Geyser Efficiency

It’s not always necessary to adopt drastic measures to improve geyser efficiency. Sustainable stocks a wide range of geyser timers, blankets and other products to ensure that your geyser uses as little energy as possible on a daily basis. If you have any questions regarding any of the products below, please do not hesitate to Contact Us

Start with the small things

The most obvious way to an efficient geyser is to install a geyser blanket and geyser timer .Specially designed geyser blankets and timers are relatively inexpensive but the saving to your monthly electricity bill will enable you to recoup your costs in no time. You can also insulate your geyser pipes to prevent unnecessary heat loss and improve efficiency. You can use the same material to insulate your ceiling and geyser pipes to maximise efficiency and minimise costs. Experts say that the 2 metres of pipes closest to your geyser are the most important to insulate to optimise efficiency.

If you find yourself in a position where you have to install a new geyser there are also a few things that you might want to consider to ensure that your new geyser is as efficient as possible. For instance, installing your geyser vertically rather than horizontally will result in greater energy efficiency. Efficiency is also increased by placing geysers near hot water points, so that water doesn’t get a chance to cool as it travels from your geyser system to the tap.

You can install a geyser timer, similar to those used for swimming pool, so that your geyser only comes on just before hot water is required, for a few hours in the morning and then again in the evening. The geyser timer can be adjusted to suit individual family needs. You can also opt to control your geyser manually, but while this may be more efficient for small families or couples, the results can be catastrophic if you forget to switch your geyser on in the morning and are faced with only cold water for washing. You also have to remember to switch it off when the geyser is not in use.

Finally, by simply reducing the temperature setting on your geyser thermostat you can increase efficiency and save up to 10% on your electricity bill. The default temperature setting on most geysers is 65°C, but for optimal geyser efficiency you should set your thermostat to 50°C in summer and 60°C in winter. This combined with a geyser blanket can save you a lot of energy.

Larger projects for an efficient geyser

Setting simple solutions aside for a while, there are also a few, somewhat more expensive, solutions you can implement in your quest for a truly efficient geyser.

Dual elements, which operate at different temperatures, can be installed for when you only need a small volume of hot water. Using the hot water tap to collect small volumes of hot water uses more energy than the volume of water justifies, this is because water needs to run from the geyser through the pipes until you get hot water and when you have enough, and turn the tap off, the remaining hot water cools in the pipes. When you need more hot water, the process begins again, resulting in even more wastage of water and energy.

A dual element reduces wastage on all counts, as only one element (the one that operates at lower temperatures) is switched on for small volumes of water. Less energy is used to heat the water and less energy is wasted when the tap and the element are switched off and, as only a small volume of hot water is needed, it takes less time to reach the desired temperature allowing your geyser to operate at maximum efficiency.

And then, of course, there are geysers that operate on solar power. This combined with a geyser timer  and a geyser blanket is a great way of saving money and energy.

Sustainable Solutions

For geyser timers, blankets, pumps, valves, pipes and small, portable or industrial boilers that provide maximum efficiency contact Sustainable.co.za and enjoy the advantages of a more energy efficient home. Our prices are affordable and, as South Africa’s premier eco-store, our knowledge of all types of efficient geyser systems beyond reproach.

Don’t let the pressure of trying to pay high electricity bills get to you, visit Sustainable.co.za for a complete range of solutions to improve geyser efficiency and start saving money now.