Pay as you go electricity plans allow consumers to pay for their electricity in advance. The plan, which uses prepayment meters, helps consumers to monitor and control the way they use electricity. This saves on energy costs.

Keypad based prepaid meters: This meter has a keypad to input the electricity token number. Consumers purchase the credit using a variety of methods. These include visiting the agent, paying through banks or mobile payments in some countries.

Key meter: Consumer uses an electronic key loaded with the tariff information and credit.

One way card system: Uses a disposable card. The user purchases power with a reloadable debit card. The loaded card is then passed near the meter, which has an in-built card reader.

Two-way card systems: Uses a smart card and the meters have a real-time, two-way communication capability. It is one of the most secure, but more complex and expensive methods to implement.

These allow consumers to interact with their meters and query balances using their mobile phones by sending an SMS to a monitoring system. In addition, the user is able to track electricity use by the hour, day, month or annually using the phone or online access.

These smart prepaid meters offer easier top up options. They include online payments or by text, as well as scheduled and auto top-ups.

When using a prepaid meter, the customer must keep track of the remaining credits and replenish to avoid disconnection.

Ensure there is enough credit when going away for long periods. The meter will continue collecting the standing charges even when on no load. Consumers should ensure they have enough credit to last until they return.

Some crooks will take advantage of the consumer’s lack of knowledge and offer them cheaper credits than those bought directly from the utility company. For example, they will sell their credits at half price. This is more common with Key Prepaid Meters and the crooks will usually have master Keys, which they use to top off the consumer’s meter.

If the energy company finds out, the consumer ends up paying twice for their electricity; first to the crook, and then to the energy company.

To avoid falling victim:

A frayed refrigerator plug can easily be classified as a very serious risk, both to the fridge itself, and to your entire home. Frayed, ripped, or otherwise damaged cords are a potential source of electrical fire, arcing and power failure. So, what do you do when you discover a frayed plug on your appliances?

Put simply, get it repaired! Often, replacements are available, but are very costly, and occasionally entirely unavailable depending on the age and model of your fridge.

We never endorse “Do It Yourself” solutions to any electrical issues, as electricity is fickle and extremely dangerous. A wrong move can cost you more than a busted appliance, it can cost you your health (or some serious money in fire damage repair to your home). Leave electrical work to Kolb Electric electricians! That said, we do believe in informed consumers, and thus have detailed our professional process for frayed or damaged plug repair.

Too often we encounter electrical incidents at home that could have been avoided with proper precaution and a timely replacement or repair. Don’t allow your home to harbor risks by leaving damaged plugs alone! Leaving damage untreated can lead to:

To address frayed, or damaged plugs we:

Be ready for any eventuality with our electrical repair services! Contact our experts today to learn more about our electrical services, or to schedule an appointment.

Check out our top 10 picks for the most enchanting crystal chandeliers of the year.  These timeless designs are destined to become heirlooms in the finest homes around the world.  More than that–the crystal chandelier has taken center stage in the modern lighting industry with LED illumination and a variety of creative interior design applications.

From master bedroom closets to kitchen island lighting, crystal chandeliers are celebrated for their sheer elegance and energizing aura.

“Maya” from Cristalstrass, seven tiers of good luck!

“Valencia” from American Brass and Crystal, made exclusively in America with a fantastic array of customizable finish and crystal options!

“Da Vinci” from Geometrix by Schonbek, colored crystal from Schonbek continues to dazzle!

“Florale” from James R Moder, Imperial crystal blended with the whimsical beauty of nature!

“Primo” from Elegant Lighting with Swarovski crystal for the classic traditionalist!

“Original Classics” from Bar Del International feature Swarovski Spectra crystal and colorful accents such as Grapes with Green Leaves!

“Marquise” from Fine Art Lamps, hand-cut or smooth polished–these crystal elements sparkle like diamonds!

“Renaissance” from ELK Lighting, a Sunset Silver finish infused with polished lead crystal is magnificent!

“Byanca” from Savoy House, the Mohican Bronze finish draped with crystal beads makes for a breathtaking standout!

“New York” from Trump Home, lighting design combined with rich sophistication and the unmatched excitement of New York City!

Limit switches, as the name suggests, are precision switches that are designed to work as limiting devices. The switch is typically snap-action and designed to sense the presence, absence, or be triggered by an excess or lack of physical contact at the position where it is installed.

The flexibility and adaptability of limit switches to different tasks and environments has made them very popular as components of conveyor belt systems.

Industrial conveyor belts are considered to be amongst the greatest inventions for boosting production, as well as reducing time, costs and manpower requirements. They are commonly used in production, mining, assembly lines and just about every major industry or sector today.

They typically consist of a number of pulleys that rotate under a continuous belt. Some of these pulleys are powered and they drive the belt, keeping any material on top continuously moving towards its destination.

Conveyor belts can be broadly classified into two classes, which are:

These conveyors are used for transporting smaller volumes of material like packaged goods, or lighter materials like boxes.

These are heavy duty conveyor systems which are designed to carry heavier loads or bulky materials, like industrial and agricultural goods.

While conveyor belts can tremendously increase efficiency, they are prone to jamming from over-loading unless the correct safety measures are put in place. Limit switches help prevent this by measuring the height or number of individual products passing through the conveyor system. In case the switch senses an object that may cause an obstruction, it shuts the system down to prevent damage or spillage.

Depending on the environment and purpose, there are a variety of limit switches which can be used in conveyor systems: