Blog

I was having a chat with a friend just the other day about how electricity is provided to houses.

I guess he’s like most people – he has absolutely no idea how electricity is dealt out to houses in this country. When we got onto the subject he started to ask lots of questions, and as I told him the answers his face made all sorts of fascinating expressions.

Hopefully I’ve got you in time. You see, I’ve just been on holiday and I’ve seen some of the awful electrical work that’s around, and I wanted to let you know about Electrical Safety On Holiday

I’ve had many bad experiences with electrics abroad.

Just last year in Egypt I realised I needed a shave – I was treating the family to a nice dinner, and wanted to spruce myself up a little. Anyway, I plugged the electric shaver in and left the room to head back to the pool.

I can’t really see you. I’m not watching you from afar or anything – it’s not my style. I did see something interesting on the internet the other day, though, and I wanted to share it with you. You see, I’ve installed countless security cameras. From people’s houses to offices and banks, I’ve put in hundreds.

My Sunday nights have been turned on their heads recently, as a TV programme I thought was consigned to the BBC back-catalogues reared it’s beautiful head after years of absence. Robot Wars! Yep, I’m a geek at heart, and I’ve been glued to the TV between 8pm and 9pm on Sundays. The creator’s imaginations are what keep me encapsulated.

I’m getting into the Olympics this time round. I’ve been enjoying a bit of the Canoeing and Fencing, but the big event I can’t wait for is the 100m sprint. It’s the highlight for me and lots of other people, but just how much power do these athletes put down to the track? I decided to do a little research, and it seems the Independent got there first. I found an article about Usain Bolt. Because of his big, square frame, he has to put down more power than everyone else to cope with the wind resistance.

I woke up this morning in a bit of a panic. The thing is, I’ve been trying to send you relevant and useful ‘stuff’ about electricity. I’ll admit, it’s not the world’s most exciting topic but I do put a fair bit of effort into making sure you know what you need to know through these weekly articles. Now, I woke up this morning with a feeling of dread, because I’ve missed out a really important piece of information that I should have told you right at the start!

Hi! Or should I say Olá?! Either way, did you hear about what Portugal managed recently? They powered the WHOLE country (and it’s a pretty big place) on renewable energy. So that’s energy from solar panels, wind turbines, hydro energy from dams and waves, and biomass plants were powering everyone’s electricity needs. The country lasted a total of 107 hours without pulling any energy from fossil fuels. It’s pretty impressive. Being an electrician, it’s had quite an effect on me. It could be an absolute game changer.

Carl here. How are things? I've been thinking a lot recently about renewable energy. In my line of work it's popping up more and more often, and some people are even making money out of it. I thought I'd wright my take on it; 4 Ways To Generate Your Own Electricity. I've been reading up on renewable energy systems for the home recently, and thought I'd share some of the more interesting bits.

I saw these funky light switches just the other day… Thought you might find them interesting! I certainly did. So without further ado, here are some New Light Switch Ideas... Here’s one that you can hang your coat on…                 This one rotates and opens an overhead lamp.

I hate it when I see energy diagrams like this and it reads in the red, so I thought I'd explain How To Read an Energy Efficiency Diagram. The truth is though, most people haven’t a clue what this diagram means. They all assume G is bad, but they don’t actually know why it’s bad. Starting simply, this is an Energy Efficiency Diagram. The higher the ratings on this graph, the lower fuel bills are likely to be. Your homes energy rating is measured in SAP points (it’s all to do with the amount of carbon dioxide your home produces).