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The closer you set the dial to “Solar Only” (in other words, the more you turn it anti-
clockwise), the bigger the portion of the day that the system will use solar energy
to heat the water in your geyser.
However, you might not have a sufficient number of solar panels to heat all the
water in your geyser every day (and some days will have rain or cloud). So it is best
to set it so that it switches back to grid power before you start using hot water again
late afternoon. This will ensure that you always have hot water in the mornings and
evenings.
How can I increase my savings?
You can increase your savings by reducing your hotwater use and by changing your
routines.
The best time to shower for maximum savings is in the mornings.This ensures
that the ‘solar’ day starts with the water in the geyser at lower than set point
temperature (in other words the battery is not fully charged).
If you have enough solar panels for the number of people and overall level of hot
water use in your household (see the table on page 2), you can further increase
your savings by setting the Elon efficiency dial to “SOLAR ONLY”. This will ensure
that the unit will never use grid (mains) power for heating water. You can still boost
with mains power (such as on a cloudy or rainy day) using the override button as
described earlier.
General hot water energy saving tips
•Shower, don’t bath
•Install water-saving or low flow shower heads (these also save energy
because of reduced hot water use!)
•Reduce shower duration
•Check that your geyser is well insulated
South Africa is a water-scarce country –reducing hot water use saves both energy
and water!
