Geyser controllers could cut five stages of load-shedding — Report  

According to Deloitte director and management consultant Dr. Adriaan Davidse, South Africa could potentially avoid up to five stages of load-shedding if all households installed geyser controllers that switch off power-hungry geysers during high-demand periods.  

There are approximately 6 million geysers in the country, with 1 to 2 million typically turned on at any given time. If all geysers were simultaneously operational, they would consume 20,000MW of electricity, equivalent to the output of ten Koeberg power stations.

Davidse estimates that switching off geysers could reduce rotational power cuts by three to five stages. He has formed the Ubuntu Power Alliance, a group of small businesses, to develop a device the size of a chocolate slab that can control geysers. The technology for the device has already been successfully used in Germany.  

The geyser controllers could be configured to heat water during periods of high solar generation in the afternoons.  

The implementation of geyser controllers is seen as a potentially more cost-effective solution compared to Eskom’s load-limiting project, which involves smart meters and manual switching off of appliances during load-shedding. 

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