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Posts Tagged ‘electricity’

For sure some of you might ask how come halogen bulbs become a cost effective and earth friendly product. The answers are right below so better read them out to satisfy that question running into your mind.

Being Earth Friendly

Halogen bulbs or lights can last longer than any other light bulbs. It also produces more light over other products. It can light things up using only minimal energy input thus making it a bit more earth friendly in nature. Most halogen replacement bulbs of today are more economical than the past few years. It is also a more reliable source of light (it won’t die or broke down easily) because of the halogen it contains.

Being Cost Effective

Like what I have said above, the life of a halogen bulb is far way greater compared to other kinds of bulbs and lights. Most people says that its life can last for 3 years or more thus saving you lots of money In terms of buying new light fixtures.

Although halogen bulbs give extreme benefits, it also has few downfalls. So better check the manual of each and every halogen bulb you will buy just to be safe from harm and danger.

Any day this week, electric company personnel will come reading our electric meter. That will be the day I wish it wouldn’t come I know our electricity consumption shoot up even more this April. Two airconditioning units are running. One in our room and one in our entertainment room where the kids spends most during daytime. Honestly, we do not want to go outside because the summer heat is too unbearable.

Given this scenario, I still find ways to cut our electric consumption. Saving on electricity means two things – reducing electricity bills and starting on a green living. Here’s my simple ways in trying to hit the two:

On Water Usage

Summer’s the time when two showers seemed not enough to freshen up during the day. Too much water is lost to running the shower continuously. To minimize water usage, I asked my family especially the kids to use the shower less. Instead, they need to use pail and dipper more often. In addition, we also have agreed to lessen the use of water closet. Using the pail in flushing the toilet especially when urinating will save gallons of water. As for watering the garden, it’s great that we have a manual water pump where we use when watering the plants.

On Lighting

Google Image

In our race to lessen our electric consumption, we’re beginning to replace fluorescent lights to LED lights. LED lights produce more lumen (light output), thus, even using a 6-8 watt LED, it can surely equate that of a 18-watt circular fluorescent light. This means using LED light can save on electric consumption. And, besides, LED light have longer lifespan than fluorescent lights. The only downturn of LED lights is the higher cost as compared to other light units. A 6-watt pocket LED light can cost 600+ Php (depending on the brand).

On other electrical home appliances

I guess, the only home appliance that was rarely turned off was the refrigerator. It’s great that our unit has an Energy Star mark. Same with our microwave oven, washing machine and other electrical appliances. It means that these units that bears the mark of Energy Star means they consume less energy than standards ones. It is interesting to note that when choosing for electrical home appliances -computers, large TV screens, airconditioning unit- try to look for that Energy Star seal in order to save on electricity costs.

As for the aircon use, we try to limit the use for maximum of 4 hours during the day and at least 6 hours during night time. We’re setting the timer and as soon as it turned off, we’re opening our windows and let the early morning breeze enter the room.

It is really hard to save on electricity especially in hot summer days like these. Letting your family know why there is a need to cut on electric consumption, they can surely handle how to do their part.

I dunno but nobody yet discovered that these two light fixture that are in our living room were actually outdoor lights used mostly as street lamps or in perimeter posts in some homes.

Yes.

When I had won over the husband (RE: home improvement), and had our living area renovated (along with our bedroom and the kitchen) last November 2012, he had to remove the two old chandeliers (he was the one who purchased the lights back then)  hanging in that same area as in the photos.  He cleaned the chandeliers so that it will look new when he installed it again. Whereas in the back of my mind, I vowed never to let those lights come inside the house again. Oh! They were quite okay. However with my mind racing to updated ceiling designs back then, I thought that those old chandeliers wouldn’t jibe into the overall concept of the ceiling plan.

And, my plan worked again. It was the husband who even suggested we better get newer light fixture into the areas -the living room, the kitchen, our room.

I went alone one day in home depots merely browsing around for designs. I got overwhelmed by too many pretty light pieces -chandeliers, pendant lights, and more. I I don’t know which one to pick. Besides, the prices of the ones I did fancy were quite high.  I am one frugal buyer.

But, I went home with pretty nifty ideas that could save me thousands.

First off, I plan to do a DIY on a lamp light I found for 895 pesos. When I asked the good hubby if my project would be possible, his major concern was our ceiling height. Too low. So, I quit on my first idea. Then, my second idea…this was it…

As I said, those lights were mostly used outdoors. It comes in three different diameter sizes. These one’s the biggest size. It also comes with covers, separately sold. Steel covers are use for protection and for aesthetic appeal. But since I am not keen on using it outdoors, I politely tell the store staff that we will be getting just the lights sans the covers. The staff are shocked when I told them I’d be putting the lights indoor and in our living room.

Yes. I did. And it saved me a lot. Each one cost 1295 pesos only. And, each one needs only 26 0r 32-watt circular electronic fluorescent light. Very energy efficient as compared to chandeliers which needed 5 single separate bulb lights. That’s over a 100-watts power usage. I am always on the lookout on how I can decrease my electricity consumption.

These units are very easy to install, too. Only, it was installed wrong side up ^_^

Hope I do not sound like bragging here, but I guess, the light fixture, even in its simple circular form, did fit into the design of the ceiling. The ceiling architecture should steal the show here, the light added should enhance its features. That’s my main goal here. Hence, no need for too much elegant chandeliers.

I always tell my friends who came to visit, I do not have the money to splurge on expensive fixture, I just look for inspiration on the net. And let some imagination and DIY magic do the works.

It helped me to save a lot.

PS: If you have time, please do check my post on a budget pendant light design and more lighting fixture which we installed in our kitchen.

Many thanks.

I always thank the Heavens for giving me a jack-of-all-trade husband. I always say this, we’ve saved a lot of money on repairs and even in small carpentry work. Whenever he thinks he can do it, he’ll surely tackle the work himself. Well, not all. Especially when it comes to ESET Endpoint Security, I have to rely on the experts regarding this.

But, for home works and repairs. He’ll surely do them without ANY qualms. For free. Er, lots of coffee when he is working So, one weekend, he did set up the lighting on our kitchen/dining area. Here’s the drop light in the middle area…

I tell you, I want a three-piece pendant light, but the husband would not agree. He says it will be too low because our ceiling is not that high. So, there. We get to agree purchasing that round drop ceiling light for $35.

Can’t wait for my camera to click…

And, because the newly repaired kitchen has a cove ceiling -I begged the husband for that- it needs at least 4 pieces of light fixture to cover the entire area. Too many lights means additional electric consumption. The husband suggested we look for T5 Lighting System. So, he installed 4 units of 28-watts tubes inside the ceiling.

Testing. Checking on how it illuminates the kitchen. It looks dimmer in photo but truth is, our kitchen has never been this bright at night! So far. So good.

Forgive the disorientation in my kitchen stuff. When the husband is working, he doesn’t want any thing on the counter, so I have to steer clear of stuff.

So, there, I guess the husband, my electrician (Oh! He’s hurt. He’s more than that. He says^_^) is finished here. I have saved again from the cost of hiring electrician.

Facts about T5 lights:

For those who may want to ask what the type of lighting we used for the cove ceiling, we purchased T5 at the hardware shop. It is those light units that are small in diameter but super high intensity lights used in commercial or office spaces.

• A set of this T5 lighting system includes the electronic ballasts and the lamp or tube itself. It has different sizes. We needed the longest one though for our ceiling.
• For a 4-foot size, cost is around 359 pesos. Cost is depending on the brand you choose.
• As for consumption, T5 is more energy efficient than standard tube lights. It has a higher output level which can distribute more light source to any room or space.
• Tubes are sold separately when they do get burn out. Oh! I’m sure that would take years.
• As for the color, there are blue, white and yellow tone for this type of light. We chose the white one to complement the color of the walls which is in the brown family. A yellow tone will make the area look dimmer. We do not want that. The reason why we chose a round pendant light. We try to distribute the light all over the area.

Next time, when we’re done with the fixing and the cleaning, I’ll snap better photos of my simple kitchen.

I’ll bet that not many people notices that their neat looking, nicely coloured electric outlet plates poses a serious hazard to their young children especially toddlers. Our countries’ regulations do not specifically requires these outlets to be shuttered or front dead except for those intended for outdoor installations. Hence, the live electrical parts are just millimeters away from anybody around its vicinity.

Children are curious by nature, and if left unattended might pick up metallic objects that when inserted on these sockets will put them in contact with the live parts lurking behind these plates. Education is a nice tool but it’s often neglected especially if we parents do not recognize the gravity of the situation.

I experienced such horror when my lad whose three years old then inserted a bent fork on the outlet, while telling me that he can shut off our electrical system. Before I could react, I heard a distant thud and the boy, grinning from ear to ear and still holding the fork said, “See, the refrigerator and the tv were off now.” Running to his side to check his condition, he blurted out again, “Ang galing ko hano, Mommy”. He seemed to be alright but I am not, still shaking in fear, I immediately telephoned hubby and informed him of what happened. Without any hint of excitement in his voice; he just told me to check the breaker panel and put on whatever was in off position. When he arrived from work, he explained to me that he had anticipated all these things and that all our power circuits were protected by earth leakage circuit breakers. He said that these things were calibrated to give protection at levels way below what is harmful to humans in case of accidental contacts.

The husband then theorized that the lad might had seen him testing these protections and aped what he was doing but he made it a point that he never inserted a fork on the outlet. I remembered that when our abode was built, hubby took time out from work and took the pain to personally do the electrical wirings. He tried to explain to me the functions of the odd looking pieces of equipment he was installing but being a non-technical person; nothing of what he was saying interests me . I still got goosebumps whenever I recalled that moment until now, another lesson learned.

With the husband’s advise, I am sharing with you easy tips to childproof your power outlets so that the name convenience outlets does not become a misnomer.

• If the installation is existing, the most cost effective solution is to buy blanking plastics. These are the peso coin sized round plastics with two prongs at the back resembling the contacts of a plug. Just plug it on your wall outlet and presto, your outlet is now front dead.

• If you can afford to replace all your existing convenience outlets, you can shop around for euro-standard compliant versions. These fixtures have built-in shutters that will cover the opening when a plug was pulled out and will open when you push a plug in. Or, here’s a two-gang outlet that have shutters which is ideal for outdoor placement such as the patio and the garage.

• If your house is still on the drawing board, ask your engineer to specify earth leakage system in addition to the normal overcurrent/short circuit breakers for added protection. European designs allow the earth leakage to be clipped directly on the side of the standard breaker making them one assembly only for ease of installation. It may entail additional cost but these equipment were engineered for lifetime use.

Keeping our homes safe cost only a little but the rewards are high given the protection and safety it will promote particularly on our kids.

Yes, finally, our plumbing problem had been solved. We had purchased a replacement for the water tank which burst out into a water fountain a week ago. We contacted a plumber whom we always called in whenever there’s problem regarding our water system. From there, the plumber suggested we replaced the pressure switch which have been forming rust into some parts. He said it’s the reason why the pump had not been automatically shutting off. The pressure switch’s the small part which is attached near the engine and the tank. It is wired to the pump which then connects to the panel board sending electricity to power on the water tank.

Even when we, homeowners ensures the maintenance of our equipments in the house, there should come a time, when usage and serviceable life have been reached, it shall needed to be replaced. Therefore, it is a must to always save so as the time when there’s expenses that can not be avoided, we can readily purchased new ones.

Image from Google.com

There are so many energy companies to choose from, so many tariffs and plans and offers and unit prices; quite frankly it can be exhausting just thinking about it. Fortunately for many, electricity from British Gas is so much simpler.

Those choosing electricity from British Gas have three main tariffs to choose from, two which are variable and one that is fixed. The difference between the two is quite easy to understand.

What is a fixed price tariff?

A fixed price tariff is great for people who want to pay a predictable amount each month and protect themselves from potential price rises. All fixed price tariffs run for a set amount of time and during that time the customer only pays the unit amount that was set at the beginning of the term. Basically if prices rise, those on a fixed price tariff won’t feel it. This is a great tariff for controlling spending. The only way the bills for someone on a fixed price tariff will rise is if they use more electricity. Many people who enjoy electricity from British Gas like the protection this type of tariff offers them.

So what is a variable price tariff?

Basically a variable tariff is the opposite to a fixed price plan. Those on a variable tariff pay the unit prices that are in place at the time the electricity is used. This offers no protection against prices hikes however does mean that customers can benefit if the unit prices go down.

Having just three tariffs to choose from makes life for residential customers easier. Choosing electricity from British Gas needn’t be confusing and can definitely be cheaper than many providers. To find more information on the three tariffs currently being offered have a look at the website or contact the British Gas team who will be more than happy to talk you through the options and advise you about which of the electricity from British Gas plans would suit your needs best.

Storm damage got you down and powerless? Don’t become a statistic. The number one rule with power lines is to not touch them. Let the professionals take care of these potential killers. If you hear someone spouting the myths below, set them straight with these tips from NYSEG.com