Imagine a future free from electricity bills. A home where you can maintain or improve your current levels of comfort, but one that is so efficient that it costs little to nothing to power its electrical work. Someday soon, this vision could become a reality, with a combination of renewable power generation and hyper-efficient technologies allowing Americans to enjoy elevated standards of living without placing a burden on their pocketbooks or the environment. Read on to learn more about the ultimate in energy-efficient homes.

Testing the Effectiveness of New Technology

One hotbed for innovation in efficient home construction is in the Pacific Northwest. A pilot program comprised of builders and utility companies is studying new homes built in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington to discover how new technologies are functioning and which ones are most effective. The program is looking at homes that are at least 30 percent more efficient than required by local code and monitoring them for a year after they are built to ensure that their performance is living up to their promise.

Among the energy-saving features that are included in the new houses:

Filling in the Other Side of the Equation

Naturally, any modern home should also include features like LED lighting technology in lieu of incandescent bulbs and efficient Energy Star-rated appliances to keep the costs for your electrical work low. Add smart technology to the mix, which can automatically find extra savings, and you are looking at a historically low electrical bill.

Of course, it's extraordinarily rare to find an American household that gets by without electricity at all, so no matter how efficient you are, you'll still have some level of energy consumption to power your electrical work. That's where the other side of the equation comes in: personal, renewable power generation. Once you install solar panels or a wind turbine on your property, you can make your own power. Pair that with a good electricity storage option and you're well on your way to being free from electrical bills forever.

Conservation in Your Circuits and Wires

The nation hasn't realized its efficiency dreams yet, but we are well on our way. If you need electrical work in a new or existing home, call up a qualified residential electrician today.

It is estimated that thousands of electric shock accidents take place each year, of which some are fatal ones. Aside from this, there are incidents of electrical fires caused by poorly-installed or ill-maintained wiring. It’s important to understand that most of these fires and accidents are avoidable. There are some simple things you can do to prevent an electrical fire from erupting on your property, including:

Never try to force plugs into the outlets and don’t remove the third prong which is the grounding pin, to fit it a plug into an outlet with 2 prongs. Do not plug in too many appliances into a multi-plug outlet.

Check whether there are any loose-fitting plugs as these can be a fire/shock hazard. If you notice that any of the wall plates are broken/missing, replace them without delay. So that the components and wiring aren’t exposed. If you have very young kids in your home, make sure that you cover all used outlets.

Check the cords for fraying or cracks. Pay special attention to ones that are placed in any high traffic areas or under rugs and carpets.

Make sure that the wattage of the bulbs is compatible with the fixture requirements. If you find any bulbs with a higher-than-recommended wattage rating, replace them immediately. It’s also important to ensure they don’t overheat and that they are screwed-in securely.

These should never be used on a permanent basis. Use ones that have safety enclosures to protect kids from burn injuries and shock.

There should be GFCIs installed in the kitchen, bathrooms, garage, basement and various other indoor and outdoor outlets in your home. Test these on a monthly basis to ensure they are working as required.

Only older properties have fuse boxes and these don’t have the capacity to withstand the heavy electrical loads required by modern-day equipment and appliances. It’s far better to get these older systems evaluated by a skilled electrician and replace them with modern circuit breakers.

Faulty or old wiring is one of the commonest causes of residential electrical fires in Australia. Get these checked periodically for loose connections, loose wall fixtures or wall receptacles. If you hear any hissing, sizzling or popping sounds behind walls or from sockets, call in your local electrician without delay to get these installations inspected and replaced. If you find that any switches or electrical fixtures are hot to the touch, get those checked as well. Flickering light bulbs are another indication of problems in the electrical wiring as well and it’s best to get a thorough check conducted.

If you find that a specific circuit breaker trips repeatedly, or you experience shock when you touch it, you should unplug it immediately and get it replaced or repaired. Check for damage or cracks in the connectors and wiring and install surge protectors to protect all your expensive electronics.

When you upgrade your home, make additions or add extensions like extra rooms or an extra storey etc., or even add a large number of new equipment or electrical appliances to your home, that can overburden the existing electrical installations. At this point you would have to increase the service capacity of your home’s electrical system.

We are a company that has been operating in this space for a number of years and have the skill, knowledge as well as the resources to install, maintain and upgrade all types of electrical installations on your residential or commercial premises. For more information, contact the Allround Electrical team at this number – 1300 169 263. Alternatively, you can write to us at our email address.

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“No two snowflakes are alike.” This is a statement nearly every schoolchild has heard at least once, either while crafting unique snowflakes with a sheet of folded paper and some scissors or while learning a lesson on the science of snow. While even most scientists don’t quite understand what causes a snowflake to form such complex and beautiful columns and points and branches, one thing is for certain, the composition of snowflakes guarantees that no two will ever be identical.  However, it is possible for two snowflakes to appear to be nearly exactly alike.

A snowflake begins to form when a piece of dust catches water vapor out of the air. Water is created when two hydrogen molecules attach to an oxygen molecule. The two hydrogen molecules are angled from one another in such a way that they form a hexagonal shape when they come together during the freezing process; thus, a snowflake begins as a simple hexagonal shape or as layers of hexagons called diamond dust. The emergent properties that follow from the original hexagon are what differentiate one snowflake from another, as the humidity, the temperature in the air, and many other factors (some of which remain unclear to scientists) allow each snowflake to form in an entirely unique way with a seemingly endless variety of shapes.

However, in 1988, a scientist named Nancy Knight claimed to have located two that were the same while studying snowflakes as part of an atmospheric research project. And it appeared to be so; when put under a microscope, the emergent properties looked nearly identical. But while it is feasible that two snowflakes can appear to be exactly alike on the outside, they are never identical on an atomic level. Deuterium is an atom that appears attached to about one in every 3000 hydrogen molecules in the air. Because there are millions of atoms that make up a snowflake, the random assortment of deuterium in any two snowflakes—even in two that so very closely resemble one another—simply cannot be the same.

The weather is heating up, and with it, so is the load on your electrical system. Don’t let the stress pile up. Protect your electrical system – and your wallet – from the stresses of summer with the help of these simple tips.

Is your electrical system bearing the burden of your poor appliances choices? Don’t become a victim of “operator error” by overlooking these seasonal adjustments to appliance use:

Heating and cooling comprises about 30-50 percent of your electric bill, making it one of the biggest stressors on your electrical system. However there are many ways to reduce that stress, including…

Your refrigerator is among the largest consumers of energy in your home. Keep a lid on energy consumption by…

The water heating is typically the third largest energy expense in your home. The hotter the temperature of the water, and the more it is used, the harder your electrical system is forced to keep up with the heating demands. Summer is hot enough! Cool your use by…

Hanging clothes on the line rather than running the dryer, the second largest energy-consuming appliance in your home, can keep your home and energy bills from becoming too hot to handle.

Using your stovetop or oven in summer’s heat can really put a strain on your air conditioner and electrical system. Save some dough and maintain comfort by firing up your grill instead.

Today’s homes use a multitude of gadgets and appliances that can cause a considerable amount of stress to your electrical system. Give your system the TLC it deserves:

Turning off items that are not in use rather than letting them run such as lights, laptop and mobile devices, TVs, radios, and more can take a lot of pressure off your electrical system. How much? Lighting in the average home accounts for 12 percent, and electronic devices another 10-15 percent. Whew!

Vampire power can really drain you, sucking up five percent of your power bill or more – all for nothing. Among the biggest offenders putting a strain on your electrical system (even when they’re turned off): TVs, computers, microwaves, cell phone chargers… anything with a power adaptor, indicator light, standby function, or clock. Unplug these items or plug them into a power strip, flipping them off when they’re not in use.

Your electrical system can suffer stress from issues outside of your home as well. Are you closing your eyes to these electrical stressors from your home’s great outdoors?

Outdoor lighting fixtures are heavily used and a great place to take a load off. Updating to more modern technology for outdoor lighting such as motion sensors, timers, and photocells for sensing daylight, in addition to CFL and LED bulb technology, can not only save a pretty penny in energy wasted on unnecessary illumination, but boost security as well.

Is the outdoors infringing on your indoors? Your home’s thermal envelope – the outer walls, windows, doors, floors, ceiling – may need support in the form of adequate insulation and air sealing to keep your home comfortable and help you avoid the stress of unnecessarily high energy bills. Ease the hardship on your wires and your wallet by putting this on the top of your priority list.

Electrical system all stressed out? Contact Mr. Electric today!