Earn and Save Money with Solar Panels

Here at Red Elec we are not just your local electricians, we can also advise and help you to save money with your electricity bill, in this article we will be talking about how you can save and even earn money, just by having solar panels fitted onto your roof.

HOW WILL I EARN MONEY?

You’ll be paid a minimum sum for all electricity generated by your system, known as the Feed-In Tariff (Fit). You’ll get approx 14.9p per kilowatt hour (kwh) for each unit of electricity you create.

You get 4.6p for every unit sold back to the Grid. Together, these payments boost your savings because your on-site electricity reduces the bill from your normal supplier.

WHAT SAVINGS ARE THERE?

• About £800 a year, typically. For example, a family of four in a three-bed property who buy a 4kWh solar panel system will earn about £560 a year from their supplier just for generating the solar electricity.
• On top of this, they will then make £90 from selling power back to the National Grid via their energy supplier.
• And finally, they’ll typically knock £150 from their electricity bill by using their own power instead of buying it all from their supplier.
• This works out as approximately £800 of savings in total.

At these rates, you need to be prepared to stay in your current property for a minimum of eight years to make it worthwhile. The key to making big savings is to use as many of your appliances as possible in the daytime when you are generating your own power.

Your installer should show you how everything works and you must register the Feed-In Tariff.

A new meter then shows you how much energy is being generated — and how much you are exporting. If you would like to know more on how you can save money on your next electricity bill, or you would just like to know about the other services that we currently offer, then please don’t hesitate to get into contact with us and a member of our friendly team will be in touch with you shortly.

How to change a wall socket in the safest way possible

You don’t need to be a qualified electrician to replace a socket. You can do this sort of minor electrical work without notifying your Local Authority Building Control Department, but the work must be done in accordance with the standards in the relevant Building and Electrical Regulations and you should consider having the work checked by a competent electrician to make sure it is safe.

An Electrical socket may be broken or become damaged if it overheats and scorches. If the problem is scorching it will usually have been caused by a loose connection in the socket or by loose connections in the plug. Don’t plug it back in without dealing with the problem, or it will just happen all over again.

1. Firstly you should isolate the circuit (turn the power off for that plug socket) use a socket tester to double-check that it is actually dead. Unscrew the socket faceplate from the wall, keep the screws in case the new ones don’t fit.
2. Loosen the terminal screws and free the cable cores. If the insulation is heat damaged, cut back the cores and strip the ends. Run green/yellow sleeving over the earth core if you find it bare.
3. Connect the (old) red or (new) brown core or cores to the live terminal of the new faceplate, the (old) black or (new) blue core or cores to the neutral terminal and the earth core or cores to the earth terminal. Tighten the terminal screws fully. Fit the new faceplate. If the new screws don’t fit the lugs of the old box, use the original screws. When power is returned to the circuit, use the socket tester to check it is wired correctly.

If you do however change your own plug sockets, make sure you get somebody around who knows what they’re doing to make sure the plug sockets are safe to use. This could be a family friend, electrician or just someone you know.  Although if you have a busy schedule and you cannot do this yourself, for whatever reason. Then don’t hesitate to get into contact with us here

Bad Electrical DIY Resources

The threat of unregistered electricians and dangerous DIY electrical works being carried out in unsuspecting households is showing no sign of abating just yet. From the expert on line forum user suddenly being able to install garden lighting to the genuine mix up when changing light fittings, householders are often hesitant to pick up the phone to speak to a qualified and registered electrician until disaster occurs or serious damage has occurred.

Electricians up and down the country will be familiar with the call that starts with “my lights don’t work”…..the familiar mantra that will take to a property and see all manner of attempts to carry out a straight forward electrical job – from the ‘chock block’ to over heating cables to well who knows……

But who is really to blame?

Of course it is very easy to point our fingers and curse the householder silently for their esteemed stupidity, however with the plethora of resources available to enable a householder to carry out electrical work, can we really blame them for having a try?

Such resources can be found very routinely at your local library. Very amazing are these books that step by step instructions are given for major electrical projects such as installing an electric shower, outdoor floodlights and taking power to an outside workshop or garage!

These by far not the only readily available resources give out a confusing message to the public who are already confused by when or when not to call an electrician. Such publications are actively encouraging DIY electrical work that could endanger or cause serious electrical injury.

So with householders scrambling for the latest electrical DIY manual or on line forums containing all the advice you need for confident electrical DIY where does this leave the electrician?

Busier than ever!

If there is any good news to be had, it is the fact that electricians are being kept busy remedying and repairing DIY electrical work. A third of UK electricians have seen or repaired DIY electrical work that resulted in electrical fire, injury or which would cost a considerable sum of money to repair.

However with many householders switched off to the idea or unaware of safety and certification, how can they be persuaded to use the services of a qualified and registered electrician?

One of the up and coming major contributors is home insurance. Increasing numbers of insurance companies are invalidating cover for electrical work carried out in kitchens and bathrooms and if there is one thing your customer will be wanting to avoid is an invalid home insurance policy.

In addition, selling the property may become more difficult and the sale value may well be affected. Clever surveying methods now detect when electrical work was carried out so without an Electrical Installation Condition Report or Part P certificate, how will the buyer know if the work is safe? The costs of finding this out will be expensive and any works needed will come at a cost of course. This will of course could be reflected in the offer price. So that DIY work to save a few quid may come back to bite in years to come.

If you don’t know don’t DIY

DIY books, and on line instructions are never going to go away but don’t allow such information to tantalise you into a potentially dangerous (and costly) position.

It is far safer to call in an expert professional electrician who will ensure that the job is done as quickly as possible, safely and at reasonable cost. The cost will be far cheaper than having to have the work re done at a later date if your DIY attempt goes wrong.

If you enjoyed this post about “Bad Electrical DIY Resources” then please keep checking this spot as it’s regularly updated with informative and interesting articles, some of these can contain tips, hints or just friendly advice from your #1 local electricians! If you’d like to know more about the services that we provide, or you’d just like some free quotes etc. then please don’t hesitate to get into contact with us and a member of our friendly team will be in touch with you as soon as possible!

Electricians St Helens – Reviews from our Customers

If your searching for recommended Electricians St Helens, you’re in the right place. At Red Elec we believe our customers are the best people to tell you how good we are. So we decided to ask our customers in St Helens to review our electrical skills… Here’s what they said.

James Hardman, Haydock, St Helens,

We needed our property re-wired and we had no idea where to go for it to be done correctly. Luckily somebody we know told us about Red Elec and how they do a great job at re-wiring homes, as they had it done too not too long ago. We gave Red Elec a call and they booked us in for the very next day (we didn’t have to wait weeks upon weeks like other electricians), they were very friendly and helpful each step of the way, they even advised us to not use as many extension leads as we were using because it was a fire hazard. It didn’t take them long to finish re-wiring the house and making sure everything was working well and working safely. There was no hassle and no mess afterwards, they are a great, friendly and reliable service and I would recommend them to anyone looking to have their home re-wired.

Mrs Hopkins, Thatto Heath, St Helens

Our fuse box decided to conk out the other night, we were without electricity through out the night, luckily it was around 11pm – 12pm that it happened, so we just slept it off. Although in the morning we searched on Google for electricians in our area and we found Red Elec (after looking through dozens of other companies), when we rang them they told us that we should’ve rang them last night and they would’ve came around and done it for us before we went to bed, but we never knew that at the time. They arrived within the hour and replaced our main fuse box in our house, which took them under an hour to do so. The team were very friendly and appreciated my constant asking of if they wanted a brew. I was quite sad to see them leave, due to them being so nice and helpful. They also showed my son a quick fuse lesson so he even knows what to do when a fuse breaks (our kettle always does it for some reason). I would recommend these guys to any of my friends or relatives, they are really helpful and know what they’re doing.

Jane Jensen, Sutton Manor, St Helens

We needed some outdoor lighting fitted due to a break in, in our garden a week ago. Up until then we were sleeping with the windows wide open, just to make sure that we could hear if anything was going on in our back garden. A relative told us about Red Elec and how they fit outdoor lighting, myself and my partner agreed to give them a call. They arrived the same day as they took it as an emergency, within an hour we had working outdoor lights and they will hopefully scare of any unwanted guests during the night. The team who came out where very friendly and supportive and they knew what they were doing and where the best place to set up the lights were. Myself and my partner would recommend Red Elec to anyone who is having issues with garden break-ins.

Electricians Liverpool – Reviews from our Customers

If your searching for recommended Electricians Liverpool, you’re in the right place. At Red Elec we believe our customers are the best people to tell you how good we are. So we decided to ask our customers in Liverpool to review our electrical skills… Here’s what they said.

Ellen Graham, Huyton, Liverpool:

I recently moved into a new property (I say that, but the house is ancient!), hardly any of the sockets worked and I’m pretty sure only half of the house had working electronics. I gave Red Elec a call after finding them online and within the day they came round to evaluate just how they would fight my problem. It turned out I needed my house completely re-wiring to get it fully working, after a couple of days of them being in the house, the job was done! I was sad to see them leave, they were around so much that I started to think they were living with me! One of the best electricians I have ever encountered 5/5 would recommend to anybody having problems with their electrics.

Mrs Smith, Liverpool:

We needed some outdoor lighting fitted into our back garden, due to a break in that happened the other day, I was given Red Elec’s number from one of my friends and within an hour of me hanging up the phone somebody came round and then after an hour they left. But what they left me with was fantastic! I now have fully working automated lights in my back garden, alerting me to anybody who’s trying to be sneaky and trespass. Thanks guys! 10/10

Mr Jensen, Anfield, Liverpool:

I needed some automated out door lights on the side of my house, for when I’m parking my car up the driveway in the dark. I never bothered getting them before because it’s been fairly light outside, but with winter here now I thought that it’s something that I need. I was given Red Elec’s number from my daughter and I gave them a call. That same day they came around and left again. But leaving me with a new light at the side of my house that lights up my way when I’m coming home from work, it’s great! It means I’ll never end up crashing into my house! These guys are brilliant and I’d recommend them to anybody.

Electricians Runcorn – Reviews from our Customers

If you’re searching for recommended Electricians Runcorn, you’re in the right place. At Red Elec we believe our customers are the best people to tell you how good we are. So we decided to ask our customers in Runcorn to review our electrical skills… Here’s what they said.

Phil Burrows, Runcorn

We needed some outdoor lighting to be fitted to the front, side and back of our house. This is because dark nights are coming early and getting my car up the driveway in the pitch black is quite hard, even with the headlights on full. The lights are just there to pick up my car when it moves into the driveway so they can light-up the way into my garage (at the back of our back garden). Because it’s only my wife who is in the house during the day and she doesn’t have any electrical knowledge, I had to look for an electrician. A friend who I work with told me about Red Elec (as they had done something previously for him) so I gave them a call whilst I was in work and I let the wife know. They came around and sorted it pretty quickly and by the time I was home I had working side lights on my home. Not only will the let me see where I’m going, but they’ll scare off any kids trying to see what they can get from my shed. Thanks Red Elec, I would recommend you to anyone who is looking to have outdoor lighting fitted on their home.

Kristian Smith, Runcorn

My business had a break in the other night and they took very important things for my company, desktops, a laptop and trophies. I was very angry and upset about this as my business is quite a small one and something like this could set me back a fair bit. I got into touch with Red Elec after my mate told me about them. They came round and did a security review of the place and told me that I should have CCTV set up on the perimeters of the building and motion detectors and alarms fitted on the inside along with a very tough door to get through the leads to the main office room (where I keep my important stuff and valuables). They fitted all the necessary equipment and it didn’t cost much at all, they were done within an hour or two and now I have an impenetrable fortress as an office! I would recommend these guys to anyone!

Tommy Vinten, Runcorn

Our home needed re-wiring because, we lived in the home for over 30 years and we never once had it done. I heard it is unsafe to keep the same electrical wiring in your home for very long periods of time (10-15 years+) so I obviously had to find an electrician. I found Red Elec through Google and contacted them, they came out the very next day (upon my request as they were going to come out that very day, but I was busy) and they started cracking on with it, the team were very nice, respectful and knew what they were doing, within a day or two my house was completely re-wired and they even cleaned up after themselves when they were done! 5/5 would recommend to any friend, relative and even neighbours.

Garden Security

With summer coming to an end, darker nights are finally upon us, with the day starting to go darker earlier each day, every year burglaries rise around this time of the year and in particular sheds and garages are more likely to be at risk. This is probably due to the fact that intruders don’t have to enter your home to get what they’re after as a lot of families store bikes, power tools and other things that may or may not be that expensive, but still intruders target these things. Just last week my next door neighbour’s sheds were broken into and it wasn’t even during the night when it happened, it was between 9am and 11am, which means that your outdoor buildings are at risk at all hours.

Easy ways to prevent intruders gaining access to your back garden and to increase garden security are:

• Keep everything locked up, although if the intruder is determined this won’t really stop them from getting to what they’re after, but it will allow your insurance to cover the damages and the costs of anything that is stolen.
• Make the garden harder to gain access to, this can be done just by simply putting up a large side gate that can’t be climbed over, painting anti-vandle paint above fence panels and some people even put nails in the top of gates and fence panels to stop anyone from climbing on them.
• Fit a spot light to the back of your home (Outdoor Lighting), these will light up whenever they detect movement, so if you’re in the house and you notice the light comes on there may either be an intruder in your garden, or it could just be the neighbour’s cat.
• Fit CCTV to the back of your home, this will catch any intruder in your home and the recording can be given to the police, you could always use “dummy CCTV cameras” these are fake cameras that look real, they are mostly used as a deterrent to intruders.
• Try to not store valuables or things that are hard to come by in sheds/garages as these are the objects that are more than likely stolen during a break in.

If you’d like for Red Elec come round to your home for a security check, just to make sure you’re doing everything you possibly can to make sure nobody can break in then get into contact with us as soon as you can. Or if you’d just like more information on what we do, or even a free quote then again don’t hesitate to contact us and one of our team members will be in touch with you shortly.

Electrical Fires

More often than not, electricity is overlooked as fire hazard. This could be because there is no flame with electricity but a lot of people forget about the fact that it can be so dangerous. However, more than 28,000 fires in the home are reported each year with the fault being down to electrical faults, accidents or misuse of electrical equipment.

There are some particular danger signs that you can look out for on any electrical item in your home and these include:

• Hot plugs and sockets
• Fuses that blow frequently
• Flickering lights
• Scorch marks on plugs or the socket
• Badly wired plugs
• Frayed power leads
• Repaired power leads
• Overloaded sockets
• Badly positioned cables
• Water near electrical items

There are some very simple ways to avoid any of these being the reason for any possible electrical fire in your home. Regular maintenance on your electrical appliance, especially ones that are used on a daily basis or contain a motor and run at high speeds should be checked with the latter being serviced at least once a year by an electrician. You should check before using a plug that it is wired correctly. The outer covering of the power cable itself should go inside the plug and there should be no breaks or wires sticking out as this can not only cause electric shocks but in the worst case scenario can cause fire. You should always use plug sockets safely and should never allow the total current used by any appliances plugged into an adaptor to add up to over 13 amps altogether. Finally and most simply is to turn off and unplug your device after using it, it may sound stupid, but many house fires have been caused by something as trivial as accidentally leaving a hair straightener plugged in and turned on.

If you fear that you may be at risk of electrical fire from any of the bullet points seen above, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and one of our qualified electricians will be more than happy to help with your problem.

Outdoor Home Security

When it comes to your outdoor home security, everyone wants to feel safe and secure. Most of the time, it’s the locks on your doors and windows that make you feel secure however in many cases in our modern society, more and more people are turning to electrical security systems to keep their home secure. This can range from motion detecting light sensors which set off a bright light in your driveway to electrically powered gates to enter your driveway in the first place and here at Red Elec, we can help wire in and fix your every electrical security need.

The most common types of electrical home security are burglar and fire alarms which help keep you and your family safe from disaster when it can inevitably strike at any moment, CCTV cameras both indoor and outdoor so you can monitor if there is any suspicious activity around your property and access control in the forms of motorised gates, door intercoms or even a simple key card swiping system. These types of electrical security systems can keep your home infinitely more secure than just simply locking your windows and doors so if you do feel unsafe, don’t hesitate about having something installed.

As well as this, we also offer outdoor lighting. Whether you want the outdoor lighting for security purposes with a motion activated light sensor or whether it’s just for display such as LED bulbs wired into your patio, here at Red Elec we can help with your every need. Please feel free to contact us for any of your electrical problems be it security, lighting or any of the other electrical services we offer and we will be able to fix your problem for you!

Energy Saving Light bulbs FAQ

What’s happened to traditional light bulbs?

Old-fashioned incandescent bulbs have been phased out across most parts of Europe. Most mainstream shops have already phased out all incandescent bulbs and this means the last of the old-fashioned bulbs in corner shops and specialists will soon be gone too.

What are the different types of light bulbs that I can buy?

There are three types of energy-saving light bulb currently on the market and these are:

• Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs)
• Halogens
• Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

Will using energy-saving light bulbs save me money?

Replacing just one 60W incandescent with a CFL bulb (the most common style of energy-saving light bulb) can reduce your electricity bill by around £7 a year, so replacing ten light bulbs with energy-savers could save you £70 a year. LED bulbs are even more efficient than CFLs and save almost £7.50 per bulb per year. LEDs usually cost more to buy initially but have incredibly long life expectancies so you may not need to replace them for up to 30 years! Halogen bulbs are the least efficient so you’re unlikely to notice any reduction in your energy bill.

Which bulbs are most similar to an old-fashioned 60W incandescent?

A 60W incandescent typically emits 700-900 lumens so you’ll need to look for one with a similar brightness. In addition to the brightness, incandescent light has a ‘warm’ yellowish glow, so if you want to match this you’ll need to consider the colour temperature. This is given in kelvin (K) and should be listed on the packaging. Incandescent light has a colour temperature of around 2700K so a similar value should give a similar coloured light, which is sometimes labelled as ‘warm white’ on the box.

Why are some energy-saving light bulbs more expensive than they used to be?

Until 2010, energy companies subsidised and even gave away CFL-type light bulbs to UK homes. But following concerns that consumers were not using the bulbs given to them, these direct promotions were banned and that has meant that the price of CFL bulbs has increased in the past few years.

Are all energy-saving bulbs slow to get bright when you first switch them on?

LEDs and halogens come on instantly but some CFLs still take a few minutes to reach full brightness. At Which? we check the light output of the bulbs we rate when they are first turned on, and also at intervals to ensure the measured light output meets what’s promised on the packaging. The results of our independent testing show which bulbs give out a good level of light at start-up and those that don’t.

Can I use energy-saving bulbs with dimmers?

A bulb’s suitability for use with dimmers should be written on the packaging, so check the box to find out whether the bulb is dimmable before you buy. However some dimmer switches may not be compatible with newer types of bulbs. In general:

• CFLs and halogen bulbs – most modern dimmer switches should work with these bulbs although some older ones may not be compatible.
• LEDs – you may need to upgrade your dimmer switch to cope with low electrical loads. If in doubt ask us to check for you!

Can I find bulbs for chandelier-style light fittings?

Manufacturers now produce energy-saving light bulbs in many more shapes and sizes than they used to – for example candle and smaller globe-shaped bulbs.

If a light bulb fails can I get a refund?

Warranties on LED bulbs typically last between two and four years, so if the bulb fails within this time you should be able to get your money back. Check the box for details, and contact the place of purchase or the manufacturer’s customer service department.

Since I started using LED lights, my digital radio is playing up. Can LED bulbs affect digital radios?

Yes, we have found that some (but not all) LED bulbs can affect digital radios. Our snapshot tests found that some LEDs caused a fuzzy reception, and even a complete loss of signal when placed within a few centimetres of the radio.

How can I dispose of used energy-saving light bulbs?

LEDs and halogens can be disposed of in your normal household waste, but as CFLs contain tiny amounts of mercury these need to be recycled rather than being thrown in the bin. You can find your nearest local recycling site by entering your postcode on the Recolight website. As well as your local council tip, Homebase, Ikea, Robert Dyas and some branches of Sainsbury’s often have recycling points.

If you enjoyed this informative FAQ on “Energy Saving Light bulbs FAQ” then please keep checking this blog as new articles will be updated quite regularly, from articles on what to do if… through to helpful articles that can inform you on how to do something in the best way possible. If you have questions, or you’d like to know what we can do for you, then please don’t hesitate to get into contact with us and a member of our friendly team will be in touch with you shortly.