Invention for geysers cuts power bills dramatically
EL woman creates ‘HotSpot’
IN A bid to do her bit for the environment, an East London inventor has created a device that reduces the amount of energy used by a geyser.
Sandiswa Qayi designed a silicone sleeve called the HotSpot out of frustration at having to continually switch her geyser on and off.
Qayi, who is managing director at her company, Amahlathi Eco Tech, was taking part in the Grassroots Innovations programme when she created the HotSpot.
The sleeve is fitted to a geyser’s element to heat water in the tank more efficiently.
Grassroots Innovators hailed the sleeve as a solution for reducing the cost of a geyser’s energy consumption by heating water as and when one needs it.
“Switching a geyser on and off like many people do only affects an electricity bill on a certain kind of geyser, and only when done during strategic times during the day,” Qayi said.
She explained that when a geyser – the biggest energy consumer in a household – was switched off, the energy required to get it going again was about the same which would have been used if the geyser had been left to carry on uninterrupted.
“The HotSpot allows for the hot water to rise to the top of the geyser, while the cold water settles to the bottom. It allows for the geyser to operate like a kettle, to heat water as and when it is needed to be hot,” Qayi said.
The HotSpot makes it quicker to get hot water while consuming less electricity and can provide 50l of hot water in 30 minutes from a geyser that holds 100 to 150l – the size commonly used in rural parts of East London.
Qayi, who has become an ambassador for the Grassroots Innovation programme, installed the first sleeve at a home in Dimbaza last week, where she also furthered her dedication to the community by conducting roadshows encouraging communities to become rural innovators themselves.
University of Fort Hare energy researcher Professor Stephen Tangwe, who endorsed the invention, said the HotSpot would reduce energy consumption drastically.
“We have piloted the project in several households around the Eastern Cape. What we have noticed is that all of the households that have the HotSpot are very happy with how drastically ... their electricity bill had reduced,” Tangwe said.
He said that despite the project being in its early stages, the HotSpot device showed its potential energy saving could reduce households’ electricity bills by more than 27% each month.
The HotSpot won Qayi an award at the Global Clean Tech innovation programme for small and mediumsized enterprises last year.
Her invention has since been incubated by the Grassroots Innovation programme, which seeks to find funds to turn ideas from aspiring entrepreneurs into fullyfledged businesses.
“The Grassroots Innovation programme is able to give aspiring entrepreneurs that final push and motivation to encourage them to turn their ideas into a successful business, through assistance and guidance throughout the programme,” said Qayi. —