Big Business Turns To Solar

by Dean Mance | Jun 8, 2017 | Reduce Your Power Bill, Save Money, Solar Power

Government Lags Behind, As Usual

Last week Telstra signed a deal to purchase the entire output of a new 70MW solar farm to be built in Queensland.

Rapidly rising power costs have prompted the move as part of Telstra’s long term energy management strategy.

Telstra consumes about 1% of the nation’s electricity so rising power costs have negatively affected the company’s bottom line.

The unusual aspect of this deal is that Telstra has signed a contract with the developer directly, rather than through an energy retailer.

Telstra has plans for more solar farms as the cost of renewable energy falls, while power prices continue to rise.

Korean owned Sun Metals has also announced a new 125MW solar farm for its Townsville zinc refinery. The facility is expected to provide about 30% of the refinery’s power requirements.

Both these projects are expected to be completed and delivering power in 2018.

That’s one of the great benefits of solar power. An installation can be up and running quickly, without long design and construction phases.

Monash University has also called for tenders for a 40MW wind or solar farm to supply their on-going power needs.

Both the Telstra and Monash projects can be built in locations that are remote from their own facilities. The power output from the farms can be sold to other users, and that income used to offset the power costs of Telstra and Monash.

Australia’s biggest horticultural company Costa Group has identified power costs and reliability of supply as major risks to their business.

They are currently reviewing plans for a solar farm and battery storage facility at their South Australian mushroom farm.

We know that Australians love solar power.

Now Big Business has done the sums and they are voting with their wallets.

We expect to see more businesses follow Telstra’s example and probably groups of smaller businesses forming consortiums to build their own power plants to manage their energy costs.

The federal government is out of step with the Australian community, with its’ continuing support for the coal industry, and constant attacks on renewables.

More and more, consumers and business are turning to wind and solar energy and that trend will only continue.

Solar power is here to stay and will only get bigger, better and stronger, whether the government supports it or not.

For a free on-site inspection and a detailed proposal by the guy who will actually install your solar panels phone Mance Electrical on 6331 4711

Or send us a message using the form below

How Much Power Does My Electric Heater Use?

by Dean Mance | Jun 5, 2016 | Home Heating, Reduce Your Power Bill

It’s a very common question. Everyone wants to know how much it really costs to run their electric heater.

Electric heaters come in a variety of types, including convection, radiant and fan heaters, and a variety of sizes from less than 1 kilowtt to 8.5 kilowatts.

No matter what type of heater you have, the running cost is always a combination of the same 3 factors:

The kilowatt rating of the heater
The cost per hour of electricity
The number of hours the heater is operated

It doesn’t matter what type or size heater you have, the equation is still the same.

For example if you have a 6.0 kw fan heater on the Hydro Heat tariff of 15.2 cents per kilowatt hour then your heater will cost 91 cents per hour to run. If you run the heater on it’s highest setting for 6 hours a day your total cost will be $5.46 per day.

6.0 kw x 15.2 cents x 6 hours = $5.46

If you have a 2.4kw panel heater on the normal light and power tariff of 25.2 cents per kilowatt hour then your heater will cost 60.48 cents per hour to run. If you run that heater on it’s highest setting for 10 hours a day your total cost will be $6.05 per day.

2.4 kw x 25.2 cents x 10 hours = $6.05

With the costs outlined above its easy to see how electricity bills can spiral out of control. With a 6.0 kw main heater in your lounge and a 2.4kw panel heater in the hallway, running for 6 and 10 hours respectively, your quarterly power bill would be $1,035.00 for heating alone.

In normal use, even if your heater is switched on for 10 hours a day it won’t be running flat out for the whole 10 hours. Most heaters have some type of thermostat to regulate the temperature.

If you turn the thermostat up high the heater will run for longer. Turn it down and the heater runs for less time.

The examples above are probably close to maximum costs and your actual cost will be less, depending on how you set the thermostats.

Other variables that affect the cost of running your heater include the design and construction of your home.

A well insulated home will retain more of the heat produced, allowing you to run your heater at a lower thermostat setting.

Closing off rooms to contain the heat and closing your curtains will reduce the cost of heating.

Your heater should be matched to the size of the area you want to heat.

A fan heater that is serviced and cleaned regularly will run more efficiently than one choked full of dust. Regular cleaning may also help you avoid the cost of replacing fan motors and elements damaged by over-heating.

Avoid expensive repair bills for your electric fan heater.

It’s worth the effort to check the kilowatt rating of each of your heaters and do the calculations to get an idea of how much each heater costs to run.

Sometimes the hourly cost can seem small, but multiplied by a few hours a day and then multiplied again by 90 days, that small cost can really add up.

Knowing what your heaters cost to run can help you avoid getting a nasty shock when your next power bill arrives.

For advice on electric heater installation and repairs phone Mance Electrical Launceston on 6331 4711 or send us an email using the form below.

Email us for prompt help with your heater problems.

Heat Pump Installations

by Dean Mance | May 7, 2016 | Home Heating, Reduce Your Power Bill

Winter Is Coming!

Not only to fictional TV kingdoms, but also to Tasmania.

Heat pumps are the most efficient and popular electric heating solution for dealing with our Launceston winters.

Heat pumps don’t actually produce heat themselves. They simply use refrigeration gasses and compressors to move heat from one place to another. In winter they move heat from outside to inside your home, and in summer when you switch to air-conditioning mode, they move heat from inside your home to outside.

Heat pumps use electricity to operate, but they produce more energy, in the form of heat, than the amount of power consumed. This efficiency advantage is what makes your heat pump cheaper to run than a conventional electric heater.

Before you install a heat pump there are a few things that should be checked:

Mains Cables – The size of your mains cables should be checked to make sure they will not be overloaded.

Switchboard – Is there room on your switchboard for additional main switches?

Size of heat pump – The heat pump capacity must be matched to the size of the area to be heated.

Location – The location of the indoor and outdoor units affects the performance of the system. If the indoor unit is not correctly located then the heat will not be distributed to the areas required. If the outdoor unit is not correctly located then performance of the system will suffer.

The ideal location for an outdoor unit is in an area that received early morning sun, so that it can start off with the warmest air available.

The location requirements of the two units can sometimes be in conflict. The indoor and outdoor units should be as close together as possible and often the best compromise must be found.

Cost – Heat pump installs are often sold as a fixed price package, with retailers competing to offer the lowest price. As you might expect, there are a number of potential problems with an installation where the lowest price is the main consideration.

The installer working for a low fixed fee does not have the time to make sure the indoor and outdoor units are placed in the best locations. The units will be placed where they are easiest to install, with the pipe run as short as possible, to save money on labour and materials.

If your mains cables are small the installer may fit a load limiting circuit breaker to the switchboard without explaining the potential problems or offering you an alternative.

A load limiter will cut the power completely if the total load exceeds 40 amps for example This means you may not be able to run your heat pump and your oven at the same time and certainly not make a cup of tea as well. Nuisance tripping due to overloading means you will be constantly trudging out to the switchboard to reset the breaker.

The way to avoid these problems is to get an on-site inspection and a quotation based on the unique design and layout of your home and your personal requirements.

Contact Mance Electrical Launceston for a free on-site inspection and advice on the best heat pump solution for your home.

Phone 6331 4711 or send us an email using the form below.

This message goes to our main email address and will be answered today, or the next business day 🙂

Your High Power Bill Is Probably Due To High Power Usage

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.

Very soon, Mance Electrical will be releasing a free guide to help you identify how much power your various appliances are using, so you can manage your power consumption to get the lowest possible power bill.

In the mean time, click here to download our free report which has 43 different ways to reduce you power bill, including many low cost and no cost ideas.

www.savepowersavemoney.com.au

Led Flood Lights Use 86% Less Power

by Dean Mance | Mar 9, 2015 | Common Repairs, Reduce Your Power Bill, Save Money

LED lights have come a long way in the last couple of years.

The technology and build quality has advanced to the point where there is a good LED replacement for almost every type of light.

Flood lights are now available in sizes to suit all applications from sports stadiums to street lights, to your own back yard.

Typical power savings are more than 80% which makes LED lights an attractive alternative.

The smallest LED flood light available is the 10 watt model, pictured above. Their light output is sufficient to light a typical front or back porch, or the area outside your garage.

They could be used in place of the traditional 150w halogen flood light.

LED flood lights have other advantages besides low power consumption. They also have a much longer life span than older types of lamps. This makes them ideal to replace lights in hard to access areas, such as pole tops and similar locations.

Longer life means lower maintenance costs, and a good quality LED flood light should come with a 2 or 3 year replacement warranty.

Some existing floodlights cannot restart immediately once they are switched off. Commonly used fittings such as sodium vapour and metal-halide floodlights will not restart until the lamp has cooled down. This means you could be without lights for a period of time if the power flickered or someone accidentally switched off the light.

LED lights can restart instantly if switched off. With LEDs there is no warm up period. The lights are at full brightness as soon as they are switched on.

Another advantage of LED flood lights is that they generate a lot less heat than other types of lights. This means LEDs can be used in areas where excessive heat could be a problem. Click here to see an example.

The qualities of LED flood lights make them ideal for use in areas where lights are left on for long periods of time. The power savings and lower maintenance cost means you can quickly recover the cost of buying the fitting.

For advice and free quotations or any information about LED flood lighting, please give us a call on 6331 4711.