#GoGas - Gas Geysers, a viable alternative to Solar Geysers
Gas Geysers has been around for decades and is increasingly becoming a very popular water heater again. Gone are the days when you had to keep a pilot light burning. The new generation of Gas Water Heaters comes with battery operated (2 x AA batteries) igniters and an LCD screen for temperature control.
They have also become smarter and more efficient. At full blast, it will consume as little as 1.45kg of gas per hour. Considering that you only shower for 5 or so minutes, your standard 19kg bottle should last many months.
"Why is it green if it still uses gas?" you may ask. Well it burns LP Gas (Liquid Petroleum Gas) or butane as many of us knows it. It is essentially a by product of the refining process of Petrol.
Why a Gas Geyser over a Solar Geyser or Heat Pump ? Interesting question. It all has to do with usage patterns and needs. Say you have a normal geyser, but your kitchen is on the other side of the house. Every time you open a tap, you wait 5 minutes for the water to arrive. Water wastage at its best. Or you have an office where no one baths or showers, you just need hot water for dishes or the bathroom basin. Or how about an out building or cottage where guests may or may not stay 2 or 3 times a year. In these cases Solar will not be the way to go because it will overheat. a Solar Geyser needs to be used everyday because you cannot turn the sun off with a timer when the geyser is hot.
Gas will be perfect for these scenarios as it is "use as you need" and its instant.
You do not have a tank of 150lt that heats up , then cool down, then heats up, then cool down again. If you need hot water ,it will heat as you open the tap.
So how much can a Gas Geyser save you? a Simple calculation shows that if your electrical geyser is on for around 3 hours a day and your geyser has a standard 4kw element, you would use 12kw per day. If your Eskom rate is R1-50 per unit, you will spend around R18 per day on water heating or R558-00 per month. Say the Gas Geyser costs R7500 to install, which includes a 19kg gas Bottle. The system would pay for itself in just over a year. Even if you add annual maintenance and a few refills, it would still save you around around R6000 per year, which goes up as Eskom prices increase.
It should almost be a no brainer really, even for your primary water heater..
If you need more information on these awesome gadgets, please contact us.
