Save up to R770 per person with these simple shower hacks
LookSee has found that South African homes spend up to R715 per month on each person who takes a single daily shower.
In winter, this amount increases to R808 per person, per month.
Fortunately, by implementing a few easy changes, this number can be reduced by up to 95% – all the way down to R35.77 per month.
These findings follow the recent LookSee Home Efficiency survey, in which nearly half of respondents said they are actively trying to reduce their geyser heating costs.
Geyser heating comprises 40%-50% of the average home’s electricity bill, presenting a huge cost-saving opportunity for households which regularly take hot showers.
The survey also found that 92.6% of respondents believe South Africa has major water issues and are concerned about water shortages in the future.
It is therefore clear that South Africans want to cut their electricity spend on heating their geyser and reduce their water consumption.
There are several ways to achieve this without disrupting your life, which we detail below.
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Change your showerhead
Three types of showerheads are commonly used in South Africa, and each consumes varying amounts of water.
- Low-flow showerhead – 8 litres per minute.
- Typical showerhead – 12 litres per minute.
- High-flow showerhead – 16 litres per minute.
Historically, people avoided low-flow or water-saving showerheads because they offered an inferior showering experience and looked unattractive.
However, times have changed.
Low-flow showerheads now use less water without giving an inferior user experience and look just as attractive as normal showerheads.
Switching from a high-flow showerhead to a low-flow showerhead can therefore reduce your water consumption without affecting your lifestyle.
This will also reduce your water heating costs, as you use far less hot water from your geyser for each shower.
Shower duration
An important step to take is reducing your showers from 15 minutes to 5 minutes – as this means you only use a third of the water.
LookSee’s research shows that changing your showerhead and shortening your showers can slash your per-person shower costs as follows:
- Summer – From R715pm to R119pm
- Winter – From R808pm to R135pm.
Electric geyser conversion
Electric geyser conversions allow you to reduce your shower costs even more by completely removing the need to use Eskom grid electricity to heat your geyser.
Instead, a conversion connects your existing electric geyser to solar panels on your roof.
The solar panels generate energy from the sun, which is sent to a controlling device that converts it into electricity.
This does not require major upfront capital spend, either, as most families that finance a geyser conversion through LookSee will save more money on their electricity bill than their monthly repayment cost.
When an electric geyser conversion kit is added to the steps listed above, you can lower your shower costs to R35.77 per person, per month – regardless of the season.
Click here to finance an electric geyser conversion through LookSee.
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