Laura Unbound

A Do it Yourself Home energy audit is easiest if electricity is used exclusively for plug load and lighting. In the event that it’s also used for heating and cooling, it’s best to call in a home energy auditor so they can help you track down the air leaks in your home and help you figure out where to add insulation, weather-stripping, and plug air leaks to bring your heating bills down — or you can calculate plug load in the non-heating season. Chances of getting a job as an electrician Brisbane Southside are good due to a construction boom and a shortage of trained workers.

In our home’s case, I know our electricity use is entirely plug load and lighting since we use natural gas for heating, hot water and cooking. So, there are two parts to an electricity audit: the first involves calculating your lighting load, the second is calculating the appliance and other electronics load. Calculating the lighting load using the following method is straightforward since no extra equipment is required and all the information you need is written on the light bulb (usually).

Calculating lighting load: Decide whether you’re going to start from the top or bottom of your home, but work your way systematically from the front of your house to the back visiting every room, bathroom and closet that has lights. Note your ceiling lights, table lamps and undermount lights, their wattage and estimate how much time they’re on each day. Include closets if they have lights in them.

In our kitchen there are six 50 watt halogen lights that are on in the morning for 1 hour for six months of the year and 2 hours for six months. In the evening, the six lights are on for three hours in the summer and five hours in the winter. There are also two incandescent hanging lamps which are on for three hours in the evening. So, calculating the amount of electricity the kitchen lighting load for an average day (estimate 1.5 hours per morning, 4 hours per evening for a total of 5.5 hours per day).

6 lights x 50 watts/light x 5.5 hours per day + 2 lights x 60 watts/light x 3 hours per day = 2,010 watt-hours per day or 2 kwh per day. Therefore, in one month the kitchen lights use 61 kwh of electricity.

Repeat this process for every room in your house and add up your total lighting consumption at the end. The results will tell you how much of your total electricity bill is dedicated to lighting. In our house, I estimate that our lighting bill accounts for 20% of our total electricity bill before central air is turned on.

Finding your electricity hogs: So, if lighting only accounts for 20% of our home’s total energy use, where is the other 80% coming from? Appliances, computers, TVs, digital boxes, stereos, cellphone and game chargers, gaming stations, alarm systems, digital clocks and of course, air conditioning.

There are plenty of websites that will give you approximate information about how much electricity your plugged in electronics, small appliances and major appliances use. But if you’re Type A like me, then you might be interested in determining exactly where you’re using the most energy instead of just making educated guesses. There are a few reasons to do it this way: one is that the results may surprise you — perhaps you thought it was your four-year old dryer that was using the most energy, but in fact it might be your 15-year-old deep freeze — especially when you consider that it runs 24-7- 365. Another surprise might be seeing how much energy your TV-Surround Sound-Gaming System use — even when it’s off (because it’s not really off, it’s in standby, still drawing electricity, commonly referred to as phantom power).

Measuring the electricity draw of each device is fairly simple, but to do it properly, you’ll need a few tools.

1. Pencil/pen and paper for recording your findings,

2. Calculator for the math-challenged like myself,

3. Energy monitoring device such as a Kill A Watt EZ monitor or PowerCost monitor. Amazon.ca sells energy monitoring devices, and Canadian Tire sells a Blue Planet Energy Monitor. I’ve also read that some libraries, such as the Ottawa Public Library, will loan out the Kill A Watt.

Go through each room in your house, identify everything that is plugged into a wall aside from lamps — which you’ve already done in part I. Don’t forget to measure things that might be put away but are used on a daily basis. Below is a list of some, but not all, of the possible electricity using devices in each room. Generally though, you only need to count the items you use daily or weekly.

Bedrooms contain a variety of items from clocks/iPods and chargers, TVs, digital boxes, DVD players, computers, in addition to lamps and overhead lighting.

Bathrooms have a lot of appliances that you might use in the morning getting ready for the day including hair dryers, curling irons, straightening irons, etc. These items can use a lot of electricity even if it’s only for a short amount of time.

Kitchen. All those small appliances that get used daily including toasters, toaster ovens, coffeemakers, microwaves, hand blenders, etc. can really add up. Also try to determine how old your fridge, dishwasher and oven are, using the PowerCost monitor you can determine how much electricity each appliance is consuming. For a rough and ready estimate, visit The Office of Energy Efficiency for the Government of Canada for a chart on how much electricity appliances consume.

Laundry room. Washer and dryer, iron, steamer.

Living room/Family room/Great room. Stereo, TV, DVD player, surround sound system, digital TV PVR box, gaming system, video player, musical instruments such as electric amps, guitars, keyboards.

Home Office. Computer, monitor, speakers, printer, scanner, photocopier, telephone, cellphone charger, wireless router, modem, etc. If you’re using a measuring device, be careful about unplugging and replugging devices back in as some cause an automatic reset on devices. Check your manuals first.

Furnace and utility room. Dehumidifier, furnace fan, electric hot water heater, central air conditioner, alarm system, whole home sound system, sump pump, etc..If you still have access to the manuals, for some of these devices it would be better to check them for electricity consumption or look up their energy consumption online. Some items are better left untouched unless you know what you’re doing — in this case a measurement device like the Power Cost monitor is better than the Kill a Watt because it measures pulse changes in your electricity consumption and devices don’t need to be unplugged.

Garage and outside. Lawn mower, weed wacker, whipper snipper, garden lighting, pool heater, hot tub heater, cabana lights/fridge, stereo, etc.

For each of these devices estimate how much time they’re on for daily, multiply the wattage by time and divide by 1000 to get the number of kilowatt hours they’re drawing. Ex:

number of hours device is on x watts / 1000 watts = x kilowatt hours.

so, for a hair dryer that draws 1000 watts that’s used for 10 minutes or 1/6 of an hour daily

1/6×1000/1000= 0.167 kwh daily.

At this point we’re just recording how much electricity each device uses and estimating how much it gets used. You should have accounted for, in theory, about 90-95% of your overall electricity use after systematically going through each room in the house.

Once you’ve totaled everything, you will be able to see just how much electricity each of the appliances and lights in your house are using. This knowledge gives you the power to make better decisions and create an action plan as to how to lower your electricity consumption, whether through adjusting behaviour, replacing outdated appliances, or putting game consoles and computers on timers. Get in touch with energy savers suggestion by our electrician.

Cathy Rust is a LEED Accredited Professional who writes about green building materials, energy and water efficiency at BEC Green. She provides information on what’s available and where to buy green building materials and energy efficiency products and services in Toronto and surrounding area. For more information on available eco-friendly building materials and energy efficiency tips, visit: “BEC Green”

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Swimming pools are continually attacked by algae. Algae enter your swimming pool from the wind, rain, and even contaminated swim suits. Typically, the normal recommended amounts of chlorine or bromine are able to kill algae when it makes contact with the water. However, if the pool has been stagnant for a long period of time, or if the winterizing process was not performed properly the algae may take over. If this happens, the swimming pool will likely turn to a dark black or green color and you won’t be able to even see the bottom. The pool will likely require an acid wash to restore it to its former beauty and cleanliness. As a general rule of thumb if you can see the bottom of a swimming pool, you can usually bring it back with chemicals, vacuuming, and filtering. If the floor is not visible, the cost of chemicals and electricity for filtering will far exceed the cost of an acid wash. Filtering and chemicals will also take a very long time to kill and remove the algae, thus making an acid wash much more cost and time effective. If algae seems to be able to grow overnight even with proper chemical maintenance, changing the water and acid washing the plaster surface of your swimming pool will give you an algae free summer. Not a waste of money but convenient for a pool removal cost Sydney.

An acid wash will strip a tiny layer of plaster off of the swimming pool, thereby exposing the newer, cleaner plaster underneath. It shouldn’t be an annual custom since it doing so will strip all of the plaster away and create a need to completely re-plaster the swimming pool. Most plaster coats of white coat or marcite are more than ½ an inch thick, so the occasional acid wash isn’t harmful to the swimming pool. Acid washes can also be used to bring out a brighter and cleaner finish for your swimming pool, and not necessarily due to an algae crisis. A swimming pool always comes out brighter and cleaner from an acid wash.

The acid used for acid washing is Muriatic acid. Muriatic acid is more commonly known as Hydrochloric acid with the chemical symbol HCl. It is found in highly concentrated forms at the average swimming pool stores, and the dangers cannot be emphasized enough. Acid is a dangerous substance. Anyone who acid washes their pool must take proper precautions to assure safe handling of the acid and to minimize exposure. Wear proper protective clothing, with an air purifying respirator designed for acid fumes. Wear safety goggles not safety glasses, rubber gloves, and boots. Pool company personnel are specially trained in acid application and acid safety.

The first thing to do for an acid wash is to drain the pool completely. As the pool drains wash and scrub it down as necessary to remove all algae and leaves. When the pool is empty and dry, it is time to begin the acid wash. Be sure to don all of your protective clothing and equipment.

To obtain the proper acid mixture of 50/50, add one gallon of acid to one gallon of water in a large flower watering can (Always add acid to water, never the other way around as you will risk an explosion). Using a running garden hose without a nozzle, wet down the walls of your pool. Keep the hose running continuously while cleaning the pool. Pour the acid down the swimming pool sides, from top to bottom, one ten foot section at a time (start at the deep end, working your way to the shallow end). Do not allow the acid to sit on the plaster for longer than thirty seconds as this will cause damage. Use an acid brush to scrub the surfaces of the pool and move the acid around. After scrubbing, rinse thoroughly and quickly. Take care to remove all of the acid from the pool walls. Any acid left behind will continue to etch the plaster. If the 50/50 acid mixture is unable to remove all of the stains, you can increase the concentration, or the length of time the acid remains on the walls, and/or scrub harder.

After the acid wash, all of the acid will have collected on the bottom of the swimming pool. It will look like a foamy acid puddle and will need to be neutralized before being pumped out. In order to neutralize the acid use 2 pounds of soda ash for every gallon of acid that has been used. Soda ash can be found at pool supply stores. Spread the soda ash over the puddle while stirring with a pool brush on a pole. Once the acid is neutralized, you may use swimming pool testing strips to measure the pH and check if the acid is neutral. Do not use a chemical testing kit as the acid may damage the plastic testing container. Neutral is on the pH scale of 7. Anything below 7 is still acidic. Once the acid is neutral, a submersible pump may be used to pump the neutralized acid out of the pool. Be careful where the neutralized acid is pumped to as it may destroy plants and kill fish, frogs, or any other living things. Once the acid is pumped out, rinse the bottom of the pool again.

Don’t rush the acid job. Do the job slowly and safely. Acid fumes can be very strong and very dangerous. Be sure your respirator can block all acid fumes. Make sure the safety goggles fully protect your eyes. Be sure to wear old pants, a long sleeve shirt, rubber gloves and rubber boots. Spray yourself off before exiting the pool. Always have a second person nearby when acid washing the pool to help with any emergencies including calling 911 should the need arise. If acid falls into the mouth, eye, ear, or on exposed skin, rinse with the hose for 15 minutes.

If the swimming pool is lined with vinyl, do not use acid. Instead use detergents and elbow grease to remove the algae from the walls. Try not drain the liner pool completely as liner is difficult to reset into place. There is also the small possibility of the pool walls collapsing.

It is strongly recommended that you hire a professional to perform the acid wash for you, rather than do it yourself. After a thorough acid wash, the swimming pool will look like brand new. With proper chemical maintenance from this point forward, the pool should not have any further significant algae problems.

[http://www.lonestarpoolsupply.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/A._L._Schaub/1627346

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New Delhi: May 25, 2018: — In line with its priority to put digitisation at the forefront to give its customers the advantage of operating in a digital economy, Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced the global availability of mySchneider, a 24/7 self-service customer service mobile app for Android and iOS devices. Electricity can kill or severely injure people and cause damage to property. However if you put your trust to your electrician Northcote you will all be safe in your area.

What’s new?
Building on the success of the previous versions, the mySchneider app brings Schneider Electric customers a completely new interface with more functionality to improve the user experience. Among the updates to this robust tool for Schneider Electric customers, is the new Tailored Services facility, which allows users to customise information and has options to better fit their specific job needs. In addition, the newly added ‘product recommendation’ and ‘recently viewed’ features can save time by offering in-app search term suggestions.

Talking about the new version Bidisha Nagaraj, Chief Marketing Officer, Schneider Electric India, said: We are taking constant feedback from our valuable customers and sales team. Basis that feedback, we strive to innovate and add functionalities that address their needs to deliver best-in class mobile experience through mySchneider app. We’re excited to introduce the redesigned my Schneider app with an improved product experience. This will bring our full catalogue to users with features including, enhanced search, recommendations and technical documentation to help our customers find information quicker, engage with support and increase efficiency for their business.”

The latest features join the popular 24/7 self-service options currently available on the app, including the ability to search for products by name or reference number, receive product information by scanning QR codes, and retrieve technical documents via an updated catalog online and offline. Direct contact with Schneider Electric experts is available in the mySchneider app either by a live chat session, via one-tap connection, or by using the convenient ‘guided call’ menu option. Users can also submit new cases or queries through an in-app form in less time-sensitive instances.

Today, users can see all technical product information on a single screen, and this now includes direct access to Green Premium eco-label from the same product query to identify all environmental product specifications: RoHS compliance and REACh declarations are shown as well as Product Environmental Profile and End-of-Life instructions.

Registered users of mySchneider app have access to additional features, such as real-time notifications, myCorner for managing preferences, order tracking, and product pricing and availability.

In 2016, Schneider Electric introduced its first version of the mySchneider app. Offering 24/7 self-service and one-tap access to local experts, the app was instantly adopted by electrical industry professionals around the world. In light of the app’s growing popularity, Schneider Electric compiled customer comments and feedback and used them to create new features and functionalities.

Along with the newly added features and an update to the user interface, more upgrades are planned, including easy-to-use video chat and availability in more languages. The app is currently available in 30 languages, all offering the full range of features.

For more information about the mySchneider app, visit schneider-electric.com/myschneider-app

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is leading the Digital Transformation of Energy Management and Automation in Homes, Buildings, Data Centers, Infrastructure and Industries.

With global presence in over 100 countries, Schneider is the undisputable leader in Power Management – Medium Voltage, Low Voltage and Secure Power, and in Automation Systems. We provide integrated efficiency solutions, combining energy, automation and software.

In our global Ecosystem, we collaborate with the largest Partner, Integrator and Developer Community on our Open Platform to deliver real-time control and operational efficiency.

We believe that great people and partners make Schneider a great company and that our commitment to Innovation, Diversity and Sustainability ensures that Life Is On everywhere, for everyone and at every moment. Get in touch with master electrician in your area before any problems occur.

It’s amazing just how much technology has evolved over the past decade. Technology has completely transformed the way we live our lives today. A further testimony to the ever evolving nature of technology is the coming of free energy generators. You no longer have to rely on power companies for electricity. Nowadays you can produce the same electricity at your home without having to pay for it ever! Honest! Are you thinking why you should stop utilizing power from electricity companies and start generating electricity from your free energy generator? For your peace of mind and convenience, we provide an electrician Melbourne CBD.

Do you have any idea about how power companies generate electricity? These power companies burn large amounts of fossil fuels which consequently results in damage to the atmosphere as hazardous gases are released. Such an act leads to global warming, harmful effects on the environment and shortens life span of living things. Do you really want that on your conscience?

Do you really want to be the one to tell your children that you intentionally used electricity that you knew was bad for the environment, when you had other alternatives you could explore? Even when your other alternatives like the free energy generator produced free electricity with virtually no pollution at all!

Would you like to be that person? Of course, you don’t. A free energy generator has a multitude of plus points to offer to consumers and this will make anyone and everyone switch to cleaner, greener energy. There are numerous free energy generator options available to you at the moment. And no I’m not talking about your common generators that run on gas; those definitely do not provide you with free energy.

Free energy generators can be divided into four broad types. Every free energy generator has its pros and cons and the major deciding factors should be your location and the amount of electricity needed..

Hydropower generator- In Greek, hydro means water. Hydropower generators rely on water in order to produce electricity. Now, hold on there, it’s not like you’re going to fill the generator up with water and watch as it produces electricity. Electricity is generated by hydropower generators when fast moving water flows through it. So if you’re house is near a small stream or a river than this type of free energy generator is the ideal solution for you. Electricity from hydropower generators is produced when its turbines are rapidly spun by fast flowing water and that electricity can then be used for your TV, fridge, Iron and all the other electronic appliances. A big limiting factor for this type of free energy generator is that we don’t really liver near or have access to fast flowing areas of a river. That is why this option is not ideally recommended for everybody

Wind power generators- As the name tells you this free electric generator type depends on the force of the wind to produce electricity. Wind power generators encompass a fan shaped turbine, which needs to be installed at a place where there is a strong wind. Wind power generators work best when installed in a balcony or on a rooftop. When wind gushes through the blades, it creates a spin which in turn produces electricity. This free electric generator type requires almost no maintenance but the issue with this sort of free electric generator is that if you live in a city or an area where there are no strong winds, then the amount of electricity that you would produce would be next to nothing. So if your house is located in between some high rise buildings or is in an area where the wind does not blow strong enough, then its highly recommended that you go for other free energy generation alternatives.

Magnetic generators- By far this is my first choice when it comes to free electric generator. Did you ever hear of magnets being used for generating electricity before? I felt the same way until I bumped into Magnets4Energy, a promising product. I have always been reluctant with trying out such products as I am too cautious of falling for scams but on the word of my friends, and after reading a magnets 4 energy review, I went ahead with trying out this promising guide. All thanks to Magnets4Energy, my electricity bill has seen some significant decline in costs. But I didn’t try this product without carrying out the proper research done, so I went online and started searching for whether magnets could be used as a source of energy. What I found really blew me away, not only could magnets be used as a source of generating electricity but they were actually being used electricity generation purposes already. Trains called Maglev also rely on magnetism for power! These trains have been recorded as going as rapidly as 500 km/h in Japan. But the best thing about these magnetic generators is that they do not need any special conditions in which to operate. These are not reliant on water, wind or sunshine. In order to turn the dream of generating free energy into a reality, you should use Magnets4Energy to build your very own magnetic generator! You’re on your way to producing free, environmentally friendly energy!

The question of just why should you use a free electric generator has now been fully answered. select what meets your needs best and take a step towards saving this planet from mass pollution.

I hope you understand what a free energy generator is, and that you are aware that you CAN build your own one! The best and easiest generator is the free energy magnetic motor. You do not need a big river to get your generator to work, you don’t need strong wind to get your blades spun. You just buy your magnets and install them, it is fast, silent and never stops working. My buddy Richard Watson has actually used a guide which was mentioned in my article and shares his experience in this magnets 4 energy review. If you are not able to reach your own electrician, get in touch with us.

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Engineered Products Company (EPCO), a supplier of specialty lighting and wiring consumable products for electrical contractors, today announced that it has added a new LED utility luminaire to its line of ProSeries™ lighting products. The ProSeries “Elite” are weather-resistant IP65 rated LED Utility Luminaires available in Ceiling/Pendant or Wall Mount configurations, that produce only 79 lumens per watt, boasts 93 percent electrical efficiency, and is suitable for a variety of indoor and outdoor lighting applications. Commercial electrician Melbourne watch closely the entire building for power failure.

“Our new LED luminaires are high-performing, sustainable, and long lasting,” said EPCO President Jim Anderson. “Virtually maintenance free because of its LED light engine design, high-quality materials and extended lifecycle, the luminaire is a smaller size ⎯ lightweight and compact ⎯ providing a lighting option for locations where larger LED luminaires just won’t fit.”

The new ProSeries “Elite” LED Utility Luminaire blends well with existing luminaires, providing a 360 degree lumen distribution pattern that evenly distributes light, requiring fewer fixtures than traditional illumination sources. These luminaires are built with high quality materials and workmanship, and reduce energy consumption up to 75 percent. Providing white-light distribution and color rendering quality that portrays the true colors of objects with no perceptible flicker, these luminaires also lower carbon emissions packaged in a small form factor, ideal for universal building integration.

The new ProSeries “Elite” Ceiling/Pendant and Wall Mount configurations include the housing assembly, junction box and mounting lungs, LED light engine and diffuser assembly, and high temperature silicone gaskets. Additional features include:

Superior LED optics that magnify lumen output and produce minimal glare.
A UV resistant, precision molded polycarbonate diffuser that is 100 percent impact resistant.
Solid core, pre-shrunk silicone gasket that provides a water tight seal against the ingress dirt and moisture.
Durable die-cast aluminum heat sink housing, finished in a black “E” coat material is guaranteed to not rust or corrode.
IP65 rating for use in damp or wet locations.
Industry standard five (5) year or 50,000 hour warranty.

For more information about the company or LED Utility Luminaires, contact Engineered Products Company at sales@engproducts.com or call 800.336.1976.

About EPCO

Engineered Products Company supplies electrical distributors with specialty lighting, lighting accessories, and wiring solutions that address a wide range of standard and unique applications. EPCO’s durable, reliable products, high fill rate, on-time delivery, and no-risk purchase terms optimize distributor cash flow and profit margins on the consumable products electricians use for commercial, industrial, agricultural and residential buildings. Known for its exceptional customer service, as well as sales representatives who are the most knowledgeable in the electrical industry, the Minneapolis-based company offers multiple configurations of products to meet a broad variety of building applications. Follow the company on Twitter @EPCO1976 or subscribe to the EPCO blog. To know better our electrician get in touch with them.

Revolutionary Use of Half Pool Covers

Every year swimming pools are wasting billions of gallons of water that can be saved. This paper addresses the problems with the current use of full pool covers and how half covers are the solution to pool water conservation. One way to reconstruct your pool is hiring a pool removal Sydney.

It is well known that pool covers can reduce water evaporation by up to 95%, yet less than 30% of pools are using covers. The current limitations imposed by full covers for the most part boils down to two problems.

The Twofold Problem

First, full covers are difficult to stock. Full covers are bulky and must be stocked in 50 or more sizes requiring a sizable amount of floor space to have covers on hand for the myriad of pool sizes. If a size goes out of stock, the customer has to wait until the warehouse reorders another truckload of covers. This distribution and stocking problem severely limits the available stock on hand at any one time and prevents the customer from being able to purchase on demand.

Second, full covers for the most part fit only rectangular shaped pools. Covers initially come off the production line as sheets in rectangular shapes and are heat seamed together for various widths. They can be further cut into oval or round sizes, but nevertheless most of the pools built today are irregular free-form shapes and custom designs. In order to accommodate free-form pool shapes the customer many times must oversize the cover which means ordering an even larger than needed cover and cookie-cutting the cover to the free-form pool using the inside of the pool cove as a guide. This however can create a lot of waste. And how do you accommodate say an L-shape pool?

The twofold solution is that by using half covers, the number of cover sizes for distribution and stocking can be reduced from over 50 to just 4 half cover sizes (see below) which can be mixed-n-matched to work with almost all pools up to L-shapes solving both of the aforementioned issues.

Encouraging the industry to distribute half covers allows more people that ever to cover their pools. This practical way of using half covers revolutionizes the way covers are stocked and distributed, never incurring oversize shipping charges, and allows dealers to have covers in stock so pool owners never go home empty handed. By solving the problems preventing all pools to use covers, in the wake of water shortages that are only getting worse, it becomes a mandate to encourage all pools to be covered.

The Added Problem with Handling Full Covers

Another overwhelming limitation to full cover usage is that historically the only device sold for handling these covers has been the deck reel, an expensive bulky towel rack like device that sits at the end of the pool consuming valuable deck space. The problem with deck reels is that even if you cookie-cut your over-sized cover to fit your free-form pool, deck reels do not handle curvy free-form pool covers very well. Also if you have limited or no deck space where are you going to put your reel?

That said, as things stand today, only pools that can accommodate a deck reel have a solution for taking the covers on and off the pool, which is much like having invented breakthrough inflatable rubber tires for the auto industry, but no jack to remove them with on 70% of the cars.

For all those millions of pools without a jack, there is an innovative half cover rolling solution that can assist in the removal and handling of covers for pools that can’t use a deck reel. Because most custom free-form pools cannot use a traditional deck reel, many of those pool owners are already splitting their bulky pool covers to make them easier to remove by hand, and are doing so at the advice of pool shops who want to sell them a cover, but cannot sell them a reel. The half cover rolling device just takes this a step further, and makes it possible for custom free-form pool owners who want to purchase a cover to have a means to handle the cover too.

The Industry Change to Half Cover Distribution

As mentioned above to be expounded on here, distribution of full pool covers today is a nightmare for distributors because full cover distribution requires a multitude of covers sizes to support the many different size pools out there. Enabling custom shaped pools to use half pool covers, the plan is to revolutionize the way covers are distributed, lowering the cost for everyone and making stock on hand a top priority to solve the problem with special ordering or waiting for a cover to come in stock.

Four Sizes: Employing the revolutionary strategy to provide half pool covers will solve this problem to support the majority of pools under 20x40ft. By shifting to the four size distribution model, half cover sizes (14×14, 16×16, 18×18, 20×20) can be mixed and matched to each half of the pool. Furthermore, online internet retailers can ship the lighter more compact half cover sizes, avoiding dreaded overcharges due to weight, making shipping costs more predicable and controllable. For handling the covers, stores can provide the lightweight compact half cover roller device that currently ships coast-to-coast at a fraction of the cost of the heavier/bulkier deck reels which require two boxes. For anyone doing business over the internet, shipping lighter and more compact half covers alone is a remarkable dollar saving breakthrough.

Out of the Warehouse and Into the Stores: For retail stores, by reducing pool cover stock sizes from the multitude of covers sizes (that must be special ordered from the warehouse and delivered next day or longer if on back order) to just four sizes, covers can easily be stocked right at the store. With the new half cover distribution model, retailers can now have “stock on hand” for immediate purchase. Having stock on hand will substantially increase cover sales helping people more than ever not only have a warm pool, but most importantly conserve water and chemicals to help our environment.

Potential Market Expansion using Half Covers

Water agencies realizing the great value of pool covers to save water are beginning to offer rebates toward the purchase of a pool cover. For instance, Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) offers a $50 rebate for pool covers. On the international stage the hard hit drought stricken Australia offers pool owners a $200 rebate toward a cover and roller system.

Getting the Word Out: In light of the pressing need for pool covers, the greatest need is to inform everyone that the concept of using “whole pool covers” to cover the entire pool severely limits the distribution of covers, and also requires the consumer to purchase an expensive and awkward deck reel, or remove the cover by hand; emphasizing too that this solution only works on less than 30% of pools substantially limiting “use” of covers. Conversely, using the Split-Cover System, almost all pools can now use a cover, and is more cost effective for everyone resulting in higher sustainable sales for the industry overall.

A few years ago an alternative product called Sun Rings came into the market and many retail and online stores are carrying them, but a typical pool needs 10-15 rings at over $30/ea, the rings can bunch up at the end of the pool on windy days, are slow to fish out of the pool one at a time, and according to some retailers have thus experienced a higher customer return rate. On the other hand, the half cover system has a high customer satisfaction rate. It’s easy to see then that whole covers are too big, Sun Rings are too small, and half covers are just right.

Water Conservation Programs & Rebates

Current water shortages in parts of the nation, especially as mentioned in western U.S. areas like Las Vegas, are requiring communities to be on year round water restrictions and may potentially drive the increased demand and expansion of the pool cover market. Programs such as Water Smart in the Las Vegas area, and Water Sense sponsored by the EPA are dedicated to conservation. Additional programs by agencies offer pool cover rebates at participating dealers.

To do it’s part in the fight for water conservation nationwide, the half pool cover distribution model will greatly assist in supplying stores everywhere with just-in-time stock on hand. In this way over time we will be helping to save billions of gallons of wasted water nationwide, by facilitating the distribution of pool covers in a much needed and better way. It takes about only 200 pools using a cover to save an entire city tank of water because a pool left unchecked for a year can completely evaporate… and that’s a lot of wasted water!

Water Loss Calculation

Let’s calculate the number of wasted tanks of drinking water through evaporation by pools.

Sacramento: Using an average evaporation rate of 17,500 gallons/pool annually, it takes only 200 pools to waste an entire city tank of water. If Sacramento has over 50,000 pools, then Sacramento alone wastes 250 tanks of city water every year (or) 2,125,000,000 (that’s BILLION) gallons of water every year! What’s that make you think about when they start rationing water and your lawn’s going brown, while your bill’s going up?

The 17,500 gallon/annual evaporation figure is probably conservative (other reports site 1.5″/week). In Australia one study by Sealed Air Corporation states over 86,000 liters per year, or over 22,700 gallons annually evaporates from the pool. In Las Vegas, the average is 100 inches per year, yet all evaporation rates vary depending on a number of conditions.

Nationwide: If the nation has around 8.5 million inground swimming pools, then nationally we waste 42,500 tanks of water every year. This amounts to 42,500(tanks) x 3,500,000(gals) = 148,750,000,000 gallons of water annually in the US alone. Again, that’s BILLIONS!

Add an additional 30% for aboveground pools to approximate another 45 billion gallons of water evaporation, and we are looking at almost 200 billions gallons of water wasted annually in the U.S. alone. Aside from the water conservation issue, think about the cost of energy used to process and create that amount of drinking water.

Worldwide: Now think worldwide and one doesn’t have to ask if this is an issue that is rife to be addressed with a sense of urgency by all parties involved.

About the Rolling Device

The key to the innovative half cover solution is the Split-Cover System that rolls half the cover at a time, so almost all pools up to L-shapes are able use a pool cover. The patented system includes two individual free-floating rollers that are fastened directly to the underside of the buoyant half covers, each roller spanning the middle of each half cover. Custom locking fasteners are used that button the rollers to the covers and are removable if you wish to detach the covers in the off season. The lightweight free-floating adjustable length rollers span across the middles of each half cover (similar to how reels are placed across the middle of a round pool) but are directly fastened to the underside of the cover. The rollers are supported entirely by the buoyancy of the cover, so nothing attaches to the pool and is completely free-floating with the cover.

To operate the system, the customer just pops on a removable crank handle to one end of the roller tube to begin the rolling process. By turning the crank, the roller pulls both ends of the cover into the middle to wrap around itself right on the water, resulting in nice compact floating roll that, once the water drains from the end, weighs less than 30 lbs (about the weight of a 3 year old), so is compact and easy to handle. When not in use the device is completely hidden so is not an eye sore to your beautiful backyard pool setting that you paid so much for.

The innovative split cover remedy in short requires no deck space, accommodates almost any shape pool up to L-shape pools, is light/compact and completely hidden, and is easy enough to roll a cover in under thirty seconds. Switching to the easier to distribute half pool covers endeavors to help the millions of custom pool owners by providing them a practical solution and a choice they never had before, and moreover, to help us all do a better job at conserving precious water.

Conservation is the Goal

In summary, the half cover distribution model will be doing it’s part to conserve water and support the cause of many water starved communities (such as Las Vegas, Australia, and others) that are water rationing and promoting pool covers through rebates so consumers will do the right thing and cover their pools. Efforts to change the way pools are covered will revolutionize the distribution and stocking of pool covers, leading the industry to change it’s distribution model which will dramatically conserve precious water. In the half cover distribution world, retailers and wholesalers will never be out of stock utilizing the revolutionary “just in time” stock on hand distribution model. Retail stores will more than ever have an incentive and the ability to stock covers at the store for immediate sale, rather than special order from the warehouse requiring customers to come back for pickup, and wholesalers will move more inventory out of the warehouse and into stores. The warehouse will benefit because they can enjoy the same profit margins, but move stock immediately out to retailers rather than waiting for truckload deliveries in their space constrained warehouses. And the customer will be able to get what they want, when they want it so that everybody wins in the never ending fight for water conservation.

Questions and Comments

Please send any questions, comments, and suggestions about this device for your pool to info@solarfactory.com or visit http://www.solarfactory.com

David Hoff, Inventor CEO

David Hoff is inventor of the patented Solar Roller, the only device for handling 1/2 pool covers. Half Covers are the secret for any shape pool to be covered. It only takes 200 pools using covers to save a 3.5 million gallon tank of city water.

So there’s a better way to stop the waste of precious city water, to use HALF COVERS rather than full covers. With half covers, almost any pool can be covered up to L-shaped pools. If there is a better way of doing something that saves billions of gallons of water, then in the wake of drought and water rationing, why aren’t all pools being covered?

In Sacramento alone 2,125,000,000 (that’s BILLION) gallons of water could be saved every year!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/David_Hoff/283975

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One of the first things you need to consider when you are planning a home renovation is the existing electrical system. Is the condition of the existing electrical wiring and the capacity (in amps) of the system up to code? Along with plumbing and heating and cooling systems, updating the electrical system in a house will be one of the most expensive remodeling tasks. Major electrical rewiring will require you to use the services of a licensed electrician. There are situations where you can do some of the electrical work yourself with a proper permit having your work certified by a licensed electrical inspector. You need to check your local building codes before you begin. If the after hours electrician Melbourne service you are looking for is not listed here give our team a call.

Electrical System Components

There are a few main components of a residential electrical system. The service entrance and the main circuit panel are the most important elements of the system. Depending on the complexity of the wiring circuits, additional auxiliary circuit panels may be required. The current National Electrical Code recommends a minimum 100 amp incoming electrical service. If your service panel provides less, it should be upgraded to the minimum or higher amperage to meet the needs of modern electrical loads. Most new homes are wired with 200 amp service. Many times the old service panels do not provide adequate grounding, so if you are keeping your existing panel it should be thoroughly checked out by an electrician.

Aluminum vs. Copper Wiring

The actual electrical wire running through your home that makes up each circuit can be aluminum or copper. Older homes and some homes constructed during the 70’s and early 80’s used aluminum wiring. Modern building codes in most communities do not allow aluminum wiring to be used. There are a number of reasons for this. Aluminum and copper both expand and contract when heated. Aluminum, unlike copper, has a tendency to lose some tightness with each cycle. It can invite corrosion when contacting certain types of metal and this corrosion will increase the resistance of the connection. Fire hazard is the main concern with aluminum.

There are ways to make aluminum safe, but we will cover that in another article. Solid copper wiring is the material of choice for new homes or renovations. Although 14-gage wire is allowed for many circuits, it’s recommended you install 12-gage wiring, which costs a little more but can handle more electrical current, making it safer and more energy-efficient.

If you are renovating a very old home and the wiring has cloth insulation or if the insulation is brittle and cracked, you will need to completely replace it with new copper wiring. This requires removing wall covering material down to the studs. It’s a big job. You should get estimates from a reputable electrical contractor. Most older homes have a very limited number of outlets in each room. Be sure to take the time to plan for any new outlets you will want with their corresponding wiring at this time. Once the wiring is in place you can complete the rebuild yourself if you feel you have the required skills.

Replacing Components

If you are satisfied with the size of the system, the number of outlets, switches and circuits, (make sure you are happy with the 240 volt outlet number and locations, if any) then you won’t have to add any new circuits to the electrical system. You will just need to update and replace components of the system. Turn off the main breaker switch before doing any inspections of your electrical system. Pull the cover plates on your outlet boxes and switches and inspect the box itself. If it is intact and adequately secured to the wall and ceiling studs they will most likely not have to be replaced. Note that if you plan on adding ceiling fans to rooms you will probably need to either add bracing to that outlet box or replace it with one that is designed to accept a fan.

If your outlets are the old two prong style you will need to replace them with the grounded three prong type. It is a good idea to replace all the outlets and switches in the house. Most municipal codes will require you to use a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) type outlet in the bathroom, kitchen and any other wet areas that are in close proximity to water.

There are a lot of things a homeowner can do to determine just how big a project her or his electrical rework will be. Determining the size of the system you have and the condition of your wiring and other components and developing a plan for any new outlets and circuits you many require will go a long way in planning your budget for a home electrical system update. Do you have a problem with your electrical outlet, get in touch with your handyman electrician.

If you are fortunate enough to live in the Central Texas area you can get all your electrical questions answered at Olympus Constructions Services [http://www.austintxroofers.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ted_Price/574490

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