Lake Region Electric Cooperative
Heat Water Using Wind Energy via the Steffes Grid Enabled Thermal Storage (GETS) System
How the Program Works
Every morning at 5 a.m., your new 105 gallon Marathon water heater will contain the equivalent of over 150 gallons of hot water. Increasing the availability of hot water is accomplished by raising the thermostat settings in the tank and adding a mixing valve. The mixing valve adds cold water to the hot water supplied from the tank to provide safe 120 degree water at your tap.
At 5:30 a.m. the heating elements will be shut off to avoid the morning peak on the local electric transmission line. The large volume of extra hot water will ensure you have plenty of hot water for morning showers or laundry. The heating elements will be available to heat water again after 9 a.m.
The cold water that entered the tank between 5:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. will be heated by wind and solar energy through the day. The Steffes GETS system will manage your water heater through your home’s internet connection. GETS will actually learn when you typically use hot water and then ensure you always have enough. If you happen to use extra hot water early in the morning, the GETS system will then prioritize the recharge of your tank.
Every evening at 5 p.m. the heating elements will again be shut off to avoid the GRE power generation peak. The heating elements will be turned on again at 10 p.m. to recharge the tank through the night time hours. The lowest cost power, usually from wind, is available during the overnight hours.
Over the course of a year, the goal is to use as much overnight energy as possible to heat water. During the windy spring and fall months of the year, wind energy will be the primary energy source for water heating.