Geysers or Electric water heaters are one of the biggest household guzzlers of electricity, chomping up to 40% of the average South African household energy consumption and the main culprits to pushing up our electricity bills. Not to mention global warming and climate change contributors.
So let's review the geyser, the bulky tank that is stored in your ceiling or on your roof that makes our lives cozy at home.
10 Tips on how to conserve geyser energy consumption
Ensure that your plumber installs your geyser close to your bathroom or kitchen.
Ask your plumber to insulate your electric water heater with a geyser blanket - 20% saving on energy consumption.
Qualified plumbers will ensure that they insulate the first 1.5 meters of water pipes leading to and from your geyser. This will save you between 12-15% on your electricity bill.
Ask your local plumber to turn down the geyser thermostat, 60 degrees Celsius is the standard and will save you money.
Ask your local plumbers to clean out, and do a maintenance service on your geyser at least once a year, this will help with limescale, and calcium buildup.
Choose to shower
Use plugs in kitchen sinks and baths and don't let the water run unnecessarily while brushing your teeth.
Ask your local plumber whether your geyser is the right size for your household.
Turning off your geyser won't make a huge difference? This is debatable some experts say it will save 20%
Save up for a solar geyser for cost efficiency and prepare for our new lifestyles off the grid.
Interesting Geyser Facts - Electric Water Heaters.
You're more likely to find natural geysers around the world if you Google the word "geyser" which are hot springs found in cold places where hot water and steam burst forth from the earth's crust after having come into contact with volcanic magma.
Benjamin Waddy Maughan invented the first domestic electric water heater and named it after the Icelandic hot spring Geyser, a name that South Africans use colloquially to refer to their electric heating tanks in their ceilings, similar to calling a vacuum cleaner a Hoover.
Why you shouldn't drink water from your hot water tap.
You can ask any plumber who works with geyser installations and replacements of geysers, and they will tell you how contaminated the water can get from the metallic parts inside the geyser corroding over time. That's why it's essential to service and maintain your geysers, not only to ensure efficiency, and save on energy consumption but making sure that they don't become a health hazard.
Positive News about Informal Solar Geysers and inventions.
The LulaLab Foundation and the Atlantis Special Economic Zone are backing projects in informal settlements in the Western Cape, together they are rolling out solar geysers using recycled plastic bottles, not only creating jobs for unemployed youth but bringing hot water into homes.
Where people have dignity they will be empowered to create a different destiny
That's all for this Blog, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing and researching it. Oh yes, nearly forgot to share the lighter side of plumbers. "What's the one thing professional poker players and plumbers can agree upon?
A royal flush is better than a full house.
Markus Botha, your friendly plumber at AquaFlow Plumbing in Worcester, Western Cape.
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