It is Janu-worry, and South Africans are counting their pennies, making this a critical time to look at reducing your household’s electricity bill.

Since the electric geyser often consumes up to 40% of a home’s power, taking control of how you heat water is the fastest route to real savings. What can you do this new year to reduce your electricity bill and put some sunshine back in your budget?

Put some sunshine back in your budget

Teresa Kok, the marketing director of One Energy, says the geyser is one of the biggest electricity guzzlers. “Installing a solar water geyser can dramatically reduce your energy consumption, and save you thousands of rands over the years on your electricity bill.”

There are several options to consider:

• You can save this much: An electric geyser typically accounts for 30–40% of your electricity bill, so a family of four with an average bill of R3 000 could save at least R900 per month – or R10 800 a year – by switching to a solar geyser. She says it costs around R25 000 for a 200ℓ solar geyser, including the tank, solar collector, and installation fees. “Your solar geyser will pay for itself in 2.5 years.”
• Retrofit your existing geyser: “If you already have a 200ℓ electric geyser installed, you can also opt to retrofit this with a solar flat plate collector, which essentially takes over the job of the geyser element, so you won’t be using grid electricity to heat your water,” says Kok.
• Convert your electric geyser: A solar conversion makes use of your existing electric geyser and changes its power source to solar panels. “The advantage of this approach is that you don’t require expensive plumbing work and you benefit from the long lifespan of normal solar panels (around 25–30 years). What’s more, the conversion allows for the geyser to maintain a connection to the home’s main electricity for backup power during extended periods of cloudy weather,” says Marc du Plessis, executive head of LookSee, a Standard Bank online platform that gives specialist water and electricity advice to homeowners.
• Don’t take chances: Work with an accredited renewable energy partner who will be around for backup support and ongoing consultation. “Too many consumers are finding out that the result of going with cheap systems and questionable installers is poor system performance, outright equipment failures, and a vicious cycle of constant ‘call backs’ – until the original installer simply does not come back to fix their shoddy work or goes belly-up,” says Kok.

Con: According to LookSee, the amount of solar energy you can draw could be limited by the available open space or the orientation of your roof, and you might have to cut down tall trees that cast a shadow on your roof.

5 smart ways to save

Ease your financial burden by using tech-savvy home devices that lighten the load on your wallet.

According to LookSee, a TV that is left in standby mode can consume up to 30W of power. This standby draw, over the space of a month, is 21.6kWh. If you watch TV for four hours a day, the remaining 20 hours that it is on standby waste about 18kWh a month.

The solution? A smart plug with power consumption-measuring capabilities that you can program to switch off if the electricity consumption drops below a certain level.

Dean Joffe and Byron Gold of smart solutions company Simpletech say consumers must think out of the box if they want to save money on their utility bills. They share these five ideas:

1. Smart dimmers: You can provide ample illumination while reducing electricity consumption by setting your lights to switch on at 80% brightness.
2. Hot water happiness: Hot water management systems control your geyser’s heating to ensure it reaches the optimal temperature according to your schedule, saving energy without the inconvenience of cold showers. Additionally, these systems can include leak detection, immediately alerting you to any leaks.
3. Smart thermostats: These can learn your schedule and adjust the room temperature accordingly, ensuring efficient use of heating and cooling systems. They can also be controlled remotely. Additionally, incorporating water-borne heating systems when designing new homes can enhance overall energy efficiency.
4. Motorised blinds: Motorised blinds, curtains, or awnings can be a simple yet effective way to enhance energy efficiency. In summer, they can be set to close during the hottest part of the day to keep your home cool. In winter, they can open at sunrise to warm your home with natural sunlight and close in the evening to retain heat, reducing the need for additional heating.
5. Smart appliances: The latest smart appliances, such as the Siemens smart oven, can lead to significant energy savings. These appliances can shut off automatically once your food is cooked. Another example is the robot vacuum cleaner, which efficiently maps out and vacuums your home with a single pass, unlike traditional vacuum cleaners that often go over the same spot multiple times, consuming more energy.

LookSee’s top tips: Use a geyser blanket, reduce the thermostat temperature on your geyser, and add a smart geyser device for easy monitoring and management from your smartphone.

What about gas?

An average household can save between 30–40% on their electricity bill by converting to a gas cooker and geyser, says registered gas installer Clayton Diab. He says gas stove installation costs around R3 500, while a big installation including a stove and geyser costs around R16 000.

• Pros: Gas stoves and geysers are far more energy efficient than their electric counterparts and are load-shedding proof. With gas geysers, you heat only the water you use, reducing the amount of waste. (Source: LookSee)
• Cons: Gas appliances are generally more expensive than electric ones and installations are more expensive and require annual maintenance and integrity checks. (Source: LookSee)
• Remember: Only installers authorised by the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association of South Africa may issue a certificate of compliance. These certificates are needed when gas appliances are installed and when you sell your house.

‘A’ for energy efficiency

Electrical appliances are rated according to how much electricity they use. Ratings go from D (costs the most to run) to A+++ (costs the least to run). Look at how energy-efficient an appliance is before you buy it.

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