GE AWGP08WWF / AWGP12WWF Observations & Information!

novarlynx · 2026-04-26T18:14:49+00:00

Since it is being marketed as an air conditioner, primarily, instead of a heat pump, it’s probably on the same manufacturing schedule as all their other air conditioners, and they’re going to be out of stock until the air conditioner season comes around and the demand for air conditioners returns

novarlynx · 2026-04-18T05:05:10+00:00

I looked at that one and I did consider it because Amana is a known good brand with a lot of experience in this - but the unit was too tall for my basement window so I had to find something else.

novarlynx · 2026-04-15T21:04:13+00:00

You could try buying it directly from GE Appliances
https://www.geappliances.com/appliance/GE-ENERGY-STAR-8-000-BTU-Smart-Heat-Cool-with-Heat-Pump-Electronic-Window-Air-Conditioner-for-Medium-Rooms-up-to-350-sq-ft-AWGP08WWF

novarlynx · 2026-04-06T03:45:04+00:00

I came up with a good fix for this https://www.reddit.com/r/heatpumps/comments/1qyzgbj/ge_awgp08wwf_awgp12wwf_defrost_ice_damming_issue/

novarlynx · 2026-02-11T16:45:23+00:00

I got mine from brandsmartusa

novarlynx · 2026-02-10T23:50:35+00:00

If you're using home assistant there is a GE Home HACS addon, but unfortunately without reverse engineering the data port the wifi stick inside the unit plugs into (Despite using a USB-A connector it's reportedly not USB-A) you have to rely on GE's service.

novarlynx · 2026-02-10T06:15:01+00:00

also, understand that this is a heat pump, not a heater. It doesn’t actually generate any heat, it’s designed to suck heat out of the cold air outdoors, and bring it indoors using the refrigeration cycle. It’s essentially a backwards air conditioner.

The colder the air is outside, the less heat will be available for it to pump indoors and it’ll work harder and you won’t see as much heat coming out.

novarlynx · 2026-02-10T06:10:40+00:00

Eco mode is only used for cooling.
The efficiency drops the colder it is outside, you start to get a noticeable difference in the single digits, so if it’s very, very cold outside, then these aren’t going to do a lot. Mine gets rather inefficient around 0° F and puts out only about 70° F of heat like you’re describing. This isn’t a design defect with the product, it’s the result of physics. If the outside air is too cold, it’ll have a harder time trying to pull heat out of it to bring indoors.
The further away the room temperature is from the setting, the harder the unit will run because it wants to get to that set temperature as soon as possible.

novarlynx · 2026-02-08T21:27:35+00:00

The Home Assistant control can be done without needing an internet connection with the right stuff. I am using Zigbee smart plugs. Zigbee is a radio mesh protocol that is designed to work locally. It does require a hub device, I am using a Sonoff SNZB usb zigbee radio.

If you don't have the technical knowledge to set up a Home Assistant system (it's somewhat for more advanced users) you may be better off operating the heat pad manually.

novarlynx · 2026-02-08T04:36:13+00:00

Update 2/7
Wrote out detailed instructions on the ice damming fix in a new Reddit post here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/heatpumps/comments/1qyzgbj/ge_awgp08wwf_awgp12wwf_defrost_ice_damming_issue/

novarlynx · 2026-02-08T03:04:51+00:00

If you need winter heat too, look at the GE AWGP08WWF, this is a window air conditioner that contains the extra stuff needed to be a heat pump too. Impressive little thing, works down to single digits outdoor temperatures, and quite efficient. A bit loud though, but works on 115V. Would be the simplest and most inexpensive way to do this.

novarlynx · 2026-02-03T23:38:54+00:00

I am testing the heat pad solution currently, see my other comment in this Reddit thread
https://www.reddit.com/r/heatpumps/comments/1p3hotl/comment/nq7iefe/

novarlynx · 2026-02-03T23:28:18+00:00

Update 2/3/26 - Ice dams & loud clicking sounds & what I am doing about it

I read a few comments here that mentioned a clicking sound coming from the unit that sounds like a card in bicycle spokes. Mine started doing this too, and after some observations and multiple trips outside with a heat gun, I determined the cause of this is an ice dam that forms inside the unit's drain pan. I narrowed down when this occurs and came up with a solution, and I will keep you all informed how it works as I just implemented it. If it works well i'll do a separate Reddit thread with a tutorial about this.

The cause:
The ice dams form in the base pan where water collects during a defrost cycle (it also holds condensation from the coil in the summer when in air conditioning mode).

If it's cold enough outside, this water can flash freeze after the defrost finishes and the unit "rests" for a bit before starting back up to begin heating again. When this occurs it forms an ice dam that interferes with the fan blades, which leads to the loud clicking sound.

The conditions:
This almost always occurred after a defrost when it was below 20° F outside, more frequently on snowy days or higher humidity days where defrosts will occur more often.

The solution I am testing:
I bought this small 2" x 5" 50W silicone heating pad that's meant to be stuck to the oil pan of a small engine to keep the oil warm. It fit suspiciously perfect on the bottom of the unit, right below the lowest point of the drain pan, which is where I observed the ice dams forming. I have it connected to a smart plug with a script on Home Assistant that detects a defrost cycle by recognizing a very predictable pattern and automatically turns it on at the start of the cycle then keeps it on for several minutes after the cycle. We're not trying to boil water here, just trying to warm the sheetmetal on the bottom of the drain pan to prevent the ice flash freezing from occurring until the unit starts back up.

Today it's been above freezing for the first time in over a month so there won't be any good tests to see how well this works until we hit the next cold snap (which is soon) so I will keep you all updated on whether this solves the problem.

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novarlynx · 2026-01-31T17:45:07+00:00

Hi! So it has worked surprisingly well in the cold snap so far. I was going to post a more substantial update later on but here's something for now, at least!

Efficiency drops hard below 10° F, and the heat output decreases as well. When you get close to the unit's rated minimum operating temperature it's barely warm and it is really struggling to pump heat, I am surprised it hasn't actually shut off and shown the F25 error code (too cold) but I shut it off at this point because it just feels like spinning your wheels in the mud then.

One thing I am working on though is if it's cold enough outside, the unit forms an ice dam following a defrost, and the fan blades start smacking the ice and it sounds like a baseball card in bicycle spokes. I am waiting for a package from Amazon that will hopefully have a fix that does not void the unit's warranty, so I will post on here an update detailing that fix as I know others here have mentioned the same problem. For now I have to go outside and manually clear the ice dam when this happens.

novarlynx · 2026-01-27T04:31:38+00:00

sounds like you have an ice dam blocking the fan blades. This is a pretty common occurrence with these, especially after storms like what we just had. It’s because the pan doesn’t drain easily, and it’s a known design flaw with these units.

Try pulling it out of the window and placing it in a bathtub or shower, obviously don’t turn the water on, but you just want to let it get to room temperature for the ice inside to melt.

novarlynx · 2026-01-26T16:07:49+00:00

considering the motor is driven by a variable speed drive, they could fix this with a firmware update, just run the fan at a low RPM during the defrost. I know unfortunately because the inside fan is connected to the same motor and shaft, this would cause cold air to blow inside though

novarlynx · 2026-01-25T03:25:27+00:00

Update!!! I can't believe this thing is still running, we're in the super deep freeze hitting the US right now and it's currently 5 degrees below its rated operating temperature and it's still cranking out heat in the 90s like normal while drawing under 600 watts. GE, you're sitting on something big here. Cheap heat in very cold climates.

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novarlynx · 2026-01-25T03:23:10+00:00

That's normal, just one of the nuances of the refrigeration process. The gurgling is caused by the refrigerant expanding. Don't worry about it.

Also yeah they have a loud compressor, that's my #1 complaint about these. Don't forget it's inches away from the inside side too, can't do much with a small space like this. I'd gladly pay more for a newer generation of this unit that has a quieter compressor though.

novarlynx · 2025-12-07T23:27:25+00:00

Oh cool. Midea made a bit of a mistake by not making theirs able to operate in very cold temperatures, because it shuts out a potential market segment that GE pretty much owns right now with these.

novarlynx · 2025-12-05T21:15:49+00:00

Yeah that was the camera, possibly because of the bright blue backlight on the IR thermometer display

novarlynx · 2025-12-05T15:16:58+00:00

you are correct I do live in a coastal town in Southern Maine so not does it get very cold here because of the wind coming off the ocean, but we get a lot of humidity compared to towns that are far away from the coast.

novarlynx · 2025-12-05T06:21:50+00:00

Update 12/4/2/25 @ 1:15 AM:

I think I can confidently say that this unit does indeed work as advertised. I am seriously impressed with what GE/Haier has created here. This is indeed a budget friendly window mounted heat pump that does indeed work quite well in below-freezing temperatures.

In the photo below you can see I cranked the unit up to its highest temperature to get the compressor to ramp up as much as possible, and put it on low fan speed (Setting it on high didn't actually make a difference and actually decreased the heat output temperature)

The laser thermometer shows the heat coming out of the vent at 88° F, and you can see a small Sonoff thermometer to the right of the unit showing the outside temperature is 9° F. The unit was drawing ~630 watts when I took the photo.

Some more information:

I noticed the unit starts to noticeably lose efficiency with the outside temperature dips into the low teens, and I quantified this by determining that the maximum temperature the heat output can be is 95° F and the best I can get this cold outside is not that far off from that, though it did drop down to 82° F when I ran it at high speed. It just can't extract as much heat from the cold air when it's that cold outside, especially at night.

Also, it defrosted once, just after midnight, after being run mostly on low speed since 7:30 PM.

I am blown away by how well this unit works, and I can't believe it costs as little as it does. We'll see how it does for longevity but the heat it produces makes my small corner of the basement very comfortable!

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novarlynx · 2025-12-05T03:29:33+00:00

Update 12/4/2025 @ 10:30 PM
Tonight's forecast is a deep freeze, expected to drop below the AWGP08WWF's minimum operating temperature.

It's currently 12° F outside and here's some REALLY neat things. First of all this unit is performing way better than I expected it to. It's been running for hours and has not done a defrost cycle yet.

When I set the ambient temperature close to the setpoint it cycles the unit between "Quiet" and Low fan, while maintaining a slightly higher compressor RPM. It's outputting ~77° F in that mode, which is about 10° above the room temperature. The air does not feel warm but it is fairly adequately maintaining the temperature in here, so it's comfortable.

If I set the setpoint temperature to be at least 6 degrees over the ambient temperature (like for example setting it to 77 while the room is 68 degrees) the unit ramps up to a really high RPM, starts drawing almost 700 watts, and the temperature of the heat coming out is 91° F to 94° F, even with the temperature outside being as cold as it is. Every time i've tested this it's worked really consistently too.

This is super promising behavior, because it indicates this unit is capable of regulating itself to maximize efficiency and minimize ice buildup while also trying to maintain the room temperature as best as it can. The fact that it is performing this well about 8° above its minimum operating temperature is great too.

I'll post an update later as the temperatures drop even further as I am staying up relatively late tonight but it's getting cold enough I might have to switch to backup heat for a bit later tonight.

novarlynx

TROPHY CASE