Water heating solutions firm, Ariston Group, has launched a new range of geysers, gas and solar systems in South Africa as it repositions itself to respond to the country’s crippling electricity supply challenges and water shortages.
The Italian multinational last week officially introduced its global brand Ariston in South Africa to replace local brand Heat Tech, which had been part of the group stable for the past eight years.
Wayne Vertue, country manager for Ariston Group in South Africa, said yesterday (WED) that their electric, gas and solar-thermal heating products offered significant water and power utility savings.
In an interview with Business Report, Vertue said the that Ariston has a variety of products geared towards saving the consumer money on their water heating needs, some can offer up to a 30% reduction in the utility bill.
Normally, a standard conventional geyser can sometimes account for 40% to 50% of a household electricity monthly bill, which can also cost more with the interrupted power supply because of load shedding.
“What we have done, essentially, is to ensure that the insulation, the polyurethane that we have inside the tank, is more than adequate, according to what the legislation in South Africa is,” Vertue said.
“And basically that means that the homeowner or the person paying the utility can expect the new Axios geyser to have less standing heat loss.”
Standing heat loss - the measurement of the heat loss to the surface of the geyser as a consequence of poor insulation or construction - is a big issue in any water heating device.
“And for this reason, we increased the thickness of the installation. And we are confident that this will ensure that the product will meet the local Class-B energy requirements, the statutory requirements for energy heat loss, and will also last over a longer period as well,” Vertue said.
“So very important for us is to continually look at opportunities to save the end user money, but at the same time, convenience with easy-to-install and reliable products.”
At the same time, Ariston has a new patent pending for OptiHeat technology which is an angled heating element which heats the water in the boiler.
Vertue said this new patent-pending technology would essentially allow for 10% more hot water than a conventional straight element geyser, translating into savings with more hot water on demand when required.
Ariston products, such as their 250-litre geysers, are manufactured in South Africa and geared for professional installers, contractors, and plumbing professionals who service domestic and commercial customers.
Ariston also unveiled a range of small “point-of-use” geysers which come in micro capacities of 10, 15 and 30 litres for installation either above or below the sink in the kitchen or the basin in the bathroom.
Vertue said the reasoning behind this type of product was that traditional homes in South Africa normally have one major water heating device, like a 150 litre geyser, which may be located up to 30 or 40 metres away from a tap.
“A lot of cold water is wasted at the kitchen tap because you first have to open the tap, and you wait and wait while a lot of cold water passes before warm water or hot water comes,” he said.
“We have managed to overcome that water wastage ditch by manufacturing these smaller capacities, which are ideal for a kitchen sink where you need the hottest water the quickest.”
BUSINESS REPORT