Water Geysers- Use It Right To Lower Electricity Bill

Water heaters or Geysers are one of the major contributors of your electricity bills. They consume around 18% of the power. That is too much, isn’t it!

Using them in the right way helps to reduce the power consumption and electricity bills as well.

Here is an ultimate guide that discusses several tips on how to use a water heater to lower the bills.

Make sure you adhere to these money-saving water heating tips.

Let us get started.

What Are The Factors Influencing the Energy Consumption of Your Geyser?

Several factors contribute to the power consumption of the water heater. The primary ones are as stated below:

• Quantity of Water: The quantity of water used is the most triggering factor for high electricity consumption of the water. The equation is simple. The more water you use, the more power your appliance consumes, and thus higher will be the bills.
• The temperature of Water from the Input Source: Electricity consumption for water heater differs from place to place. Colder climate regions require more heating than normal regions. As a result, they tend to consume more power. For instance, if you reside in Kashmir your heater will require lots of power to heat the water than a geyser in Tamil Nadu.
• Thermostat Temperature: The thermostat temperature is yet another contributing factor for your water heater consuming more electricity. Most devices come with a default setting of 60oC on their thermostats. Some models offer external controls to adjust this setting as per the user’s requirement.
• Standing Losses: Standing losses is yet another possible trigger for the electricity consumption of your geyser. It is nothing but the heat lost by the water heater’s surface and often calculated standing losses. The standing losses as per BEE can be defined like this. It is the total amount of energy consumed by the water heater filled with water that heated the water already to the specified temperature. The water is not drawn from it and remains connected to the power supply even after heating. However, it is prominently dependent on the material’s quantity used for the device. Branded water heaters are the most preferred ones as they come of better quality. You can find the BEE rating only on such branded water heaters.

What Are The Best Ways To Save Power Consumption Of Your Geyser?

Do you want to know the best ways to save your power consumption while using a water heater? Well, here are some essential tips to follow to cut down on your electricity bills.

Tip 1: Be Watchful About the Volume of Hot Water you are Using.

As mentioned earlier, the amount of hot water used is the crucial factor triggering electricity consumption. Hence, be watchful and only use the right quantity of water. You may ask how to keep a check on the water usage of the entire family. Well, here is what you can do:

• Let us assume that your family members use only bucket water for bathing. This gives you the exact quantity you require for the entire family. If the capacity of each bucket is 15 L per bath, the total amount refers to the number of buckets for your family. This will give you the entire volume of water usage in litres.
• Let us assume that your family members use a shower for bathing. This gives you the exact quantity you require for the entire family. If each person requires 30 L per bath, the total amount refers to 30 L multiplied by the number of members in your family. This will give you the entire volume of water usage in litres.
• Let us assume that your family members use a bathtub or go for an extended shower for bathing. This gives you the exact quantity you require for the entire family. If each person requires 35 L per bath, the total amount refers to 35 L multiplied by the number of members in your family. This will give you the entire volume of water usage in litres.
• Let us assume that you wash clothes every day. This gives you the exact quantity you require for the entire family. If each person requires 10 L per day to wash the clothes, the total amount refers to 10 L multiplied by the number of members in your family. This will give you the entire volume of water usage in litres.
• Lastly, let us talk about washing utensils. This gives you the exact quantity you require for the entire family. If each person requires about 5 L of water per meal to do the dishes, the total amount refers to 5 L multiplied by the number of members in your family. This will give you the entire volume of water usage in litres.

Based on these numbers, you can find out the hot water requirement for each day. For instance, consider that there are four members in the family. If all take shower baths, the total volume of water usage per day would contribute to about 100 litres for each person. Similarly, you can calculate the requirement for each category.

Based on this, you can limit water consumption, thereby minimizing electricity consumption.

Tip 2: Choose the Geyser of the Right Size

The best way to cut down your electricity bills when using a water heater is by choosing a geyser of the right size. Depending on your requirements, choose an adequate-sized appliance.

Do not go for an under-sized geyser. In such a case, you may end up operating it multiple times to serve the purpose of all your family members. Similarly, if you opt for an oversized water heater, you are heating more water than needed. Again, this will consume more electricity, spiking your utility bills. The most viable option would be – to select the appropriate geyser size according to the size of your family and the water consumption.

Tip 3: Choose only Energy-Efficient Geysers 

Here is the next tip. Choose only those water heaters from reputed brands that have a BEE rating. This rating indicates their energy efficiency. Geysers with a good BEE rating consume less power for heating water and also tackle the problem of heat losses. Get these appliances installed to cut down on your electricity bills every month.

Tip 4: Set the Temperature of your Geyser to 60o Celsius

The next tip to religiously follow is to set the temperature of your geyser to 60°C. This consumes less electricity than when kept at 70°C.

Most devices come set to a default temperature of 60°C. If yours is not, you can adjust the temperature settings. This is how you can do it:

• Firstly, you need to locate the thermostat in your geyser.
• In some devices, you can find it in the little cover above the electrical element of your water heater.
• After locating, switch off the power connection at the mains.
• Now, remove the cover and reduce the temperature in the geyser thermostat with the help of a screwdriver.
• You can even seek the assistance of a plumber for the same.

Heating water at 60oC does not exactly mean you use that hot water. Our human body cannot handle such extreme temperature, as it may cause first-degree means. The temperature of a human body is 37oC, and anything beyond that feels hot. The maximum temperature a human body can tolerate is 46oC. Although it is quite hot it is not dangerous when compared to water at 60oC. That said, when your geyser heats the water at 60oC, you should add some cold water to it to make it bearable.

Tip 5: Installing Upgrades to Save Energy

The next effective tip is to install upgrades that help in saving electricity. One such example is solar panel insulation. This upgrade lowers the electricity consumption of the geyser and, thereby, reduces the utility bills. Many solar panels these days are highly advanced and often come with the ability to store the absorbed energy for a longer period. Using a solar panel, you can save up to 200kw each month. That said, it can be the best supplement to your geyser.

Tip 6: Prefer Short Showers Over Hot Water Baths

Do you have the habit of taking long showers? Do you prefer filling your buckets or bathtubs with water to bath? Then you should switch to taking short showers. Not only is this energy-saving but also refreshing, too. Why don’t you try this!

Tip 7: Replace your Existing Geyser with a New One 

The next crucial step to save on your electricity bills is to change your existing water heater. Is your device more than ten years old? If yes, you should definitely consider replacing it with a new and advanced version. This will help minimize the electricity bills, further saving your wallet.

Moreover, the newer and latest models come with advanced features and upgrades that have high energy efficiency. Although they are a little expensive, they tend to be cost-effective in the long run. You can save high on your electricity bills. A good reason to switch to a new water heater is that you will have the latest upgrades in your arsenal, and chances are quite high that you will be able to save more money on your bills. If you are not aware of when to replace your device, here are a few signs. Check out for these indications that will tell you whether you need to upgrade your water heater:

• Is your water heater an old unit?
• Does your water not heat as per the set temperature?
• Is your device making noises while operating?
• Does your geyser have unrepairable leakages?
• Does the water from the heater look rusty?

If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, that means you need to replace the water heater immediately.

How To Calculate The Power Consumption Of Your Water Heater Power?

Do you want to calculate the power consumed by your geyser? Here are a few parameters you need to consider to ensure the correct results:

1. Wattage
2. Operational Hours
3. Electricity Tariff
4. Unit Of Electricity

Let us consider the prominence of these parameters:

Wattage: Wattage is nothing but the rate of power consumed by electrical appliances. Let me give you an example. Let us say you have a hairdryer. It consumes about 1500 watts of power per hour.

Operational Hours: The next aspect is the operational hours. You can define it as the number

of hours your electrical appliance operates. Here is an example. Let us say your water heater runs for 30 minutes. That said, the operation hours of your unit are 0.5 hours.

Electricity Tariff: We all know what an electricity tariff is. It is nothing but the amount charged for a single unit of electricity. This tariff differs from place to place. If you live in Mumbai, it would cost around Rs 12 / kWh. Similarly, depending on your area, the tariff slab varies.

Unit Of Electricity (kWh): How do you measure the power consumption of any electrical appliance? In units of electricity, i.e., kWh.

Few Words To Conclude:

Wrapping up, you can save on your water heater electricity bills if you follow the useful tips cited in this article. Make sure you use your geyser the right way to minimize power consumption. Remember to save on your water consumption, as well.

Let us know if you feel this information has helped you to cut down on your utility bills. Please feel free to add your inputs to this article and let us know if you have inputs to add. We welcome your suggestions and would love to hear and learn from you.

Stay healthy and stay safe!!!