by Dean Mance | Nov 21, 2014 | Dodgy Installations, Reduce Your Power Bill, Save Money, Solar Power
We recently carried out a maintenance check on a solar panel system for a new client and heard a very unfortunate story.
Our client was sold a 5 kw system about 12 months before, by one of those mainland companies that advertise heavily on TV.
The door to door salesman was very helpful and made a phone call direct to head office and managed to get the client a $3,000 discount if he signed up on the day. They also offered him a further $1,000 discount if he would agree to put a promotional sign on his fence.
Even after all these wonderful discounts the client still paid about twice what we would have charged him for the same sized system.
The moral of the story is – don’t buy a solar panel system off the first salesman that knocks on your door. Do a bit of research and get some free local advice and a couple of quotes.
The cheapest system may not turn out to be the best value either, but there is absolutely no need to pay double the going rate to enjoy the benefit of solar panels on your roof.
The door to door salesman also overstated the performance of the system and told the client his panels would never need cleaning. After 12 months the panels were quite dirty and if not cleaned would just further increase the already long payback time on this over-priced system.
Watch this short video to see the problems caused by dirty solar panels.
Every home has unique features that need to be considered when planning a solar panel installation. We believe that a qualified, accredited and experienced installer can design a better solar panel system than a door to door salesman, and possibly at half the price!
For free advice, free quotes and the advantage of dealing with a long established, local business phone Mance Electrical on 6331 4711.
by Dean Mance | Aug 5, 2014 | Reduce Your Power Bill, Save Money
Watch this video to find out 7 Ways To Guarantee Yourself A Higher Power Bill
I know you really don’t want a higher power bill, but you may not realise some of these common mistakes you could be making, that are costing you money. Just being aware of these problems can make a big difference to the cost of running your home.
Electricity costs are a major expense and no one likes getting those bills in the mail. Lets have a quick look at 7 things you might be doing that will actually increase the cost of power for your home.
For example you could be:
- Leaving lights or appliances on when no one is using them.
- Not having insulation installed in your ceiling
- Not cleaning your heat pump filters
- Having really long showers
- Running your electric heaters on normal light and power instead of the Hydro Heat tariff
- Not using timers and sensors to control your heaters and lights
- Using old incandescent light globes instead of LED lamps
Mance Electrical’s free report, Save Power Save Money, will show you how to avoid these mistakes and has 43 guaranteed ways to reduce your power bill, including many no cost and low cost ideas.
You can save money without spending a cent.
In one of our next videos we’ll look at 7 guaranteed ways to reduce your power bill.
In the mean time, go to www.savepowersavemoney.com.au and download our free ebook.
by Dean Mance | Jul 23, 2013 | Reduce Your Power Bill, Save Money
Your hot water cylinder has a safety valve to vent excess pressure, to avoid the cylinder overheating and exploding like a bomb. It’s a good safety system but sometimes the valve can fail and let too much water out. When that happens it’s like leaving a hot tap running continuously, with money pouring down the drain. Often the first indication of a problem is a hot water bill that is much higher than normal.
A regular check on the overflow pipe can prevent an unpleasant surprise on your next power bill. The overflow pipe runs from the cylinder to outside, usually over a drain. It’s normal for some water to drip from the overflow pipe, probably a cup or two per day at the most. If you notice more water than this, or the overflow pipe running continuously you may have a problem with the valve.
The other problem that can cause your hot water to run out the overflow from the pressure relief valve is a thermostat that sticks on and heats the water continuously instead of cycling on and off . You will notice the water getting extremely hot if this happens.
So, if there is too much water running out the overflow and it’s normal hot water temperature, or cooler, you need a plumber to replace your pressure relief valve. If the overflow water is running continuously and boiling, steaming hot you need an electrician to replace the thermostat.
An occasional glance at the overflow pipe can save you from pouring money down the drain.
For advice on hot water problems in Launceston and surrounding areas, phone Mance Electrical on 6331 4711.
