Water Heating

Geyser

1. In order to ensure that cold air outside the geyser does not increase the heat lost from the water inside, installing a geyser blanket can be very effective. A geyser blanket may cost a couple of Rand, but the payback in electricity efficiency and electricity savings make it a good investment. It should take less than an hour to install a geyser blanket and it can last over twenty years during which it will save you much more than the installation cost,
2. To optimize electricity efficiency, geysers should be located as close as possible to the points where hot water is being used,
3. Insulated hot water pipes maintain their temperature at constant levels and prevent heat loss. Pay special attention to the insulation of the first 1.5 to two meters of hot water pipes nearest the geyser. Water pipes can be insulated with ceiling insulation material, or through the use of pipe insulators that wrap around the pipes. This also can save a lot over a twenty-year period.
4. A long one, but very important! Every time your geyser switches on it uses the same power as 50 light bulbs! The average family uses less than four hours of hot water a day. This means that the average family is paying for 600 hours of hot water a month that is never used. Most families shower / bath at particular times in the day such as the morning or evening. However, your geyser goes on and off 24 to 30 times a day. Every time the temperature drops 2 to 3 degrees, the thermostat puts the element back on and heats the water back to 65°C. The suggestion is to regulate your geyser with a similar type of time switch that regulates the swimming pool pump. Get a qualified electrician to install it next to your power board and connected to the geyser trip switch. You can then set it to switch on the geyser for example from 04:00 am to 08:00 am and then again at 04:00 pm to 08:00 pm. You can choose the times and duration to suit your family’s specific needs.
5. The alternative to 4 above is to manually switch off and on the geyser trip switch at the specified times. The two disadvantages to this is firstly that very few people will get up at 04:00 am to do this and secondly should you forget to switch the geyser on, then you’ll have to cope with all kinds of problems in the morning.

Water heating tips

It is likely that a home's single largest electricity expense is water heating. This typically accounts for about 30% to 40% of the electricity account.

1. By taking a shower instead of a bath you can save hot water (also refer to water saving tips),
2. Normally, you use less hot water for a shower than a bath. In a bath 12cm of hot water represents half the content of a 3000-Watt geyser, about 4 kWh of electricity is needed to heat it,
3. Get the family into the habit of plugging the water basin when washing or shaving,
4. Do not using running water. Allowing hot water to pour out of the taps and down the drain is wasteful (wasting both water and electricity),
5. Do not set the thermostat too high. A setting of 50-60°C is recommended.

Food preparation and storage efficiency

A lot of the energy in your home is used in preparing and storing foods. The following tips will help you to conserve energy while meeting your daily food-related needs.

1. Cook your food at the highest possible volume while still retaining the basic nutritional and health requirements,
2. Cook at a longer, lower temperature as opposed to a higher, shorter one. Slow cooking retains more of the nutrients in food and transfers less heat to the air around it – so you loose less heat energy and save more money in the long run,
3. Follow the manufacturer's strict guidelines while heating and pre-heating your cooking equipment,
4. Heat your equipment only to the highest temperature needed – do not heat higher to pre-heat quicker or cook food faster, it will only waste energy,
5. Do not turn every appliance on in the morning out of habit. Turn them on only when they are needed and going to be used,
6. Draw up a cooking schedule. In knowing what foods need the same cooking temperature in advance, you can do them at the same time. Fill your oven to capacity and save on time and electricity,
7. Learn how to use your oven's thermostat and timer. You can avoid continuous opening of your oven door while your food is cooking and thereby conserve the heat that is lost,
8. Warming drawers and plates are not cooking appliances. Excessive heat will dry out food so use them only as intended,
9. Keep your cooking equipment clean; it will last longer and use less electricity if well maintained.