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Solar Heating

Electricity prices are soaring and set to soar even further in South Africa given the proposed Eskom increases of 45% per annum for the next three years.

Many people are now relooking their energy efficiency strategy after having just received the first bill with the latest increase on.

The average household with an electricity bill of R1,000 prior to the increase will now be paying R1,300 per month. The scary part comes in when we look at what the effect of the proposed 45% increases per annum over the next three years will be. A home that is now paying R1,300 per month will pay R1,885 next year, R2,733 the year after and R3,963 the year after that. That is almost four times the price they would have paid earlier in 2009 for the same amount of electricity! Scary!

So what can consumers do to help reduce the effect of the electricity price increases in their homes?

Well, there are many options ranging from water flow regulators to solar water heating. Saving on water heating costs in your home will help reduce your electricity bill the most as it is the largest consumer of energy in a typical household.

A solar geyser can help you reduce your electricity bill by as much as 40% and so the estimated savings in three years time – after the crazy price hikes – will be R1,600 per month. That is a payback of around 12 months at the future prices.

What is the payback of a solar geyser?

The payback on a solar water heating system is roughly 27 months when taking into account the proposed price increases. After that is is pure profits. It will be very difficult to find a bank willing to give you 72% interest on your investment, but solar water heating can! It really does help to save power!