventually we
want to give to many more veteran focused non-profits. And since our product will
be built here in the USA, our plan
is to employ as many veterans as
possible in the manufacturing, marketing, management, sales
and distribution of the GECCO.
How Did We Get Here?
"Over the past few years I became more and more aware of pollution and conservation of natural resources in our country. So in trying to do my share I would turn off my water heater when I was away from my house. It was a manual process, but worth doing. Several years ago, my wife and I went on a trip and, as always, turned off our water heater. The next morning, after returning back late, I heard some rough words coming from the bathroom where my wife was taking a shower!
I soon learned that I had forgot to turn the water heater back on the night before. At that point I realized that I needed to develop a remote capability for my water heater. After some simple research I realized that we only needed hot water several hours a day. I did not leave my cars running all night because we needed them the next day, why was my water heater keeping water hot 100% of the time when I only needed it 10% of the time.
So over the last couple of years I have developed and built several prototypes and developed the one that finally meets all my needs. You can program it to go on and off when you need or do not need hot water. So no more cool showers for my wife! It has an on demand capability, so you can turn it on by just turning on the hot water anywhere in the house for a second. It runs on batteries, solar or household voltage. It can be controlled by any smart device and it can even detect a leak in your water heater. The latest prototype requires no tools and can be installed in less than a minute. I have named this unit the GECCO, Green, Energy, Efficient, Cost, Conservation, Optimizer."
Bo Hayner, Inventor of the GECCO
Testimonials
"This gadget looked interesting, and after studying it, I felt it was really cool and easy to understand. The GECCO concept - turn off your water heater when you don't need hot water makes a lot of sense! And it saves electricity, gas, (energy!) and MONEY!....It also reduces pollution. The GECCO is easy to use, and installs on your water heater in less than a minute! I recommend the GECCO to you and anyone who wants to save money, energy and help our Veterans."
Jerry Griffin, Retired Army Medical Corps Commander
"I've been in the construction business here in Monterey County for over 30 years. I live alone and was amazed by the savings on my gas bill. For me, I really only need my water heater on one and a half hours a day. In the past I left the water heater on 24/7. After using the GECCO for a month, I saved about $1.20-$1.30 a day. I'll be getting in touch with all of my past clients and get them on board."
Vince Frumkin, Contractor
Let’s
Make it Happen!
The GECCO prototype is functional today as is. However, this crowdfunding campaign allows us to raise the money we need to send the current version of the GECCO in for final commercialization, which will turn out a sleeker and most effective final product. Once it is commercialized and ready for stores, we will send you your GECCO as ordered.
By contributing to this campaign, you will save up to HALF off the future retail price of $149.99. As you will note in the perk descriptions, the savings from your utility bill on top of the price savings from the campaign mean that the GECCO will pay for itself multiple times a year!
Reserve your GECCO today!
Thank you!
The GECCO is patent pending.