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  • Writer's pictureCarl


The 2022/23 summer is soon upon us and with the rising costs of living, your electricity bill certainly won't be spared. Here are some tips to have some spare cash in hand.


Handy hints and how to stay cool without burning your cash:


Tip 1:

Replace existing halogen down lights to LED down light kits. Not only does this save up to 75% of power but you get more light output for your dollar. On average a normal halogen globe will give you 500 lumens (light measurement). The new LED down lights can give you 850 lumens. If you are concerned with your house being too bright I highly recommend a dimmer. Gives a great ambiance to a movie room or dining setting. Many LED down light kits are now tri-colour which means they have three light warmth settings to choose from namely Warm, Neutral and Cool. So if you fancy a change in scene down the line you don’t need to fork out extra cash.


Tip 2:

Try and sacrifice a degree here and there when it comes to heating and cooling. If you have your AC set to a slightly warmer temperature it can save you dollars down the line. The same goes with the heating with a lower setting. If you find yourselfwearing shorts and Tees in the middle of winter then slap on a sweater and pants instead and lower that thermostat.


Tip 3:

Try and not leave lights on for the ghosts. If you are not in a room then switch the lights off. It sounds like old advice but anything that is not being used, turn it off!


Final tip:

Try and use less water when boiling the kettle as no need to be boling a Litre of water for a quick cuppa. The longer it takes to boil the smaller your savings. Remember, anything that heats is expensive to run.


Hopefully these cool tips will keep you from getting hot headed over rising power costs!

All of the unlikely events with an electrical issue, faulty appliance or tripping power tends to fall just before a long weekend. This struck again with a night call on the Friday that the customer had lost half of their power to the house. I tried to walk them through some easy electrician fault finding steps but to no avail. So Carling Electrical became their Somerton Park electrician this cold night on the cusp of a long weekend. I normally have some tricks that would lead me to the fault fast but these were coming up with nothing. Unfortunately it came down to splitting the cables throughout the house to track down this menacing fault.

The customer was telling me while working that they were happy that at least one 24 hours electrician answered their phone as many would have gone away for a quick holiday. I did not want to let them down and decided to get some extra info to find this fault fast. When you are fault finding it is a lot of detective work both physically and with some verbal investigation. I found out from the wife that about 2 weeks prior they had a leak repaired and fixed on the far wall but that should have nothing to do with it.



That was my next port of call and with that vital clue I found the issue. The power points on the wall had been getting damp from the initial leak upstairs and had rusted over the terminals. I dried out the cables and made it so no moisture can return. The power points needed replacing but at least I was able to restore the power to the house. So this electrician job was a success and next time instead of them looking for any cheap electrician or southern suburbs electrician, they assured me they will call Carling Electrical.

Recently I had a job where the customer had been a Christie Downs electrician though no one could come out to them. They asked their friend and were referred to Carling Electrical which resulted in us coming down in their hour of need. The issue was no hot water was present at all. Upon asking questions they told me the electric hot water system was recently replaced two days prior. This was puzzling as the tradesman had not checked the operation when finishing and told the customers to consult an Adelaide electrician for further investigation. The issue was found promptly which was a tripped circuit breaker in the main switchboard located at the front of the units. An easy remedy but I felt sorry for the customers who had been taking freezing showers for days.


I informed the customers that if they ever need another electrician job or a 24 hour electrician that will respond, they can call Carling Electrical. The customers were very happy and looking forward to a hot shower. We do take the simple things in life for granted and it is only when they are taken away we realize our true dependence on them. Hopefully if they are in a tight spot again, instead of searching electrician Christie Downs they will call Carling Electrical for a free electrician quote.

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