Eskom are encouraging us all to switch off our geysers during the day to save on electricity. The question is: does this really reduce our electricity bill? We’ve included a couple of industry opinions to start this debate, but would love to hear what you think.

According to a recent Daily News article, many electricians and plumbers are adamant that when the temperature in a geyser drops, it takes a substantial amount of power to re-heat it to the correct temperature, more so than if the geyser was left on. Jeffery Marimuthoo of Stonebridge Electrical in Phoenix, states that “the only time I would advise the public to switch off their geyser would be when they’re going on holiday”.

In contrast, the head of eThekwini Electricity Department, Siyabonga Maphumulo, says that switching geysers off and on definitely saves electricity.

So which one is it?

The Energy Crisis website states that according to recent reports, hundreds of thousands of ripple controls are to be installed in homes in areas of Johannesburg including Roodepoort, Bryanston and Randburg and in Durban and other towns in KZN.

Ripple controls are units installed on electricity distribution boards designed to enable municipalities to switch off geysers and other electrical appliances by remote control from a central point. Johannesburg currently has 100 000 ripple controls and they will eventually be extended to all 700 000 geysers in the city. Other cities will implement similar controls in the future.

Many eThekwini residents say their electricity bills have been higher since the ripple control has been installed. An irate reader said: “My electricity bill has almost doubled since switching the geyser on and off”.

Have you had any experiences with geysers, ripple controls and electricity bills recently?