Water heating comprises 40% to 50% of the average South African home\u2019s monthly electricity bill, making reducing your geyser\u2019s electricity consumption a priority when trying to save money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LookSee executive head Marc du Plessis explained that the average geyser consumes approximately 3kW of electricity – which can cost up to R9 per hour. Older geysers, on the other hand, can reach as high as 5kW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given the power-hungry nature of a geyser and South Africa\u2019s ever-increasing electricity prices, it is therefore important to take every measure available to reduce its electricity consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully, there are several ways to save on your electricity bill by reducing the amount of power your geyser uses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To understand the benefit of these electricity-saving methods, it is important to first know how and when a geyser heats up water:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Du Plessis said the first step South Africans must take is to buy a geyser blanket to minimise the need to reheat their hot water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUse an SABS-approved geyser blanket for safety reasons and to ensure the most efficient geyser insulation possible,\u201d said du Plessis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A good geyser blanket only costs a few hundred rand and is an investment that will pay for itself many times over. These blankets are particularly valuable in winter, as colder temperatures cause your hot water to lose temperature more quickly if the geyser is not well-insulated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you have installed a blanket, du Plessis\u2019s top recommendation is to convert your electric geyser to use power from solar panels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is more accessible and affordable than installing a new solar geyser, as you can keep your existing electric geyser and simply connect it to the dedicated solar panels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, the geyser conversion solutions offered through LookSee come with free installation – whereas dedicated solar geysers have an additional installation cost, including expensive plumbing work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe best part is that when you take out a LookSee Solar Loan to pay for your geyser conversion solution, most families save money from day one,\u201d said du Plessis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is because the amount of money you save on your electricity bill each month could be more than the loan repayment \u2013 as shown below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3-panel geyser conversion system (1.65KWp) for 4-person home<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 4-panel geyser conversion system (2.2KWp) for 5-person home<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen the five-year loan term is complete, you will then be making pure savings from the system,\u201d said du Plessis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With such impressive savings on offer, converting your electric geyser to solar is a no-brainer \u2013 so contact LookSee today to convert your geyser to solar.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n For those that are not ready to invest in changes to their water heating, Du Plessis suggested setting your geyser to only run at specific times by subscribing to a Smart geyser controller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This device is connected to your existing electric geyser and allows you to easily manage and control your geyser from an app on your smartphone, including setting up a heating schedule to help you save money on your electricity bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example: If you know you will be away from home during the day, you should set your geyser to turn on in the late afternoon. This is enough time to heat its water for your evening shower, while stopping the water reheating in your geyser during the day when you are not at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Smart geyser controller<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n