With the cost of electricity skyrocketing and there being no end in sight, one of the easiest ways to lower your monthly usage account is by better managing your geyser. And it is not as difficult as you think.
- Install a smartswitch circuit breaker
Smartswitch manufacturer Tuya has a Smart Wi-Fi geyser timer that gets connected to your geyser circuit breaker in your DB board. This connects via your Wi-Fi network to an app on your phone that allows you to remotely turn off your geyser and turn it on. You can even pre-programme running times so that the geyser switches on and off at specified times. You only need your geyser to run for two hours to keep water hot for a 10-hour period, so saving on eight hours of usage (at nearly 3kW to run the geyser) equates to a fortune.
- Turn down the geyser temperature
Geysers are normally set to heat water at 75°C, which uses a lot of electricity. You can turn it all the way down to 50-55°C in South Africa. Anything lower than 50°C and you will run the risk of bacteria growing in your geyser.
- Add a geyser blanket
Geyser insulation blankets are not a gimmick – they have been proven to save between 10 and 20% energy consumption. This thermal insulation needs to be carefully fitted to the geyser and appropriate safety clothing needs to be worn should you buy a fibreglass blanket rather than a foil one.
- Move to gas or solar geysers
While the initial outlay is somewhat pricey, the long-term savings far outweigh the cost (a 150l regular geyser is about R5000, the same price as a 20l gas geyser). Solar geysers are connected to solar panels on your house roof and heat up throughout the day, while gas geysers heat water on demand – as soon as a hot water tap is opened and sufficient water flows through the pipes, a sensor inside the gas geyser triggers the igniter and water is heated. On average, a 9kg gas cylinder will last for 16 hours of continuous usage – that equates to 90 10-minute showers.
Sources: www.crompton.co.in; www.isotherm.co.za
