My gas journey

DAVID BOARDMAN has installed a gas system which has reduced his electricity bill considerably.

WHAT’S THE FUSS ABOUT GAS?

David Boardman has taken steps to cut his dependence on the electricity grid and getting gas to heat water, instead of wasteful electric geysers, was one of them. This is his journey...

WE WERE using traditional geysers with geyser timers to try to reduce the amount of electricity we consumed. Then we opted to move to gas heaters, both for our home and two cottages.

There were a few motivators for moving to instant hot water on gas, one of which was the running cost of heating water. After the installation of two systems there was an instant saving of R100 a unit a month after the cost of gas.

The unit is small and wall-mounted which makes servicing simple and much cheaper. You do not have 200 litres to 400 litres of water in a geyser above your head in the ceiling.

The initial cost of the unit is not much more than a geyser installation when all costs are factored in. If there are extended power outages, we still have hot water. Another benefit of using gas is that anything that runs on gas can be run off a single cylinder.

One cottage was designed with the intention of using a gas heater. The two other units were retrofitted, which was fairly simple.

You do need a plumber with a gas fitter’s certificate, however, this is easy to find. Most manufacturers have installers they work with.

Choosing the unit can be difficult as there are quite a few options, so you should have an idea of your needs before you buy. If you want a system where you are able to adjust the water temperature, this will cost you a bit more money. FIVE THINGS I LEARNED ALONG THE WAY: 1 I should have done the gas retrofits much sooner and saved even more money. 2 A plumber crawling round in the roof at R400 an hour goes a long way to buying a new gas unit. 3 A total green system should be considered if it is a new build. 4 I could have maximised my future solar energy system had I pitched my garage roof differently to catch more direct sunlight. 5 Plan for a complete offgrid system. Even though this might not happen immediately, it will make partial solutions easier in the future in terms of water harvesting and solar energy.