Looking at an electrical plan, or reading an electrical specification, and wondering what all the abbreviations are?
Well here are some of the more common ones you may encounter, many with links to other posts:
3ph – Three Phase Power AC – Alternating Current ACU – Air Conditioning Unit CB – Circuit Breaker DC– Direct Current DH – Ducted Heating Unit DIM – Dimmer DGPO – Double General Power Outlet ECU – Evaporative Cooling Unit ELCB – Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker GPO – General Power Outlet IP – Ingess Protection. Range from a basic IP 30 (standard outlet) to IP67 (fittings to withstand total immersion in water) JB – Junction Box LV – Low Voltage LED – Light Emitting Diode HW– Hot Water Unit M – Meter MSB – Main Switchboard RA -Return Air (from Ducted Heating/Air Conditioning) RCD – Residual Current Device RF – Roof Access SB – Switchboard S – Sensor SEN – Sensor WP – Weather Proof
If you have bought an outside electrical switch, light, power point, or child proof power point, you may have seen it described with an IP rating. . . . but what does the IP numbers mean?
Understanding The Numbers
Well the IP rating (Ingress Protection Rating or International Protection Rating,) consists of two digits. These are defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission(IEC) Standard 60529.
The first digit is the degree of protection against the intrusion of a solid object (fingers, needle, screwdriver, or dust)
The second digit is the degree of protection against water.
Common Protection Levels
The following are the more common IP ratings encountered.
Penetration by Solid Objects
IP 3# – An access probe of 2.5mm diameter shall not penetrate.
IP4# – An access probe of 1.0mm diameter shall not penetrate.
IP5# – Limited ingress of dust permitted (no harmful deposit)
IP6# – Totally protected against the ingress of dust
Penetration By Water
IP#0 – No protection against water damage.
IP#1 – Protection against vertical falling water
IP#2 – Protected against sprays to 15°
IP#3 – Protected against sprays to 60°
IP#4 – Protected against water splashed from all directions.
IP#5 – Protected against jets of water.
IP#6 – Protected against strong jets of water.
IP#7 – Protected against the effects of temporary immersion in water to depth of up to 1m.
IP#8 – Protected against prolonged immersion in water
Although fittings with high IP Ratings are expensive remember they are keeping you safe!
Most builders standard electrical fit out is fairly pathetic.
A single batten light fitting and a couple of double power points in each room!
I have even seen single power points!
Typical Builders Prices For Electrical Upgrades
Downlights – $130-160
Pendant Lights – $180-$300
Ceiling Fans – $300-$600
Bathroom 3 in 1 fan/light/heat (non ducted) – $350+
Double Power Points – $70 – $80*
Outdoor Double Weatherproof Power Point – $130 – $150*
Outdoor Light- $100-$200
*Generally the difference in price between a single and a double is minimal so always get at least doubles.
Other Options
Doing A Deal With The Electrician
In the past, with a small builder, I have been able to deal directly with the electrician but that is very rare.
Most of the Bigger Builders see electrical upgrades as the ‘Cream’ on the contract and won’t allow any side deals.
After Handover
You can get separate prices for the additional fittings after handover.
The problem then is that running cables behind plasterboard isn’t quick, or cheap, so the savings may not be there. (It may even be more expensive)
Hints To Save Money
If cost is an issue here are some hints:
Down Lights can give an impressive effect but they are the most expensive way to light a room! (Also see this link to Why I don’t like Down Lights) Unless You are training to appear on ‘THE BLOCK’ a simple Oyster fitting will be fine for most rooms and cost less than $20.
Put a double socket in the middle of where any bed head is going to be. . You can then run 2 power board giving your 4 sockets on either side of the bed.
Place sockets you want on internal walls rather than external walls. . . The cheapest way to add a 2nd socket, after handover, is back to back with an existing socket in the next room.
Externally flood lights are expensive, give a harsh light, and are too directional . . . A cheaper fitting with a low energy bulb can give a better result.
If the standard bathroom fit-out includes an extraction fan I wouldn’t bother with one of those 3 in 1 Units. (See this link for more information why not: 3 in 1)
When you are buying a light bulb you may have noticed the box says things like “Warm White” or “Daylight White” but what does it mean? . . . . . . and which should you buy?
Colour Temperature
Light colour is measured using the ‘Colour Temperature’ and is quoted in Kelvins (K).
A higher Kelvin temperature means the colour is cool. while lower K temperatures are warmer colours. (No wonder it can be confusing!)
For domestic lighting you should be looking for lights in the range from 2700K to 5000K.
Light Colour Options
Within the range 2700K to 5000K there are three options of colour temperature to choose from:
Warm White – 2700K to 3500K Has a slight yellowish tint which gives a relaxing and calming light. Good for bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms.
Natural White – 3500K to 4500K Closest to sunlight, which makes it good compromise for any location, but particularly; walk in robes, pantries, garages and other areas that don’t have a lot of natural light.
Daylight White Light – 5000K to 6000K A slight blueish tint provides a crisp and bright white light that helps you feel more alert. Good for the home office or workshop.
En Suite / Bathroom Light
I know there are a lot of ladies out there who want to be sure their appearance is just right. To help with this the light on the make up mirror should be appropriate for the lighting you will encounter over your day.
If you mainly work in an office or brightly lit factory Daylight White may be the best choice. . . . Otherwise Natural White is a good option.
Have you thought about where your meter box will go?
As you can see from this photo it is often one of the earliest things to be installed . . . . . Don’t like it in the location and its going to cost big dollars to change!
Because the Meter Box is normally at a height of around 1m above ground and fairly large its much more obvious than the water and gas meters.
The first Australian House I built and I completely forgot about the meter box until I saw it in place, in the middle of a blank wall facing the front of the property.
It ‘Stuck out like a Ruckman at a Jockey Convention’.
Some Thoughts On Location
Have a look where the box is on the Display House.
If you want it at the side of the house think about where your fences are going to be, you don’t want it behind a fence.
The box needs to be convenient to find if a Circuit Breaker trips at night.
If you are planning Solar Power the closer it is to the panels the better.
Although I am not a big worrier about Electromagnetic Radiation there are some people who recommend that you don’t have a meter box on the same wall as a bedhead.
Probably the best site is next to the front door if you can find a space.
Have too few circuits and you will get the circuit breakers in the Power Box tripping out all the time!
Minimum
The minimum number of electrical circuits for a new home would be 4/5, as follows;
Lights
General Power outlets (GPOs)
Hob and Oven
Air Conditioning
Hot Water Service (Only if Electric)
In my opinion this is only suitable for a Granny Flat, although I have heard of it suggested for larger properties.
Suggested Circuits
A good procedure is to have separate circuits for rooms that have heavy loads as well as separate circuits for major items.
This gives the following circuits for a 3/4bedroom house
GPOs Kitchen
GPOs Laundry
GPOs Living*
GPOs Bedrooms*
Lighting Living*
Lighting Bedrooms*
Hot Water Service**
Oven
HotPlates**
Centralised Air Conditioning
* Upstairs and downstairs for a 2 storey home
**Not required if Gas Appliances
3 Phase Power
If you want Reverse Cycle Air Conditioning for a large house or want Instantaneous Hot Water you will need 3 Phase Power. In this case it may be worth spreading the GPO and lighting circuits over the different phases.
Did you know there are two safety devices in your electricity cabinet to keep you safe?
Safety Switches
Safety switches were originally known as Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers (ELCB) but are now more commonly Residual Current Devices (RCD)
These super fast switches (less than 1/20th of a second) cuts the power off the instant a fault has been detected to protect you from serious electrocution.
RCDs generally control several individual circuits.
The RCD checks the incoming and outgoing current at your switch board. If the current isn’t balanced a person may be getting an electrical shock. The RCD’s are designed to disconnect quickly enough to minimise the risk of death’ or serious injury .
A RCD will always have test button’ like the units below, which should be regularly (monthly) pressed to check that it is working.
In a previous post on Lighting Levels I talked about using lumens to plan lighting. . . . . but which type of bulb should you use?
There are now 3 types of bulbs in common use
Halogen (A more efficient version of the old incandescent light bulbs)
Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL)
Light Emitting Diode (LED)
Light Output
Typical values of light output are:
Halogen – 15 Lumens/watt of power
CFL – 54 Lumens/watt of power
LED – 90 lumens/watt of power
Actual values will vary from manufacturer and also depending on the colour temperature of the light.
From the above figure it can be seen that a LED provides a significant power saving, even compared with a CFL.
Initial Cost
For an output of around 450 lumens enough for something like a desk lamp you can expect to pay:
Halogen – $3
CFL – $6
LED – $20
Bulb Life
Halogen – 2,500 hours
CFL – 10,000 hours
LED – 50,000 hours
The long life of LEDs meant that though the initial cost of $20 seems expensive over the life of the bulb you would have needed 5 CFL bulbs ($30) or 20 Halogen bulbs ($60)
Other Issues
CFL lamps do contain a small amount of the toxic element mercury, and do take several seconds to Warm up to full brightness.
Both halogen and CFL lamps tend to have limited durability if subject to vibration or rough handling.
A dimmable LED is around 40% more expensive than a basic LED.
Electricity demand has dropped so much that Australia currently has at least 3 major coal fired power stations more than it needs! (This year the surplus capacity at peak demand is estimated to be around 8,000 megawatts)
In early July this year there was actually zero demand for power station generation in Queensland, mainly due to an estimated power output of 600 megawatts from rooftop solar.
A report by the Australian Energy Market Operator have warned that the electricity generation market is close to breaking point.
Electricity demand, which has been dropping since 2009, will continue to drop for at least the next three years. The closure of major industries such as aluminium smelting and car manufacture is only likely to further decrease demand.
Why Aren’t Power Prices Dropping?
In most ‘Free’ markets when demand drops so do prices.
While demand has been over the past few years electricity prices have doubled . . . . and don’t think that’s mainly the Carbon Tax!
Over 51% of your bill is for Network costs (Federal Treasury Estimates)
When the Goverments’ privatised electricity they allowed the Power Companies to recoup their investment in network upgrades by increasing their charges.
The networks have spent over $45,000,000,000 in the last five years to meet an ‘Increasing Demand’ which we are all now paying for in our bills.
The ‘Joke’ in all this is by increasing their prices the electricity companies have made their ‘Main Competion’, Roof Top Solar, more attractive!
What Now
So after 5 years of getting everything wrong are the power companies interested in doing the right thing? . . . . Like investing in generating power from renewable resources that work when the sun isn’t shining?
No they are lobbying the government to wind back the renewable energy target!
It’s no wonder that some people with solar panels are talking about disconnecting from the grid!
