South African energy tech firm Plentify has partnered with local residential developer Balwin Properties to roll out an AI-driven geyser management system. The system includes HotBot devices and software designed to enable smart residential water heating.
The HotBots, installed on home geysers, optimise water heating based on three signals: when residents are likely to need hot water, when solar energy is available, and when electricity tariffs are lowest. When deployed across large communities, the devices collectively shape electricity demand to match these signals.
According to the collaborators, residential water heating is a major but often overlooked driver of electricity demand.
“Electric geysers account for up to 40% of all electricity consumption in residential developments,” says Matthew Whalley, MD of Balwin Properties. “Yet most systems still operate on fixed schedules or manual timers, heating water regardless of whether it is needed.”
Whalley says this pattern worsens pressure on the grid during peak periods, especially evenings and after power outages.
"While much focus has been on South Africa's generation problems, there is a bigger challenge around power distribution – ensuring energy is available where it's needed and managing how and when it is used," he adds.
The collaborators claim more than 7 500 intelligent geyser controllers have been installed. According to data from these controllers, co-ordinated residential demand management has led to:
- Forty-six percent reduction in peak electricity usage.
- Thirty-six percent reduction in short-term demand spikes.
- Seventy-nine percent increase in solar energy utilised for water heating.
- More than 1MWh of solar energy used for hot water.
- 1 458 tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided.
Kailas Nair, chief growth officer at Plentify, says: “For body corporates, we are seeing a 46% reduction in time-of-use energy usage, a 36% reduction in maximum monthly demand and a 79% increase in energy use from solar.”
The companies note that SA’s electricity sector is undergoing its most significant structural reform in decades. The amended Electricity Regulation Act and the planned South African Wholesale Electricity Market will introduce competitive electricity trading and greater private-sector participation.
As the system evolves from a centrally managed utility model to a more dynamic market-based system, flexibility in how electricity is consumed – not only generated – is becoming increasingly important, the companies say.
Share
