Author: Conor.Doyle

You shouldn’t have to rely on 24/7 heaters when it comes to keeping your house warm in winter. To save yourself from chills and hefty bills, our electricians have compiled their top 6 winter energy saving tips.

1. Maximise Your Insulation

Insulation might cost more than your average power bill, but it’s an investment for the future. Old and patchy insulation can let heat out like water through a sieve. Improving or replacing your insulation won’t just keep heat in during winter; it also keeps heat out in summer.

Summer can be just as expensive as winter, if not more so. Be sure to check out our guide to Saving Energy and Money With Your Air Conditioning Unit.

2. Use Your Curtains and Blinds

Curtains and blinds are basically another layer of insulation, but one you can control. When the morning sun starts streaming in through your windows, let the natural heat inside without any obstruction. When it starts to cool down in the evening, close the curtains to trap the heat.

If you’re efficient enough in operating your curtains and blinds, you’ll notice quite a difference in your home’s temperature.

3. Track Down and Block Draughts

A gap under the door to your garage or a loose laundry door is all it takes for cold air to seep inside your home. Draughts can quickly send internal temperatures plummeting, undoing all your efforts to keep your house warm.

Remember: Air needs both an entry and an exit to flow. If a draught exists in your home, there are probably two gaps to close.

4. Use Timers on Central Heating

Once you’re asleep under a cosy blanket, your body generally won’t need extra help staying warm. To save money, set a timer to turn off the heating once you’re asleep. You’ll wake up unaware of all the money you just saved yourself.

5. Rug Up

This might seem like the most obvious of our winter hacks to stay warm, but it’s definitely one of the most useful. If you’re the sort that loves cranking the heater so you can wear summer clothes, you’re costing yourself a fortune. Blankets and socks cost less than a month’s power, so put on plenty of layers before resorting to artificial heat.

Before turning on the heater, ask yourself – are you as snug and wrapped up as you could be? If not, give that a go first.

6. Ensure Warm Air Can Circulate

Putting the heater on in a closed room will make you feel nice and toasty, but what happens when you need to leave that part of the house? If you tend to heat one room at a time, you could be adding to your power bill unnecessarily. Allowing warm air to move through your home means you won’t have to use as many heaters.

For more energy-saving advice that will come in handy throughout the year, check out the Envious Electrical blog.

There’s no doubt that having electrical appliances around the home has made life easier. But how often do you stop and think about electrical safety? After all, our everyday devices can turn deadly if used incorrectly.

Thankfully, electrical safety at home isn’t too hard to achieve. But to help, the team at Envious Electrical have put together their top electrical safety tips.

1. Avoid Exceeding 10A Via Power Boards

It’s easy to plug a double-adapter or power board in, and increase the amount of devices that can run simultaneously. But not only can it be an illegal practice, it can also be incredibly dangerous.

Let’s say you plug 4 devices into a power board, each pulling 5A. All up, your devices will be pulling 20A out of your 10A wall socket. That can cause an array of issues, such as short-circuiting, and even electrical fires.

There are power boards out there that come with complete protection against short-circuiting, overloading, or surging. But as a general rule, you’re unlikely to run into troubles if a single wall outlet isn’t asked to send more than 10A.

2. Protect Cables

Some simple mistakes can eventually wear through the insulation on a cable, reducing your electrical safety. Some easy steps you can take include:

• Pull cables out of sockets via the plug, not the cable itself
• Tuck cables neatly out of the way of foot traffic and pets
• Don’t jam cables behind furniture.

3. Look Up

Whether you’re flying a kite, playing cricket, climbing a tree or simply doing some housework, possibly the most important electrical safety tip we can offer is to watch out for powerlines. Before you do anything outside, take the time to work out where any powerlines might be, and steer well clear.

4. No DIY

There are some great DIY projects for you and your family, but electrical work isn’t one of them. Licenced electricians know how to keep you safe, no matter whether it’s a simple data point or an entire switchboard upgrade.

For a safe and professional solution to any electrical works, chat to the Envious Electrical team today – either online or at 0427 674 106.

You can’t have too much of a good thing, right? Well, for your appliances, too much voltage can have a disastrous effect. Power surges can toast your toaster and damage larger appliances, so it’s important to have some measures in place for electrical safety.
Here are some simple recommendations that can keep you and your appliances safe. Continue reading How to Save Your Appliances from Power Surge