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The Citizen

How much your geyser really costs you and what to do about it this winter

As winter creeps closer, homeowners are warned not to fall into the trap of ignoring their most inefficient appliance. Increasing electricity bills show no sign of subsiding but households have been given a way to get ahead of mounting costs. The geyser is last on most households' efficiency checklist. The giant kettle in the ceiling often heats water for an empty house. 40% of your electricity spend Part of the geyser's hidden danger is the convenience of having hot water on demand, as fast-paced lifestyles leave little room for the manual switching on and off of a geyser. Too many will attest to the agony of forgetting to switch the geyser back on, allowing convenience to defeat any commitment to efficiency. A conservative estimate places the cost of running a geyser 24/7 at roughly 40% of a household's electricity bill, with a 3kW geyser costing approximately R9 per hour to heat up. ALSO READ: Eskom tariff increase: Here's how to prevent your electricity bill from skyrocketing Cost-effective stopgaps include timers and insulation with a geyser blanker, but LookSee combines renewable energy and smart solutions to amplify existing infrastructure. 'We encourage households to think about efficiency and the reduction of energy usage before thinking about production of power,' said Executive Head of LookSee Marc du Plessis. 'Plug your geyser into the sun' Heating water in winter not only requires more energy, but maintaining that heat comes at an escalated cost as the water coming into the geyser and the surrounding environment is much colder. Households can change the way they consume hot water by taking showers instead of baths, not leaving the hot water running, and turning the temperature of the geyser down. ALSO READ: Want to get the most out of your solar system? LookSee promises to cut down your bill with its new Savings Guarantee Alternatively, LookSee gives households the power to stop using expensive grid power for their water heating needs. 'The easiest and most cost-effective option is to use the sun — to plug your geyser into the sun and let the sun do the work for you,' said Du Plessis. LookSee's innovative approach to solar water heating does away with the well-known hallmarks of traditional solar geysers: the unsightly geyser installed on the roof, connected to evacuated tubes or flat-plate collectors. Instead, standard solar panels such as you would see on a home solar installation are connected directly to the geyser without any interference to the existing plumbing. It heats the water at source, with no moving parts, reducing installation and maintenance costs and maintains a connection to the main electrical supply for backup power during extended periods of heavy cloud cover. Savings from the start This smart conversion approach to solar geysers is an investment that pairs long-term rewards with a short-term capital outlay that is quickly offset by immediate savings when financed with Standard Bank's Energy Loan. Backed by sophisticated savings calculators, LookSee have established that the savings on electricity bills often surpass the monthly repayment of the affordable installation in households of three people or more from day one. ALSO READ: Insurance companies winning 90% of homeowner disputes – How to ensure your home remains in top shape Early adopters of full solar installations and solar panel-powered geysers have paved the way for the drop in costs of newer technologies, removing all trepidation of renewable solutions. 'It is in the sweet spot now. The quality is getting better and the costs are coming down. The solar geyser conversion is far more rewarding from a net-benefit perspective over time.' Smart solutions are allowing for households to tailor their water heating patterns to the lifestyles of each of the home's energy-conscious occupants. This begins by installing LookSee's solar geyser conversion, which ensures long-term access to hot water while taking a significant chunk out of your electricity bill. Click here to find out more information on LookSee's innovative solar geyser conversion. Brought to you by LookSee.