We all know that a geyser is one of the biggest culprits of high electricity usage. At Absolute Plumbing Cape Town we know that everyone would LOVE to save money, especially as we approach the holiday season.
Electricity has increased phenomenally in the past while and we would like to help you to save money wherever you can.
By following these tips, you will learn how to save electricity from your geyser AND prolong its life!
Monitor your electricity usage
If you have a prepaid electricity meter installed in your home it should be easy to keep a daily or weekly record of your electricity usage on the days that you switch your geyser on and off. Draw up a comparison of how much electricity you are using during the day when your geyser is left on. This will give you a good indication of whether turning your geyser on and off is saving you electricity. For those who pay their electricity bill monthly, do the same comparison but compare months rather than days or weeks. This is the first step to save electricity from your geyser.
Electricity Saving Tips
- Buy a geyser size suitable for your household
Selecting the right size geyser when you are building your home or installing a new geyser is very important. A geyser that is too large for your needs will use unnecessary electricity to heat water that you don’t need. save electricity from your geyser you should always choose a geyser suited to the size of your family and your water consumption. The average amount of hot water used in a household is 25 liters per shower, 35 liters per bath, and 5 liters of hot water to hand wash your dishes.
- Optimal water temperature
Setting your geyser’s thermostat to a lower temperature in Summer will save electricity from your geyser. The water in a geyser generally retains more heat in Summer than in Winter when ambient temperatures are lower. Varying the geyser temperature according to seasons may be just the boost you need to cut down on unnecessary electricity usage. 50 to 55 degrees centigrade in summer and 60 to 65 degrees centigrade in winter should suffice. Keep in mind that bacteria will begin to grow in water lower than 50 degrees centigrade.
- Use a geyser blanket
Using a geyser blanket can save electricity from your geyser by up to 10%. The temperature of water stored in a geyser drops by 1 degree centigrade per hour. The lower the temperature of the water in the geyser, the more electricity will be needed to heat it back up to the temperature it needs to be. An aluminium foil cover is used to insulate the geyser to prevent heat from escaping and can be a valuable addition to your geyser.
- Solar geysers
Installing (or even converting your traditional geyser) a solar geyser will significantly reduce the amount of electricity used by your household and they are far more environmentally friendly. A solar geyser system uses the sun’s radiation, so even on cold or overcast days, the water in your geyser will be hot. The installation of a solar geyser or the conversion of a traditional geyser is best left to the professionals to do to avoid potential problems.
- Install a geyser timer
Investing in a timer switch to turn the geyser thermostat on in the evenings and mornings and off again during off-peak water consumption periods during the day will save you a lot of electricity in the long run. Without a timer switch, a geyser’s thermostat will switch the geyser element on and off about 20 times per day to keep the water at a constant temperature. Electricity is wasted when the thermostat reads that there has been a drop in water temperature. As we established further up, the heat in the geyser is gradually lost through the body of the geyser. When the temperature cools down to a certain temperature, the thermostat will switch the element in the geyser on to heat the water again to the set, desired temperature. This process is repeated all day long and often isn’t necessary if the geyser is not used during the day. Have a professional plumber install a timer switch to ensure that your geyser is only heated when it is needed.
- Install a gas geyser
Installing a gas geyser is not only cheaper on a long-term basis, but it’s also more convenient! No more waiting for the geyser to heat up, just instantly hot water whenever you need it!
- Insulate all exposed hot water piping to slow down and reduce heat loss through your pipes.
- Check the geyser’s thermostat and element frequently
Excessive limescale may build up on the element pocket, resulting in the geyser heating the water to a higher than the desired temperature. This will send your electricity usage through the roof!
- Take shorter baths and showers.
A sure way to increase energy consumption is to linger! Whether it is soaking in a tub full of hot water and topping it up with more hot water because the water has gotten cold, or standing under a strong stream of hot water to ease your tired body, you will notice a significant dip in your electricity usage by speeding things up in the bathroom.
- Run the hot water into your bath first.
When allowing yourself the luxury of a bath make sure to run the hot water into the bath first before adding cold water. Running the hot water first will raise the temperature of the bath itself, reducing the amount of heat lost once the bath has finished running.
In Summary
- Monitor your electricity usage
- Buy a geyser size suitable for your household
- Set geyser’s thermostat to a lower temperature in Summer
- Invest in a Geyser Blanket
- Consider Solar Geysers over conventional geysers
- Install a timer switch
- Consider installing a Gas Geyser
- Insulate all exposed hot water piping
Showering uses WAAAAY less hot water than running a bath – think twice before you bath
Please remember that if you suspect that there is a fault with your geyser, it is always best to contact a professional plumbing company such as Absolute Plumbing Cape Town sooner rather than later. Checking the thermostat and element, insulating pipes and geysers, and installing new geysers is not a job that you want to be done by amateurs. Having your geyser professionally and checked and repaired, if need be, will cost you less than if you leave the geyser to consume large amounts of unnecessary energy and deteriorate.
Read our next articles for tips on how to prolong the life of your geyser and stay up to date with us on social media.
