The forgotten geyser can cost you thousands.
Most South Africans know that the geyser is one of the biggest electricity users in the home.
What many don't realise is how much power it can consume while nobody is using it. Left on around the clock, a geyser continues losing heat and drawing electricity whether the family is asleep, at work or sitting at school.
A typical family of four using a standard 200-litre geyser could spend more than R1,100 a month on hot water during winter, with hundreds of rand going towards keeping water hot rather than heating water that is actually used.
To understand how much this costs, we modelled a typical 150m² South African home occupied by two adults and two young children. The family uses a 200-litre geyser with no insulation blanket, no pipe lagging and no timer.
