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What Are The Best Electric Radiators?

Being afforded options in life is what we all seek. However, when the options are obviously too much, it can have a negative impact - exactly the case with electric radiators. With so many electric radiators in the market today, identifying the best and most suitable one for your home can be less helpful and extremely confusing, and even more so when you don’t know what you want. In a world filled with a huge selection of electric radiators, some designed for general heating while others are designed for more specific purposes, where would you get started? Here we’ve put together some of best electric radiators which you can put into consideration when making a decision. Let’s have a look!

• The Rointe D Series

The D series is one of the most popular electric radiators you’ll in the market today and deservedly so.with an advanced controllability via the Rointe Connect App and TFT control panel, these series have been rightly marked out as the most sophisticated electric radiator till date. What’s more? It’s suitable for both small, medium and large rooms, as it heats from 3m2 to about 16m2. The installation and programming of the Rointe D Series is very easy as it also enables a full access to every functions included as well as consumption costs.

• The Dimplex Q-Rad

As a high end heater, the Dimplex Q-Rad is one of the most popular brands. It is designed for a large room as it can heat up an area of about 20m2. The electric radiator features simple controls, sleek and good looks and works automatically all day.

• The Haverland RCTTi

This is conveniently one of the most efficient and reliable electric radiators you’ll find around. It stands out with the possession of its Dry Stone technology which works to ensure the room is kept at the right temperature.

• The Stiebel Eltron CND

Featuring a combined radiant and convection heating, this dual heat source is a very good option for homeowners with a tight budget. It works excellently to store heat which it later releases. The electric radiator also sense when the windows are open and react intelligently to the environment.

How Many Solar Panels And Batteries To Power A House?

Do you wish to know the number of solar panels and batteries sufficient for a house? Well, this is a frequently asked question in the solar world which would be very difficult to provide an accurate answer. This is basically down to the fact that all homes are unique with different sizes as well as amount of daily energy requirements. As a result, the number of solar panels and batteries needed would be unique to the house in question. However, we’ll consider the varying influencing factors that will go a long way to help calculate the number of panels and batteries needed to power a house.

First and foremost, let’s take a look at the solar panels. You’d have to start here by putting into consideration all household appliances that makes use of power in the house to get a good idea of how many that’ll be needed.

• How Many Watts Is Being Used In The House On A Daily Basis?

To determine this, simply go through your utility bill for kilowatt-hours (kWh). This varies amongst homes and being able to identify your daily average energy usage will assist you in getting your solar needs.

• What Is The Number Of The Peak Sunlight Hours At The House’s Location?

Having in mind that the solar panels only work when under direct sunlight, the first step to determine the peak sunlight hours. Once determined, you can then multiply the figure in hours by the house’s hourly energy usage and divide by the solar panel’s wattage.

Overall for a 1500 square foot house, the number of solar panels that’ll be required should fall around 15 to 18.

Meanwhile for batteries, there are also some factors to be considered to determine the number of batteries that is required to power a house. These factors include the house’s power or electricity usage, the period of time in which the battery will be used as well as the battery’ specifications.

Unlike the photovoltaic (PV) power which works to turn a part of the electromagnetic radiation of the sun directly to electrons and electricity, a solar thermal can simply be referred to as the absorption of the sun’s heat for human use. As a result, the solar thermal has a wider range of uses than the PV does in several ways. This is due to the fact that the sun’s heat can be absorbed and transported via a medium and the stored energy incorporated for several great purposes such as to heat water, to heat and cool a home or living space, to prepare a meal as well as to generate electricity. All these functions are useful for both residential and commercial spaces.

There are generally three different ranges of solar thermal energy that are being used which includes the low temperature ( for heating, cooling as well as ventilation), the mid temperature ( used for preparing meals, heating hot water and the likes) as well as the high temperature ( used for generating electricity). To focus more on generating electricity, there are a wide array of ways through which the sun’s heat can be directed at creating electricity via a heat exchanger which operates to super heat water or inert gas to power an electricity- generating plant or to produce electricity via a Stirling engine.

In order to increase their output or make them more efficient, evacuated glass tubes are used to encircle the tubes which in turn helps them to collect more heat energy while also protecting them from re-radiating the heat energy absorbed. The trough are normal positioned north to south as well as to keep tabs on the travels of the sun throughout the day.

If you’re thinking about installing a solar system in your home or property, this is probably one of the things you’d like to know before making a purchase decision. Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’re going to give you a good insight into this to help you make the best informed decision possible moving forward. Let’s take a look!

First and foremost, it must be stated that providing a short and accurate answer to this question is nearly impossible as the amount of time a solar panel will last after dark is influenced by a number of factors. These factors include the size of your solar system, the battery size as well as your power usage. As you would have imagined, batteries are charged when there is excess energy that’s being produced by your solar system but it’s not being incorporated to power your home or property. More often than not, this occurs during the sunlight’s peak periods from about 10am to 2pm.

The time it’ll take for your battery to charge is influenced by the size of your solar system in Kilowatts, the size of your battery as well as the rate in which your system is being used. Your battery can be charged in a day or two, of course unless it’s an over-sized battery for your system.

When the sun sets and your solar panels can no longer directly run your appliances via electricity generation, the battery then kicks in. You will use about 1 to 2 kW’s of power if you’re watching TV, using the oven as well as lights internet etc. in other words, even a small solar panel battery will last all night. However, the same doesn’t apply if you’re having a party with running floodlights, three fridges and air conditioner as the battery will drain a lot faster.

For most homeowners, rewiring a house is always a sore subject they’d prefer to avoid especially when they think of the expenses they’d have to incur or the mess and complexity that the project involves. However, this is a subject we’d all have to face sooner or later as an old wiring poses a lot of drawbacks, while an improper wiring can also prove to be more expensive and even cause more damage as it can lead to not only electrical shorts but also electrical fires. When a wire triggers a spark or a current overload, this can cause fire and the entire house may be down in ashes within a couple of minutes. Hence, one of the several reasons why house rewiring is just too important to ignore.

In this FAQ, we’re going to take you through the house rewiring process so as to ensure that your project is done to perfection. However, if you do not feel confident enough to pull this off, we’d strongly recommend you get in touch with a reliable electrical professional who can guarantee that a safe and effective work is done.

• Firstly, you’d have to upgrade the main service panel to a minimum of 100 amps
• Fit dedicated circuits in the service panel for all the home’s major appliances.
• Allow for a space of about 6 to 8 feet between electrical outlets throughout the house in order to cut out the need to run extension cords which could be a fire hazard.
• Install only three-prong type to avoid electrical shocks when fitting new outlets.
• Using ground fault circuit interrupters, fit outlets in the bathrooms, kitchen as well as outdoors. These outlets will shut themselves out so as to prevent electrical shock when wet.

There are a few factors that will determine whether it’s worth getting a solar battery. They involve how much electricity you use, how often you’re at home and whether you receive any export payments.

To work out whether it’s worth getting a solar battery, you need to work out how much of the electricity you generate you’re using already. If you’re able to run all your appliances during the day while your solar panels generate electricity, then it sounds like you’re already using your electricity well. It might not be worth you getting a solar battery in this case.

However, if you’re not at home for a lot of the day, then you’ll be missing out on the electricity your panels are generating while the sun’s shining. If you install a solar battery system, you can store the electricity that your panels generate in the battery and use it when you get home. This will help you cut your electricity bills even further.

You’ll also need to consider whether you’re getting paid to export your electricity. If you’re on the Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs) or receive payments from the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you’ll get paid for every unit of electricity you export to the National Grid. Before you decide whether it’s worth getting a solar battery, you’ll need to weigh up whether you’d be better off carrying on exporting your unused electricity rather than storing it to use yourself. If you’re unsure, visit the Energy Saving Trust’s website or speak to an MCS-registered installer who will be able to help you work out which is more cost-effective.

How Much Does Pat Testing Cost?

When it comes to Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) there’s no particular rule that determines how much such services can cost. However as a rule of thumb, you should take note that when calling in a professional PAT testing company they’re likely to charge within the range of £1 to £3 per appliance that’s going to be tested. However, if you have quite a number of appliances to be tested, then there’s a good chance that the price per appliance can be reduced to serve as a bulk discount. So the more the appliances to be tested, the better.

There are companies that actually offer a pricing that’s below £1 per item, however companies likely are most definitely going to have a fixed minimum number of appliances that are required to be tested or a fixed minimum fee like 60 portable appliances. It must, however, be noted that pricing can also go beyond PAT Testing as several professional companies will add some additional advantages which is more than just the test of each individual appliance. This kind of pricing can include other services such as a thorough visual inspection, plug rewiring as well as fuse replacements. They can also include stuffs like Pail and Fail labels in the pricing.

Generally, the average price of PAT testing will be based on various influencing factors such as the type of the appliance, setting, number of appliance to be tested as well as other related expenses. What’s more? Most PAT companies will offer a company with a PAT Testing Certificate so as to certify that the company is in total compliance and also remains a safe environment to work.

The cost to charge an electric car in the UK varies between home, work and public charging.

For a typical electric car with a 60kWh battery and ~200 mile range:

• Charging at home: Costs about £9.20 for a full charge. *
• Charging at work: Many employers will install workplace charging points and typically offer free access throughout the day.
• Charging at public locations: Public chargepoints at supermarkets or car parks are often free to use for the duration of your stay.
• Rapid charging: Rapid charging points are normally found at motorway service stations and typically cost £6.50 for a 30 min, ~100 mile charge.

Charging an electric car at home costs about £9.20 for a full charge* and is the most convenient and cost-effective way to keep your car fully charged. Most drivers will charge their electric car overnight, waking up to a full battery every morning.

Average domestic electricity rate in the whole of the UK is about 17p per kWh.

Fully charging a 60kWh electric car will cost between £9.00 and £9.90 (depending on where you live) and give you about 200 miles of range.

* Costs calculated at 17p/kWh based on usable battery is ~54kWh (90%).