Electric geysers have big appetite
2006-05-18
ELECTRIC geysers account for 60 percent of all the electricity used in the home. And most of this power is wasted ,says Tony Robinson of the Cape Chamber of Industry.
Solar heaters will halve the average home's electricity bill and gas cookers could further reduce your bill. Improving the insulation of the geyser to prevent heat loss will also help.
Geysers in South Africa are like giant kettles in the roof and their design is all wrong.
Most of them have horizontal tanks to ensure that they fit under the roof trusses but this limits the effectiveness of the convection currents which circulate the heated water. The old vertical geysers were more efficient.
The next problem is that most geysers are too large and their design dates back to the time when showers were an unusual feature in homes and baths consumed vast quantities of hot water.
One can also save electricity by switching off geysers at the trip board after the morning shower and switching them on again at bed time. This will produce an immediate saving on electricity accounts.
The most important thing is to make sure that your geyser is not drawing current during the morning and evening peak hours.
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