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Best Geysers / Water Heaters in India in 2023 Buyer's Guide

Are you planning to buy a new geyser or replace your old one? You may be confused by the various geyser parameters like type, size, wattage, and, most importantly, the technology. You are not alone; others like you are clueless about the geyser technology. In this article, we will decode the new and important technology presently found in contemporary geysers and brief you about the type of water heater. We will also help you understand the importance of B EE star rating in water heaters and how BEE uses “standing loss” as a parameter to rate different models. Also, we will help you choose the right sized geyser along with the right wattage for the same. You can use this article as a buying guide for your next water heater purchase. But first, let’s look at the list of Best Brands for Water Heaters / Geysers in India and the list of Best Geysers / Water Heaters in India in 2023.

Best Geyser / Water Heater Brands in India in 2023

• Havells Geysers
• AO Smith Geysers
• Racold Geysers
• Bajaj Geysers
• Venus Geysers
• Crompton Geysers
• Orient Electric Geysers

These are the most popular brands for Water heaters / Geyser in India. Out of these Havells, Bajaj, Venus, Crompton and Orient are Indian brands while AO Smith and Racold are international brands. Other international brands that are popular are Morphy Richards and Ferroli.

If you are looking for reviews of various brands, you can check our brand review section over here: Link. Or you can click on the specific brand name mentioned above.

Best Geysers / Water Heaters in India in 2023

Buying Guide for Geysers / Water Heaters

Choosing the right size of the water heater (10lts vs. 15lts vs 25lts)

While buying a water heater, one has to make sure that it not just suffices the family’s needs but also does not increase electricity bills (or units consumed) significantly. People might look at the wattage of the water heater to determine the amount of electricity the water heater might use. Still, wattage does not have any impact on the electricity consumption of the water heater. We will try to list some facts that can help you decide the size and type of water heater.

What factors does the electricity consumption of the water heater/geyser depend on?

Electricity consumption of water heater depends on:

• The volume of Hot Water used: This is the main driving factor of electricity consumption by water heaters. The more hot water you use, the more electricity it will consume.
• Tap (Input) water temperature: Places with colder climates need a lot more heating than places with warmer climates. A water heater in Kashmir will require a lot more electricity than a water heater in Tamil Nadu.
• Temperature of water used for bathing: Please note that this is different from thermostat temperature.
• Thermostat temperature: This is by default set to about 60^oC for most water heaters. Some heaters have external control to change this setting. Having a geyser with an external adjustable thermostat gives you a control over electricity consumption.
• Standing Losses: Yes, water heaters do lose heat and this is calculated as standing loss. It is the heat lost through the surface of the water heater. BEE defines standing losses as the energy consumption of a filled water heater, after steady state conditions have been reached when connected to electrical supply, when no water is drawn. Much of this depends on the quality of material used for making the water heater. Branded water heaters are of better quality and thus they are preferred. BEE also rates only the branded water heaters.

How much water is required for my family?

A very straightforward guideline for the same is as mentioned below:

• For bathing using bucket water: 15 lts/person per bath (one bucket). If more buckets of water are used, then add 15 lts/bucket.
• For bathing using shower: 25 lts/person per bath.
• For tub bath or extended shower bath: 35 lts/person per bath.
• For washing cloths: 10 lts/person per day.
• For washing utensils: 5 lts/person per meal.

(Source: http://www.teriin.org/ResUpdate/reep/ch_9.pdf)

So if there are 4 people in the household and all 4 take shower bath. Then the total hot water requirement per day of the household is 100 lts. Keep adding the water per use as per the guidelines above and you will get the water requirement of your house.

What is the ideal temperature for bathing?

Although most water heaters have a thermostat setting of 60^oC, which means that, the water is heated up to 60^oC but can human body handle water at 60^oC? The answer is NO. Water at 60^oC is too dangerous for human body and can cause first-degree burns. Human body temperature is 37^oC and any temperature above it feels hot. A temperature of 46^oC is quite hot but far less dangerous than water at 60^oC. So even though your water heater heats the water to 60^oC, you need to add extra cold water to make it bearable.

(Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3318578/So-Mr-Prescott-how-hot-should-my-bath-be.html)

So what is the ideal Electricity Units that are required by your family?

Heating of water is a classic thermodynamics problem and has a straight forward formula:

Heat required = M (Mass of water) x Cp (Specific heat of water) x delta T (Difference in starting temperature and desired temperature).

A simplified solution to calculate electricity units is:

Ideal Units for heating = Volume of Water x Temperature Difference x 0.0012

So if your family’s water requirement is 100 lts of hot water per day and you prefer to use water at 40^oC and your tap water temperature is 20^oC. Then the ideal units for your water heating requirement is:

100 x (40-20) x 0.0012 = 2.4 units per day.

Will all water heaters consume ideal units of electricity?

No. The amount we calculated above is the ideal units and not the actual units. The actual units depend on the size of water heater, standing losses and the way you use it. The bigger the size of a water heater higher are the standing losses, because more is the surface area. Typical 100 lts water heaters have standing losses of more than 1 unit/day, 70 lts water heater is close to 0.9 units/day, and it decreases as the size decreases.

If you leave the water heater on throughout the day then you certainly loose the full standing loss units in a day. The way to minimize it is by heating the appropriate amount of water that is required which can be done by switching the water heater on before use and switch it off after use. This way the standing losses will be minimized to the period when water heater is used. Also do not waste any extra hot water because that is waste of electricity.

So does it mean that you should buy smallest volume water heater?

Depends. If the water heater is too small then the amount of hot water (even if it is at 60^oC) will not suffice the need of single person (even after adding cold water). You will have to wait for longer for the water heater to heat the desired amount of water or keep the output flow of water from the heater low.

So what is the ideal size?

Ideal size of water heater should be close to the volume of hot water required at one go. If people take bath one by one and use 25 lts of water, then a 25 lts or a 15 lts of water heater will make sure that the water is optimum hot when one goes to take bath (at places where tap water temperature is not too low). If the tap water temperature is too low (especially in cold places) only a 25 lts capacity hot water will work if 25 lts of water is required for a bath. If water heater is connected to 2 bathrooms then ideal size is 25 + 25 = 50 lts, because 50 lts of water can be used simultaneously. This does not mean that 6 lts water heater will not suffice; it’s just that it will take more time to heat the same amount of water or you might have to bear with cold water at the end of your bath. Ideal sizes are those that generate enough heat that are good for maximum instantaneous use. Our guideline is:

Go for a 10 lts geyser if people in your house prefer bucket bath and go for a 15 lts model if people prefer shower bath. This works for most places in the country.

Choosing the right wattage (2000 Watts vs 3000 Watts  vs 4500 Watts)

Wattage of water heater makes the water heat faster or slower. If you buy an instant water heater of 4.5 kW the water will heat faster than a water heater of 2 kW. At times a 4.5 kW instant water heater can also heat the water required for bathing and can save electricity (by stopping wastage of extra hot water). The only downside of 4.5 kW water heater is that it increases the electricity load of your house which means that you connected load will have to be increased which may increase the fixed charge component of your electricity bill.

Water Heater Classification

Basics first. There exists a medley of water heaters to target a wide spectrum of customers. Starting from the very basic and cheap immersion type heaters to the premium smart heaters, a variety of geyser are offered by the manufacturers. They are systematically classified and briefed as follows:

1. Immersion-type heaters: This is a very rudimentary class of heater. It consists of a metallic heating element connected to the cable which needs to be connected to the main supply for its operation. As its obvious from its construction in contains no storage tank. Companies like Bajaj and Crompton offers this kind of rudimentary heaters.
2. Instant heaters (electric): This is one of the popular but also a frugal choice of heater for the individual users or smaller families. Instant water heaters, as the name suggests, are designed to deliver warm water instantly. Having a minimal storage capacity (around 1 to 5 litres), they can heat up the water quite fast.
3. Storage heaters (electric): This is the most popular choice of heater for the big families or households needing a larger volume of heated water. All the manufacturers produce this type of heater with capacity ranging from 6 litres all the way up to 100 litres. Reputed brands like AO Smith and Racold offer up to 7 years of warranty on the inner tank of storage heaters.
4. Gas heaters: Though the conventional water heaters (mentioned above) operate on electricity, manufacturers have come up with a new class of heaters which makes use of the compressed gas to heat up the water. These are gas water heaters. They are further of two types: PNG gas heaters and LPG gas heaters. Also, note that most of the gas heaters are generally instant water heaters with lesser storage capacity but quicker heating. They are much more cost-effective compared to electric geysers.
5. Solar heaters: In this age of spiralling cost of electricity, manufacturers like Venus and Racold have come up an energy-efficient alternative to ordinary geysers in the form of solar water heaters. They offer a different set of solar heaters for household and commercial purpose which harnesses energy from the sun instead of using electricity to heat the water.
6. Solar & Pump heaters: Solar and pump heaters is the commercial-class hybrid heater developed by Venus to provide large volumes of water 24×7. It comprises of dual combination—a solar heater and a pump heater. Solar energy can be harness during the sunny day to serve the heating requirement. But in the evenings or in the rainy season, water is heated using a water pump. It ensures an uninterrupted flow of hot water in an efficient manner.
7. Air2heat heaters: AO Smith’s Air2Heat heater is the new and promising concept heater that generates heat from the environment. It uses electricity to transfer heat from one part to another instead of using it to heat the water directly. Air2Heat heaters work like a refrigerator in reverse order. They are designed to save up to 60% of electricity compared to the ordinary heaters but are expensive.

Latest Water Heater Technology

The water heater is an important household need and makers of it are constantly improving the technology which is used to improve the heating performance and its efficiency. Considering the demand for smart and green appliances from the consumers, manufacturers toil hard with the design and innovate the water heater to serve the best needs of the customers. Heaters like solar & pump heater and Air2Heat heater are the result of that. So, let’s explore the latest technology that geyser manufacturers are using in their heating element, tank, design and ensuring the protection.

Coating Technology used in the Heater to Combat the Corrosion

The storage tank in the water heater is meant to store the warm water for some time (may range from a few minutes to few hours depending on the usage), it is bound to get corroded in due course of time. To avoid corrosion, the inner surface of the storage tanks is coated with a layer of an anti-corrosive material which prevents the surface from getting corroded, even when it is in contact with warm water.

Different brands market their products differently. Though the coating material and mechanism is more or less the same, manufacturers generally use a different name for it. Here is a list of what different coating technology manufacturers are using in their heater (or rather term they are using to market their geysers):

1. Glassline Coating: The Bajaj water heaters battles corrosion by employing glassline inner tank. During the process, the glass powders are first applied onto the metal and then heated in a furnace, which leads to the formation of a glass coating on the surface. It is a very effective technique providing tremendous resistance to corrosion.
2. Porcelain Enamel Coating: To protect the inner tank from rust and corrosion, Venus uses dry powder porcelain enamelling. This is done at very high temperature (around 850^oC) to create robust vitreous enamel layer. Moreover, this European technology is approved by reputed organizations like BIS, IEC, DIN, UL.
3. Titanium Enamel Coating: Racold is one of the few manufacturers to use titanium enamel technology in its premium storage heaters. In this coating style, the inner container of the heater is coated with Super Polymer High Performance (SPHP) coating which helps the heater combat corrosion occurring out of hard water.
4. Blue Diamond Glass Coating: To counter scale, sediment, residue build up on the surface of the heater tank over time due to the hard water, AO Smith geysers uses blue diamond glass coating in its new series of geysers. AO Smith holds the patent for this technology.
5. Nano Coating with Single Weld Line: Modern storage heaters from Crompton come with the nano-coated inner tank to safeguard the geyser from rusting. Also, geyser’s tank is designed with single weld line which helps in minimizing the leakage by up to 66% compared to ordinary geysers.

Protection for heating element from hard water

A heating element is just like an immersion rod dipped inside the water in the storage tank. It is metallic and is also prone to corrosion. Different brands use different materials to make the heating element. Some have copper heating element while some have incoloy heating element. Incoloy is a special alloy made that is corrosion-resistant. If you are looking for corrosion protection for your heating element, make sure it is either coated using one of the coatings mentioned above, or it is made of incoloy alloy.

Magnesium Anode to provide all round corrosion protection

These days, many manufacturers are putting magnesium rod inside the storage geysers to protect them from corrosion. This rod is a sacrificial rod, as in, it will sacrifice itself in the protection of the tank and the heating element. A magnesium rod attracts the hardness to itself and gets destroyed in the process. It prevents corrosion of the tank and the heating element. However, it needs to be replaced periodically depending on the hardness of water. If the water is too hard, then it has to be replaced frequently. But, if you have hard water in your area, then buying a water heater with a magnesium anode is important.

Smart Geysers – Heaters with Digital Display and Remote/App Control for the Smart Generation

Lifestyles are changing and homes are becoming modern and contemporary. As consumers are becoming more discerning in their choice, Geysers have always been one of the crucial home appliance. In this age of digital revolution with ubiquitous smart devices, water heaters need a facelift through innovation. Following this ubiquitous demand for “smart functionality” from the tech-savvy consumers, brands like Racold, AO Smith, Havells etc have come up with remote and app controlling features embedded in the geysers.

Adonia series of storage water heater from Havells come with patented color-changing LED display panel. This aesthetically pleasing LED indicator which is one of its kind. It not only allows to adjust and display the temperature of the heater but also changes colour from blue to amber as the water heats from cold to hot. Havells has patented this LED colour changing display, which means you’ll only see this feature exclusively in Havells water heaters. Digital temperature display is without the usual temperature display found in ordinary heaters, making it unique and is simply controlled with a feather touch.

Flagship Havells geyser, Adonia i, is one of the smartest geyser around which can directly controlled with the mobile app. It comes with a Wi-Fi connectivity and a dedicated app control that lets the user seamlessly control the geyser even without visiting the bathroom. One of the really useful feature about this model that it is enabled with Wi-Fi Direct feature which let’s you control your geyser even if there is no active Wi-Fi connection at your home. Another interesting feature it let’s you schedule your warm bath. You can specify duration for which you want your geyser to be turned on and also set the desired temperature for water heating.

Similarly Racold’s  latest premium series Omnis is also Wi-Fi enabled water heater equipped with smart control technology. With smart control technology users can enjoy controlling ease, bath personalization and decent energy saving thanks to WiFi connectivity which completely transforms the bathing experience. WiFi connectivity coming in the Omnis models makes it extremely easy to control the geyser with a specialized app. Users can set the heating between 40 degree Celsius to 80 degree Celsius. They can also instruct the geyser if they are planning for a bucket bath or a shower bath and the geyser will cool accordingly. Racold app also allows user to schedule the bath which makes bathing a very systematic routine. The feature we liked the most as energy saving enthusiast is that the app gives complete account of geyser usage and helps to track electricity units consumed by it.

Premium storage heaters like Lyra Smart from Venus boast of the multi-function smart digital display which is not only aesthetically appealing but also armed with loads of controls and functionalities. It gives a visual indication of the temperature and host couple of programming options like morning shower and evening shower programs. Then there is a smart ring which vividly changes colour to indicate hotness of the water and show if it’s ready for usage. The good thing is it comes with a wireless remote control. So, users can simply control their geyser with the press of the button.

Air2Heat model—a concept heater from AO Smith which we briefed you with earlier, comes with a built-in digital display to succinctly show the key parameters. These includes:

1. Modes
2. Timers
3. Temperature
4. Hot Water Quantity
5. Power Off Memory

They also come with a smart Adaptive Energy Saving (AES) feature which analyzes user’s water heating usage patterns and adopts the heating cycles as per user’s habit based on the observation. To simplify, suppose a user takes a warm shower for 10 mins every day around 7:00 am in the morning, an Air2Heat heater using its AES feature would study and adapt itself to heat the requisite amount of water few minutes before 7:00 am. So, when the user enters the bathroom, his geyser is ready to please him with a warm shower of water. That too without making him wait. Users also have the option to undo this by selecting Override key which would then immediately start heating water to the preset temperature.

Though the Bajaj heaters lack the state-of-the-art app control functionality, models like Flora and Majesty comes with a tempting neon indicator that gives the status of water heating and readiness on the display panel.

Advanced and Solid Protection from Any Mishap

Modern heaters from different manufacturers are shielded with tangible protective measures. These are elaborated as follows:

1. Fuse/Circuit Breakers: Modern Crompton heaters comes with a fusible plug which would blow itself completely shutting the passage of current to the heater if current overshoots the permissible limits. The Havells water heaters alternately use ELCB (earth leakage circuit breaker) for this purpose. ELCB makes sure that the power supply is cut off immediately to the heater in case if any leakage of current is detected. This ensures protection from electrocution.
2. Child Lock: All new gas heaters from Bajaj come with astutely designed child lock feature which prohibits kids and toddlers from turning on the gas supply.
3. Digital Thermostat: AO Smith heaters are armed with a digital thermostat that monitors the water temperature. If the temperature exceeds the permissible level, it cuts off the power supply to assure safety.
4. Anti-freeze: Bajaj geysers comes with anti-freeze additives which decreases the freezing point of water so that during winters water don’t turn into ice in case if geyser is not used for a long time. Also, it increases the boiling point of water so at higher temperature water don’t escape in the form of vapours.
5. Silver Ion: Anode of modern storage geysers from Racold is equipped with Silver-ion technology which inhibits proliferation of harmful bacteria dwelling in the water. Thus Silver-ion technology ensures healthy and clean bath by killing over 99% of bacteria.
6. IPX4 Protection: Modern electric geysers from Havells are protected with Pentashield technology. IPX4 is a part of Pentashield technology which safeguards electrical parts from water spills and splashes.
7. Flame failure Protection: This feature is used to prevent the buildup of large amounts of gas in case the pilot system goes out in gas heaters from Bajaj, Racold and Havells. This is done through the arrangement of thermocouple, coil, and valve. Also, new gas heaters come with a default timer of around 15-20 minutes. The timer would automatically cut off the gas if it’s not used for this interval.
8. Fire-retardant Cable: Bajaj geysers comes with a fire-retardant cable which resists combustion and restricts propagation of flames in case of fire.
9. Pressure Valve: Most of the new geysers from different manufacturers come with the safety valve to avert the high pressure from damaging the geyser. The valve is designed to automatically relieve pressure and discharge water if the pressure overshoots the predefined limits.

Other Miscellaneous Water Heating Technology

Apart from the smart features which premium geysers boast of or the gamut of protective technology that different manufacturers embed in geysers, there are few other miscellaneous technologies worth considering. One of such technology is Whirlflow technology by Havells.

Havells electric water heaters make use of Whirlflow technology that prevents the mixing of cold water supplied from the main tank and hot water generated by heating from the geyser. This makes the hot water flow faster and improves energy saving roughly around 20%.

Geysers from the manufacturers like Bajaj, Racold, AO Smith come with Poly-urethane-foam (PUF) injected into the heater so that heat from the water is not dissipated easily. This helps to minimize the standing loss of the heater. Polyurethane is one of the subtypes of polymer class with an excellent insulating property. It finds wide industrial application in the field of automobiles, packaging, bedding etc. It’s worth noting that it is moulded inside the car seat to prevent engine’s heat to reach the seat. Thus, the cellular structure of PUF injected inside the tank of the geyser helps to keep the water in a heated state for a prolonged period.

Conclusion

Owning a water heater was once considered to be an epitome of luxury. But that credo is slowly changing. Bigwigs of the water heating industry have started penetrating deeper into the Indian markets by setting up retail outlets and service centres even in the remote towns. They are relentless in creating awareness for the consumers, adumbrating about the benefits of owning a geyser for water heating purpose compared to conventional means like a gas stove, kerosene stove or even immersion rods for that matter. According to some analyst, the market size of water heaters is around 1,500 crores and the industry has been witnessing double-digit growth for a few years now. This is indicative that the consumers are fast switching over to or upgrading their geysers. Manufacturers are coming up with greener and efficient alternatives to water heating in the form of solar heaters, pump heaters, Air2Heat, gas heaters etc. Consumers are being spoilt for choices as there is a wide gamut of water heaters available in the market. Hope through this article we could demystify the advanced contemporary technology used in the water heaters and you would make a smart choice while buying your next water heater.

Some more articles on our website that can help you in your decision:

Should you buy instant water heater for your bathroom?

Clearing the confusion about the coating and material of the tank in water heaters

Heat Pump Water Heaters: What are they? How they help in saving electricity?

Instant water heater/geyser: may be good for individual but bad for system

Gas Water Heaters/geyser better than Electric Geysers in saving energy