Solar Geysers

Are you sick of cold showers during load-shedding or looking to save on your electricity bill? Solar geysers provide an eco-friendly option for heating water using the sun’s energy, reducing electricity, heat pump or gas usage. In Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, and the rest of South Africa, we have more than 2500 hours of sunlight annually. While some South Africans can afford to completely switch to solar power, solar geysers provide a cheaper solution to reduce your electricity costs and limit the impact of load-shedding to your daily activities. As a green energy option, they also have the added benefit of lowering the use of fossil fuels used to create electricity. 

How Effective Are Solar Geysers?   

When it comes to heating water, traditional geysers have always been the go-to option for most households. South Africa’s electricity infrastructure is under significant pressure, which is why our lives are so often disrupted by power outages. With electricity becoming increasingly unreliable and growing concerns about environmental sustainability, solar geysers have emerged as a viable alternative. While traditional geysers rely on electricity, heat pumps, or gas, solar geysers harness the sun’s energy through flat panels, or vacuum tubes installed on your roof or outside. Sunlight is free and readily available, providing an efficient and reliable way to heat water while lowering your electricity, or gas consumption. 

How Long Does a Solar Geyser Last?  

When investing in solar, you want to make sure that your purchase is worth the initial investment. Proper installation and regular maintenance are important. We recommend getting a qualified expert to carry out inspections, clean, and replace worn-out parts, when necessary. Environmental conditions can also influence longevity so it’s vital to ensure that your system is placed in a location that is suitable for maximum efficiency. 

Energy Savings with Solar Geysers 

You may be wondering how much energy solar geysers can save you realistically. As South Africans, we use a lot of hot water to shower, wash dishes, and clean our clothes. Traditional electrical, or heat pump geysers cost the average household 30% to 50% of your electricity bill. By switching to solar, you save between 50% and 90% of your water heating costs, depending on your system and access to sunlight. If you have a bigger geyser, more hot water can be stored in it. This means that the heater element won’t need to be used as often to heat the water up, resulting in lower electricity usage. To get the most out of your solar geyser, it’s advisable to shower. A shower can use up to 35 litres of hot water, where a bath, depending on how big, can use 50 litres to 80 litres of hot water. The hot water used is replaced by cold water, that then mixes with the remaining hot water in the geyser, resulting in lukewarm water. Larger geysers aren’t affected as much by this because they hold more hot water, but smaller geysers will cool down faster. Although solar geysers can be somewhat costly to install, they do provide a greater return on investment in the long run. 

Do Solar Geysers Use Electricity?      

One of the biggest misconceptions about solar geysers is that they still use a lot of electricity. Your solar geyser gathers sunlight from flat panels or vacuum tubes installed either on your roof or in an outside area. These systems are engineered in a way that allows them to absorb heat from the sun so that they work all year round. The heat is then transferred either directly to the water or to heat transfer fluid. This process itself does not require electricity. However, some solar geysers may have components that require electricity, such as circulating pumps and heater elements. For cloudier periods of time and during the night, it’s advisable to utilize your heater element to assist you when solar energy alone is insufficient, providing you with hot water in these conditions. However, the amount of electricity needed from components is minimal compared to the energy that you will save. There are times where you might see the geyser mounted on the roof above the flat panels, or vacuum tubes. These geysers could be either high-pressure systems, or low-pressure systems.  

The cold water runs from the geyser down into the flat panels, or vacuum tubes which then gets heated by the sun and is pushed back up into the geyser. This is called a thermosyphon action. This water will keep on rotating throughout the day if the flat panels, or vacuum tubes are kept hot via the sun. A pump is not required in this setup. 

What can you do with your current geyser? 

Some good news is that we can fit flat panels, or vacuum tubes to your existing high-pressure geyser. This is known as a retro fit system. Choosing to do this, will allow you to convert your current high-pressure geyser into a solar geyser system. This will save you costs as you don’t have to purchase a solar geyser when choosing to upgrade. This concept is where we utilise an existing high-pressure geyser that is generally found in your ceiling space. For the water in the geyser to heat, it needs to reach the roof where the flat panels, or vacuum tubes are installed. To do this, a pump is required, but because of our unreliable electrical infrastructure in South Africa, we advise the use of a solar powered pump. This is a simple concept where in the morning when the sun rises, the pump starts, and in the evening, as the sun sets, the pump stops. 

Pros and Cons of Solar Geysers 

In South Africa, we get an average of 8 to 10 hours of sunlight daily. By taking advantage of this free, renewable energy, solar geysers reduce your dependence on South Africa’s national power grid. With your electrical geysers contributing up to 50% of your electricity bill, solar geysers are incredibly cost-effective and immediately start paying themselves back. By saving energy, they are a simple way for property owners to reduce their carbon footprint. In terms of potential drawbacks, solar geysers require an initial financial investment to purchase. However, the long-term cost savings of solar geysers eventually outweigh the short-term financial investment. 

Solar Geysers in South Africa 

With an abundance of sunlight across Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands year-round, solar geysers are increasing in popularity. Although they are easily available in the South African market, it is important to choose a SABS-approved solar heating system that is made from quality components. Growing in popularity across South Africa, solar geysers are the way forward when it comes to sustainable energy. Cut costs, save the environment, and reduce the strain of load-shedding on your household by investing in one today. Our Pietermaritzburg-based team of experts are ready to assist you with choosing a high-quality system that is right for you.  As we look ahead, solar energy promises to become more efficient, cheaper, and easier to use in the future. 

Environmental Impact 

There are many ways to generate electricity and our government burns fossil fuels to do so. This is harmful for the environment and creates greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The sun produces powerful renewable energy that solar systems can utilize to create electricity. It is significantly better than fossil fuels and contributes towards a cleaner and more sustainable environment.