Hot and Cold: Opposites Unite in New GE Café™ Refrigerator

Hot and Cold: Opposites Unite in New GE Café™ Refrigerator

• GE's Café™ French door refrigerator, the first model in the industry to offer a hot water dispenser, simplifies hot food and drink preparation

• Refrigerator heats up to 10 ounces of filtered water in minutes using customized or pre-programmed settings

• Also includes the industry's most advanced water filtration system, adjustable temperature-controlled drawer, odor filter, and a variety of convenient storage features

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NYSE: GE) — GE is heating up the world of refrigerators with a hot water dispenser available on its new line of Café™ French door models.

With the GE Cafe(TM) French door refrigerator's hot water dispenser, consumers can be assured they are quickly getting an accurate temperature for their filtered water. (Photo: GE)

The 29-cubic-foot GE Café French door refrigerator, available now, is the first refrigerator in the industry that can heat 10 ounces of water in minutes—ideal for steeping delicate, white tea or preparing warm, filtered water for baby formula.^†

A custom setting allows the consumer to select a temperature from 90 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit, or select one of four pre-programmed settings, which include 90 degrees for warm, 150 degrees for cocoa, 170 degrees for tea, and 185 degrees for soup. With the Café's hot water dispenser, consumers can be assured they are quickly getting an accurate temperature for their filtered water.

Using the microwave or stove won't give consumers a precise temperature. "It's a total guessing game," said Rob Lewis, lead design engineer for GE Appliances. "With the GE Café's hot water dispenser, there's confidence in getting an accurate temperature every time."

Some like it hot

After studying how consumers interact with their refrigerators and kitchens, research revealed many use hot water daily. Some of the most common usages include preparing a cup of oatmeal, making tea, or fixing hot chocolate. With the custom and pre-programmed settings, consumers can select the perfect temperature for whatever they crave.

"The custom setting is especially interesting for tea aficionados who can make the most of their tea experiences," said Lewis. "Simply adjust the temperature to enhance the natural flavor of tea."

Engineering an oxymoron

Adding hot water to the refrigerator was a design challenge that GE's ice and water engineering team tackled head on. The team figured out how to keep the interior temperatures at the ideal settings while restricting the energy consumption to achieve ENERGY STAR® status.

From there, GE's engineers created a W-shaped heating element that uses a tube to feed the coldest water from the bottom while pushing the hottest water out from the top. Once the nature of the design began firming up, the team delved into consistency and reliability. They employed two thermometers to confirm accurate temperatures and verified the unit could not dispense boiling water. To use the hot water dispenser, a consumer must push in the dedicated knob and turn it counterclockwise.

The high-tech design of the hot water dispenser is patent pending. "The hot water dispenser will be a feature that once consumers have it, they'll never want to live without it," said John Boyd, marketing manager for refrigeration for GE Appliances.

Cleaner water, better food storage

In addition to hot water, the Café French door refrigerator offers a variety of additional features designed to optimize the enjoyment of food and beverages:

• Pharmaceutical Filter: All of the new GE French door refrigerators feature the most advanced water filtration system in the industry. The system has been tested and certified by an independent third party to remove 98 percent of five trace pharmaceuticals, such as ibuprofen (a painkiller) and progesterone (a hormone).* In addition, the filter is located in the door for easy replacement, while also freeing up valuable space in the refrigerator.

• Temperature-Controlled Drawer: A full-width, adjustable temperature-controlled drawer helps consumers store specific meat, beverage, produce, cheese and citrus foods at optimal storage temperatures, from 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Colored LED lights in the drawer—red, green, blue, aqua and purple—are visual cues of the temperature chosen.

• Odor Filter: A new odor filter is designed to allow the consumer—at the touch of a button—to reduce unwanted odors within the fresh food section.

• TwinChill™ Evaporators: The French door refrigerators also feature TwinChill™ evaporators, which separate airflow and climates in the fresh food and freezer sections to help maintain temperature and humidity levels to keep foods fresh. The separation of the air limits the amount of humidity in the freezer, reducing freezer burn while keeping freezer odors from mixing with refrigerator odors.

• Convenient Storage Features: For optimal storage, the refrigerators feature a drop-down egg tray, door storage for gallon-sized products and adjustable shelves. The freezer features three freezer baskets and a space-saving icemaker in the door that frees up room in the refrigerator.

The estimated retail price of GE's Café French door refrigerator (model CFE29TSDSS) is $2,999.^‡

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GE Appliances

GE Appliances is at the forefront of building innovative, energy-efficient appliances that improve people's lives. GE Appliances' products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water filtration systems and water heaters. General Electric (NYS: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For more information on GE Appliances, visit www.ge.com/appliances.

†Users should follow manufacturers' recommended instructions for baby formula. GE always encourages you to test the temperature of the bottle of formula before giving it to a baby.
*The pharmaceuticals and other substances removed or reduced by this filter are not necessarily in any given water supply.
‡ Retailers set their own prices.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130409005595/en/

GE
Julie Wood
PR Manager
502-452-5914
Julie_Wood@ge.com

KEYWORDS: United States North America Connecticut Kentucky

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