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If you’re about to acquire an electrical safety certificate, it’s quite normal to be a bit curious about the length of time the certificate is expected to last for. Well, this is also a bit tricky as the duration is determined by your type of property. In this post, we aim to shed more light into this topic in order to give you a detailed insight and help you make informed decisions moving forward.

As earlier stated, the validity of your electrical safety certificate or report is based on the type of property you own. In event whereby you happen to have tenants living in the property, the electrical safety certificate will last for 5 years or with every change of tenancy, depending on whichever comes first. However, in the event whereby you happen to live in your property, the electrical safety certificate is going to remain valid for 10 years. What’s more? For commercial properties, the electrical safety certificate is also valid for only 5 years. Meanwhile for caravans and swimming pools, the electrical safety certificate possesses a shorter lifespan of just 3 year and 1 year respectively.

The suggested length of validity is only the industry standard. And as such, landlords are not under any legal obligation to get their electrical safety certificate updated at the aforementioned times. According to the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1985, landlords are only required to keep the electrical wiring in proper condition at all times. It does not in any form require landlords to get an electrical safety report or certificate.

One of the primary reasons why you need to get an electrical certificate is that you may not be allowed to show legal proof that the wiring and electrical set up in your property was in the best possible condition in the event of an electrical accident. Several insurance companies will not accept your claims if you’re unable to present the electrical safety certificate.

Most people want to connect solar panels to a battery when they’re not at home all day to use the electricity they generate, or generate more than they consume over a day. Solar batteries are a great way to maximise the savings on your energy bills since you can use every unit of electricity you generate.

If you want to connect your solar panels to a battery, the best – and safest – way is to ask an MCS-registered company to do it for you. They’ve had lots of training and hold qualifications in handling electricity and installing solar batteries, so they will be able to recommend the best battery for your solar panels and for the among of electricity you use. Some of the brands they might recommend include Tesla, SolarEdge and SolaX, but there are many more to choose from. If you want to send electricity to the grid from your battery to receive Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) payments, it’s also worth leaving installation up to a registered installer. This is because you might not be eligible for payments if your battery wasn’t installed by an MCS-registered company.

However, if you do want to have a go at connecting your solar panels to a battery, it’s worth finding out whether your system is ‘storage ready’. Most relatively new systems will be, since batteries are becoming more commonplace. If your solar panels are storage ready, they will have an inverter that can easily have a battery added to it. If this is the case, then you should be able to buy the solar battery you want and follow the manufacturer's instructions to install it.

But it’s worth remembering that electricity is extremely dangerous when handled improperly. If you don’t get the solar battery connected properly and something goes wrong, it could cause a fire or you could electrocute yourself. If a fire breaks out due to your battery, it’s unlikely that your home insurance company would pay out since you connected the battery yourself. That’s why it’s always worth speaking to a registered installer to install a solar battery storage system for you.

If you’re a home or property owner planning to get an electric vehicle, having a Level 2 charger installed in your garage or near your driveway can go a long way to make charging really convenient for you. So if at all you want to take on this task by yourself, you should ensure to do it the right way. If you lack the confidence or skills required to pull this off, then we’d strongly recommend you hire the services of a professional who can guarantee the best results the first time. In this post, we’re going to provide you with an good insight on the home electric charger installation process. Let’s take a look!

• Determine the eligibility of your home. Make sure your home is eligible for a charger installation by consulting with your Technical Safety BC.
• Confirm you have sufficient electricity supply. Is there enough electricity distributed to your home to support an ev charger?
• Confirm that your electrical panel has enough space to accommodate a circuit breaker for the electric vehicle charger. If not, you’ll need to hire the services of an electrician.
• Get an electrical permit. Apply for an electrical permit with your municipality or Technical Safety BC.
• Charger installation. Proceed to fit the ev charger, but make sure a safety officer is on hand to examine your electrical work before you conceal any wiring or attach to a supply source. Then your electrician will have to complete the contractor consultancy form once the installation is done.
• Inspection. The inspection should be inspected by your municipality or Technical Safety BC.
• Apply for a rebate.

• The power of your solar panel system – there's no point buying a higher capacity battery if your system will never generate enough electricity to charge it
• How often you think you will need to charge your battery
• Your budget
• Whether you care about having the latest technology and a recognisable brand name

What Size Of Electric Boiler Do I Need?

If you’re thinking about installing central heating in your home or property, you’ll be shocked by the plethora of options that’s currently available in the market as regards the boiler type that can be installed. Being a very good alternative to gas boilers or an oil or LPG boiler, electric boilers are here to stay. They usually feature different power outputs which tends to lead to one of the most frequently asked questions about electric heaters - what size of electric boiler do I need? Here, we’ll give you a good insight into sizes of electric boilers available to help you make the right decision.

The importance of getting the perfect size of electric boiler for your home can not be over-emphasized. If your electric boiler size is too small, it won’t be able to provide the level of heat and hot water required. And on the other hand, if it’s too big, it’ll definitely consume more electricity which would be a total waste of money.

To determine the correct size, if you have a wet central heating or water radiators in your home, you’ll need to calculate the boiler’s capacity required to operate them and allow 1.5kw per radiator. To be more accurate, it’s advisable to talk to a professional installer to avoid making a costly mistake. Every professional installer should have an idea of the appropriate size of electric boiler that’ll be needed given your special requirements and home size.

Generally, with a 12k kilowatt boiler, you should be able to operate up to 7 to 8 radiators which is good for smaller properties. For apartments and flats, getting a smaller electric boiler would be the best option.

Smart EV charger is basically a set of functionalities in EVBox charging stations which allows the owner of the station to run several charging stations in a manner that’s cost effective and energy efficient. The word “smart, technologically speaking can mean a number of things, but generally it simply implies automation or your device’s ability to connect to other devices. Talking of smart ev chargers, this enables your charger to communicate with your car, the electric grid, as well as the ev charging infrastructure or other chargers. In other words, this means that any time you plug in your car to charge, the charger is able to transmit data to the charging operator. This operator can then make use of this data to identify the best time for you car to be charged and as a result, puts much less pressure on the grid and could also turn to be very cost effective in the long run.

Here are some of the primary benefits of smart ev charging

• They’re a lot quicker than three-pin plug. This is perhaps the most obvious benefit you can get from a smart ev charger. Overall, the charging time is much shorter due to fact that it possesses up to 3 times the power of a three pin plug.
• Schedule the charging to suit your lifestyle. If your ev home charger is connected to the internet, there are additional benefits you can derive from it. These includes being able to sync it with your calender. Once you add your schedule to the smart charger app, your ev will be well charged and ready to go any time it’s needed.

There are a range of variables that will determine which heating system is best for your home, such as the level of insulation and size of rooms. However, electric heating is suitable for many homes. Electric boilers are very compact and do not need a flue. Underfloor heating is effective at heating rooms of any size.