by Dean Mance | Mar 9, 2015 | Reduce Your Power Bill, Save Money, Uncategorized
Have you ever had a nasty shock when they received your power bill?
Maybe your first reaction was “How could it be so high? Surely there must be some mistake!”
There are unusual situations that could lead to a high power bill, however 99% of high power bills are due to high power usage.
We’ve done many investigations for clients who have received an unusually high power bill. Sometimes we find there has been an error with the meter reading.
Occasionally we’ve found instances where one person has been paying for someone else’s power. These are rare occasions, and always occur in multi- tenancy buildings.
The most common thing that catches people out is excessive use of electric heaters.
Most people underestimate the amount they run their heaters, and they aren’t aware of the running costs.
We have seen clients with quarterly power bills of more than $2,000 simply because they didn’t understand the cost of running their appliances.
It’s easy for costs to escalate quickly if you don’t know the best ways to manage your power use.
by Dean Mance | Nov 25, 2014 | Common Repairs, Reduce Your Power Bill, Save Money
Is Your Oven Slow To Heat Up? Does It Seem To Take Ages To Cook Something Properly?
If your oven is heating up but taking a long time to get to the correct temperature then the element is probably ok. Elements usually tend to work or fail, not operate at half power.
Check The Thermostat
The problem could be the thermostat, and you can check that yourself if you have a cooking thermometer. Place the thermometer in the oven, set the oven thermostat to 180 degrees and when the oven indicator light goes out, check the temperature on the thermometer. It might not read exactly 180 degrees but it should be fairly close. If it is substantially different then the thermostat will probably need replacing.
Check The Door Seals
Another common cause of your oven being slow to heat up and taking a long time to cook your food is a faulty door seal. A damaged or missing or poorly fitting door seal can allow much of the heat to escape, resulting in slower cooking times.
Door seals are fairly easy to replace and you can do it yourself as long as you get the correct spare part. To get the correct part you will need the model number of your oven.
Find The Model Number
Getting the model number is not always as easy as it should be, as most manufacturers seem to either hide this valuable information, or put it on a sticker that is designed to fade and become illegible soon after purchase. Check for stickers inside the oven or grill door, or on the back the removable kick panel below the oven door. If you are lucky enough to locate and actually decipher a model number you have a good chance of getting the right door seal.
Check The Door Hinges
Loose or worn door hinges are another common cause of heat loss that results in slow cooking times. The oven door hinges may be worn out if you can see a gap at the top of the door, and the door does not close firmly against the body of the oven. You may also need to change the door hinge guides, which are inside the oven body. New hinges won’t make a lot of difference if worn out hinge guides are not replaced.
Once again, having the model number of the oven, not just the model name, will be important for getting the correct parts.
If you are losing heat from your oven due to worn hinges or a faulty door seal then it’s also costing you money in extra power used due to the extended cooking times.
If you are having problems with slow cooking times and low oven temperatures, or need any oven repairs fixed as quickly as possible …
by Dean Mance | Jun 26, 2014 | Reduce Your Power Bill, Save Money
Hydro Heat is a discounted electricity tariff that gives you access to cheaper power to run your electric heaters.
Basically, your heater circuits are connected to the hot water meter instead of the light and power meter which means you only pay the hot water rate of 16.7 cents per kilowatt hour instead of 26.8 cents. (As at June 2014)
It’s a very worthwhile saving but you need to comply with certain rules to be eligible.
The tariff is designed to reward consumers who choose electric heating as their main heat source. In order to qualify, you must have at least 3.5kw of direct wired heating in your main living area. This can be a wall mounted heater, a heat pump or ceiling or under floor heating.
Once your main heater is connected to HydroHeat you can also connect other smaller heaters throughout the house to the cheaper tariff. Typically this means panels heaters in your hall, bedrooms and bathrooms. These other heaters can be smaller than 3.5kw but they must be direct wired, not plugged into a power point.
Obviously connecting your main heater to HydroHeat is a good idea and it’s quite easy to do. As for the smaller heaters, the cost of direct connecting them needs to be compared to the predicted savings in running costs.
If the cost of direct connection is greater than the savings, then you would be better off leaving it and just pay the higher rate on your panel heaters. Each case is different and your calculations should also take into account how much the heaters are used and the length of time you intend living in that particular home.
Occasionally we find a heat pump or main heater that is still connected to the light and power tariff. This can be due to incompetence or laziness of the installer or failure to submit the correct paperwork to Aurora.
To make sure your heater is on the HydroHeat Tariff check your power bill and make sure you are being charged on Tariff 42.
by Dean Mance | May 31, 2014 | Common Repairs, Keep Your Family Safe, Reduce Your Power Bill, Save Money
That new light globe you bought last week has blown already! That’s the third one this month! Is there something wrong with your wiring?
Well, the good news is your wiring is probably ok. The major cause of blown light bulbs is poor quality lamps. Most lamps are made cheaply overseas and they don’t last like they used to.
The old style incandescent lamps were the worst but new halogen lamps and compact fluorescent bulbs can still give similar problems. LED lamps have a very long, claimed average life span but of course they are not immune from failure. Most LED lamps have a warranty so you get a certain level of protection when you spend the extra money to go LED.
The best way to avoid constantly blowing lamps is to avoid the very cheapest versions and consider buying at a specialist lighting or hardware store rather than where you buy your milk and bread.
Of course there is always the chance you do have a wiring problem, so here are a couple of signs to look for.
It’s common for lamps to blow when they are switched on due to the inrush of current , however if the next lamp immediately does the same you might need to get it checked out.
Light fittings that take screw-in bulbs can have a problem if the lamp holder comes loose. The wires can be twisted round as the lamps are screwed in, sometime causing a short.
A blown fuse or circuit breaker that trips when you turn on a light switch also points to a problem in a light fitting or wiring.
Lights that flicker and dim also should be investigated, especially in older homes that may still have some VIR or rubber wiring.
Occasionally light globes explode and spread shattered glass everywhere. That’s bad enough, but now you also have the base of the lamp stuck in the light fitting with exposed live parts. It’s a potentially dangerous situation so turn off the light, put a piece of tape over the switch to prevent anyone turning it on and call your electrician.
For free advice and quotes on all lighting matters give us a call,
by Dean Mance | Jul 9, 2013 | Keep Your Family Safe, Reduce Your Power Bill, Save Money
Wall mounted electric fan heaters work by pulling cool air into the bottom of the heater, passing it over a heated element and blowing warm air out the top. This system works well, except that all the dust that gets sucked into the heater tends to stay there, and this leads to two problems.
Firstly, the fans get clogged up and they slow down. The reduced air flow causes the element to overheat and trip the over-temperature safety cut outs. After the over-temps are blown your heater will only blow cold air.
Secondly, the accumulated dust can fall on to the element and burn. Dust clogged heaters are not a major source of house fires, but it does happen. A burning smell from the heater is your clue to watch for with either of these faults.
Spare parts are available for most heaters and popular brands such as IXL and Pureheat. It is usually cheaper to repair a heater rather than replace it and most heaters can be repaired to a near new condition.
An annual clean out and service of wall mounted fan heaters can prolong the life of the fans, and minimise problems with burnt out elements and over temperature cut outs. This needs to be done by a licenced electrician, as removing the covers exposes live parts.
With regular maintenance you can avoid expensive repair bills and hopefully avoid the uncomfortable situation of your main heater breaking down on one of the coldest days of the year – just when you want it most!
Give us a call for service and repairs to all makes and models of heaters, advice and quotations for replacements or new installations, and don’t forget to hit the like button and leave us a comment.
