With winter here already it’s time to start thinking about winter warmth for your home. The cooler season calls for more indoor activities due to temperature and less daylight. So we’d like to give you a few tips on how to prepare your home for these colder months to ensure your comfort, health, and safety.
Common Electrical Problems in Winter
Switchboards
There are a few common electrical problems that occur in the colder months. The condition of your switchboard is something very important to be aware of. If you live in an area like Seventeen Mile Rocks in Brisbane that have a few old houses with old switchboards you could be prone to short-circuits. Old fuses in these switchboards can be troublesome as they can catch fire very easily. This is more prominent in winter because of the increase in electrical appliances being used. Old switchboards/fuses aren’t built to withstand the demand of the appliances and devices we use today. We recommend that you check out your switchboard and if you’re unsure of its condition you should call a professional domestic electrician to come and have a look, to ensure the safety of your family and home.
Electric Blankets
In winter we all look forward to bedtime, snuggling up into bed with our electric blankets on. Electric blankets can be somewhat troublesome especially if they are dated. If the blanket is old or has been folded multiple times the wiring inside it may have been compromised. To avoid sparking a fire from your electric blanket, we advise using the electric blanket only to warm the bed before getting in, then turning it off once in bed. Electric blankets should be replaced after 10 years or even sooner if used a lot.
Electric Heaters
When thinking about electric heaters, we suggest you ensure these are plugged directly into a wall socket, not an extension cord. Most extension cords aren’t built to deal with a large amount of power running through it for a time. If you must have it plugged into an extension cord, ensure it is for heavy duty purposes and of good quality. Also be sure to put up a barrier in front of the heater if you have young ones, most electric heaters use hot elements to emit heat which can be dangerous for little hands.
Use your Air Conditioner for Heating
Many people are unaware of what ‘reverse cycle air conditioning’ is. Put simply, it’s a unit that can emit both cool and warm air. When used for heating the unit will extract the heat from the outside air and transfer it inside (even when it’s cold out), quite different to the generic electric heaters that use direct elements to generate the heat. Whilst doing this, reverse cycle air conditioning units also filter and dehumidify the air, creating a healthier environment for your family.
The best part about ‘reverse cycle air conditioning’ other than the fact that it can do both cooling and heating is that it’s extremely energy efficient and economically friendly. Around three or more units of heat can be emitted for each unit of electricity used, this makes it’s running costs around one-third of electric heaters that use direct elements. Another benefit of ‘reverse cycle air conditioning’ is that because it isn’t using elements to generate heat, it remains cool to touch at all times, ensuring safety for your whole family.
If you’d like to learn any more information on reverse cycle air conditioning, read our other blog post on it here, or contact usto speak to a member of our friendly team about it.
Even if you own a commercial business it’s wise to check the electrical work, give a commercial electrician in Brisbane a call if you’re unsure and they’ll give everything a once-over for you.
Winter is here and we encourage you to check your house and ensure it is safe and warm for you and your family to enjoy over the colder months; as we always say “better to be safe than sorry”!Share:
Blog posted by www.positive-power.com.au