Sustainability
Curb Your Power
We are currently customers of Powershop, and have decided to get involved with an interesting program they are running. The idea is that they will tell us by SMS when they are expecting very high demand. If we can reduce…
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The Value of West Facing Solar Panels
Its almost 2 years since I installed a solar power system on my current house. The installation is 8 x 250 watt panels facing North and these 5 x 250 watt panels facing West. Over the time they have been…
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Time To Rethink Sensor Switches?
Sensor switches used to be thought of as a big power saving measure but these days I’m less sure. 30 years ago when light bulbs were typically 100watts and had short lives a sensor like this could save some serious…
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Are You Going To Have A Washing Line
When I was growing up all the washing lines looked like this. . . . long straight nylon ropes. Since then things have changed backyards have got smaller and some people don’t even have washing lines, everything goes in the…
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Base Plan has 6 Star Energy Rating
But What Does it Mean? If you think it means is that your house will have a 6 Star Energy Rating you could be wrong! You could be up for thousands of dollars of upgrades to meet the required standards….
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Will Your New House Be Electric Car Ready?
Currently in Australia, there are just over 4000 electric cars on the roads. They currently make up 0.1% of new car sales. Having recently visited China I think that those numbers are going to change as I was amazed at…
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Busting some Myths about Solar
I have been hearing a few discussions about Solar power where people are repeating myths. . . . . So here are four commonly heard myths and the truth. MYTH You must have a battery with a solar system TRUTH…
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Will Your Roof Take Solar Panels?
Plenty of people are thinking about solar panels as they can save a lot of money. But is your roof strong enough? In the old days a house roof had a good factor of safety so they could take the…
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Don’t Get Fooled by the Inverter Rating
I have seen quite a few solar power advertisements that try to fool you! They say something like: 5kw Inverter 16 x 260 watt Panels Free Installation You might think you are getting a 5kW System The Truth What…
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Solar For Free?
But Is It Worth It? I recently came across a scheme by AGL called the ‘Solar Smart Plan’ The Plan You sign a 7 year contract. AGL install panels on your roof for free. You are able to buy…
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