Author: OP-Admin

Committing to renewable energy at home for most people just means installing solar panels. But renewable energy options now cover much more than just solar power. Renewable energy sources currently make up about 35.5% of the UK’s electricity supply, read on to find out how you could be part of the renewables revolution:

Air Source Heat Pumps

Air source heat pumps aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing items to have on the side of your house along with making space for a plant room inside your property. Gas boilers definitely win over for not needing such extensive space or the outdoor equipment but realistically time is now running out for gas boilers now the ban has been implemented on installing them in new build properties after 2025.

Air source heat pumps quite literally use air to create heating or hot water for both domestic properties. The size of the heat pump can vary depending on the heating demand of the property you are catering for. The efficiency of heat pumps all depend on the weather outdoors and often air source heat pumps work better at temperatures over 10 degrees. You might be thinking when is England over 10 degrees in winter? Don’t worry, air source heat pumps still work but their efficiency drops slightly, originally manufactured in cold countries like Sweden to cope with extremely cold climates.

The cost of air source heat pumps isn’t actually as bad as many people may think, they can start as low as £8,000- £10,000 for a domestic property depending on the size, insulation and heating demand.

Ground Source Heat Pumps

Surprisingly the ground generally maintains a heat of 10 degrees despite snow and cold conditions which allows ground source heat pumps to maintain their efficiency, unlike air source heat pumps which are dependant on what the weather is doing.

Ground source heat pumps are more suitable for properties that have a high demand for heating and hot water, they involve high installation costs due to the requirement of groundworks to put them in place and also need a large amount of land to be able to put in the framework.

The cost of ground source heat pump installations all depend on what you are going for, the bigger the heating demand the more evasive the works would be to install. As a general guide you would be looking at £20,000 plus.

Solar Panels

There are generally two types of solar panels used; Solar PV and Solar Thermal. On average 3.9% of all of the UK’s electricity is provided through solar panels.

Solar PV Panels rely on photovoltaic (PV) cells to turn the sunlight into electricity, the final product all homeowners need. The electricity produced powers anything running in your home at that time and sells the unused back to the electricity grid. It also means that if your electricity demand exceeds what your panels are producing then that is provided from the grid like normal.

Solar Thermal panels turn sunlight into heat instead of electricity. This means less bills for heating and hot water. The only downside to this would be most people shower at night time when it is dark meaning the solar panels wouldn’t be the likely source for your heat.

Getting solar panels seems like a difficult decision especially in England as it isn’t always sunny. Despite the fact it uses sunlight to create electricity it will still work when the weather isn’t as bright, however this does reduce the panel capacity to around 50%. Usually solar panels are installed on the roof of the home, outbuilding roofing, but can be ground mounted.

Wind Turbines

Wind turbines are used to create electricity from the wind. The electricity produced can be used to supply back to the grid or for a specific purpose. This is one of the most economical ways to create electricity along with solar panels as mentioned above.

Surprisingly wind turbines actually provide a large amount of the electricity for UK homes and business. In 2017 they produced 14.8% of all electricity consumed by the UK. Would you have thought they did that much considering you don’t see them around all of the time? There are roughly 9,700 wind turbines in the UK alone.

Currently there is a project called The Hornsea Project Two which is due to be completed in 2022. This aims to create enough power for 1.3 million homes.

If any of the above options intrigue you and you’d like to find out more about how you could install them at home please do get in touch.

The History of the Electric Powered Vehicle

You might think that electric cars are a modern invention, relatively new to the car market? In fact the concept of the electric car goes back further in time than you might expect:

The Creation

The exact date of the first electric car produced is lost to history but they are generally thought to date back as far as 1832. In fact, the first practical electric car is believed to have been designed and constructed in 1884; here in the UK by Thomas Parker, a British inventor. The US vehicle market took notice of his innovative design and it started a trend of electric vehicles which took the US by storm. By 1890, one-third of all the vehicles within the US were electric powered, which included electric taxis in New York City.

The Production

early electric cars In 1887, a young chemist named William Morris created his own electric vehicle company, Morrison Electrical, borne out of his growing passion for electricity. After a few attempts, Morrison finally brought out an electric vehicle that included 24 battery cells which were situated under the front seat. These batteries took ten hours to charge which gave a range of about 100 miles before recharging. The four-horsepower vehicle had a top speed of 12 miles per hour and had enough space for six passengers onboard. The “Morrison Electrical” vehicles later evolved to carry a total of twelve passengers and reach a top speed of twenty miles per hour. In 1891, Morrison signed a contract with the American Battery Company which was owned and operated by Harold Sturgis to promote and manufacture the Morrison Battery.

Catering for the middle class

The majority of the upper class within the US and the UK owned an electric powered vehicle during this time but they were out of the reach of the poorer middle classes. In 1908, Ford introduced gas-fuelled vehicles that were much cheaper compared to electric vehicles. This suddenly made vehicles affordable and accessible for the less affluent classes. From this point onwards gas-powered vehicles grew with manufacturers taking inspiration from Ford. Affordable gas-powered cars soon made electric vehicles a thing of the past.

Intergalactic Appearances

a history of electric cars

Despite being largely overtaken by gas-powered models electrical powered vehicles still made the occasional appearance on the roads – and even on the moon. The electric powered four-wheeled Lunar Roving Vehicle was sent into space and used on the moon during an expedition. However, there were later complaints from the astronauts that the rover was slow and inefficient compared to their petrol-powered alternative.

The Realisation

During the twenty-first century, scientists and economists began to realise that global warming is taking its toll against earth and that action was required. Pleas were made to car manufacturers to consider using alternative methods and fuels. In the early 2000s, Toyota made its grand entrance into the media by producing the Toyota Prius, a hybrid vehicle, which offered the option of switching fuels between petrol/diesel and electric. Over time, Toyota developed the hybrid making it sleeker and well-known worldwide.

Modern Day Electric Cars

a history of electric cars The modern Tesla and the 1887 Morrison Electric car have a lot of differences but one thing in common, they are both are electric powered.

In 2018, one in twelve cars sold within the UK were either electric or hybrid according to The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Electric vehicles have almost been around for 200 years which means that there’s been a lot of model evolution and additions since those years. The famous Tesla car air filtering system and even the basic air conditioning system are both new additions. The biggest contestant in today’s electric car industry is Tesla. Tesla has brought out varied models such as the Model X, Model S, and the Roadster. The Tesla Model S was voted the world’s best selling plug-in-car for the second year in a row in 2017 but as of December 2018, the Nissan Leaf has taken top ranking.

In 2017, the UK government made an agreement to ban the sales of all new petrol and diesel cars by the year 2040, following in France’s footsteps. All car models for sale pre-2040, need to meet an air quality test by passing a new real driving emissions (RDE) test. The future looks bright for electric cars.

For details of how to install electric chargers at home if any of this talk about electric cars has prompted you to make the switch to electric get in touch!

Improving your health is probably high up on your list of New Year resolutions, but how about thinking about improving the health of the environment? Here’s our suggestions for energy efficient New Year’s resolutions for your home that will also save you money.

#1 Switch off more

A simple yet effective way of saving energy is to turn off electrical appliances at the wall socket, especially items such as TVs and computers that use standby and idle mode.

London electrician New Year's resolutions

Households within the UK waste £227 million a year by leaving household appliances on standby and the average household can lose up to £80 per year from their appliances being left on. Smart WIFI plugs can be turned on or off through your phone or by a voice assistant which is a brilliant gadget for those with busy lifestyles who are always in a rush, or for those who are just simply forgetful.

#2 Install a solar system in your home

The only things needed to create solar energy are the sun and a solar panel. So all of the energy created is entirely clean and not polluting the environment around us. Solar panels don’t add to rising Co2 emissions that are damaging the world like fossil fuels do. Solar panels are not only effective for the environment, they are also effective for your bank account.

London electrician solar panels By including in your new year resolutions one to install a solar system to your home, you could earn back at least £400 for a 4KWH system per year. So, you could be even earning money while you’re helping with keeping the environment green.

#3 Check your home insulation

During winter months poor housing insulation can make a huge impact on your energy bill as a house’s heat is lost through its walls, windows, doors and roof. An un-insulated home within the UK can lose on average up to 60% of its energy through the walls and roof.

loft insulation energy savings The higher quality the insulation installed in your home the less heat will escape through these weak points of the house, this will reduce environmental impact and keep the heat inside your home.

#4 Switch to an electric car

Switching to electric cars is a huge boost for the environment as electric cars don’t emit any polluting substances into the atmosphere which assists and improves air quality, particularly in built-up city areas like London where air quality is at its worst. If you own an electric car you can also drive all over London free of charge without having to pay the Congestion Charge. This one of our new year resolutions could be a huge benefit if you regularly drive into London.

electric car charger installation Having an electric car charger installed at your home is simple and cost-effective as you would be simply running your car off free solar energy. There are also an exploding number of charging points dotted all over the UK, currently adding up to approximately 14,000. You can see where these charging point are located by using Zap-Map.

These are just four ideas to make 2019 a greener and more environmentally friendly year for you and your home. For further ideas on how to save money on energy bills at home, including installing solar panels and electric char chargers just get in touch!

In a world where big brother is watching and cameras capture our every move, the CCTV market is booming. With electrical contractors installing four million systems in the UK since the 1960’s, everything we do is now being recorded. This quantity equates to one camera for every fourteen people, making us one of the most watched nations in the world. This sudden increase in surveillance has led to a technological evolution in all things security related.

The first commercial use of CCTV was by the Metropolitan Police, to help monitor crowds in Trafalgar Square during the Thai Royal Family’s visit to London. More government installed cameras continued to be installed across the decade used for police surveillance. The London Underground is home to over 15000 cameras, with over 400 in King’s Cross station alone. The soon to be opened Elizabeth Line will have two cameras embedded behind each display screen on-board. A recent estimate suggests that there are over half a million cameras in the capital city alone, making up 12.5% of the countries closed circuit television cameras.

CCTV has come a long way from a fuzzy image on a VCR, as technology advances and camera become smaller, the possibilities are endless. From nanny cams to drain inspection the applications for cameras are becoming more mainstream and affordable. Electricians and plumbers are using telescopic tools to diagnose faults in hard to reach places such as wall cavities.

Electrical contractors have two options when it comes to installing a CCTV system; IP and AHD. IP systems are run on CAT 5 or 6 cables, they produce a higher quality image that the traditional AHD method. The biggest bonus of using data cable is the ability to transmit power, video and data over a single cable, ideal for a fresh installation. An AHD system is run in the more conventional co-ax cable, ideal for if a system is being updated as the existing cable can be reused. Both systems have the capability of remote monitoring with the addition of an internet connection.

Retail Maintenance and electrical contractors

With a variety of different systems on the market, there is a CCTV camera to fit all requirements and budgets; residential and commercial. From bullet to dome cameras can come in all shapes sizes and colours, depending on your electrical contractor. Some bullet cameras are capable of capturing a number plate from a car traveling at 70mph from 15m away, whilst other have infra-red night vision abilities. Whatever your circumstances there is a camera out there for you.

Opulous has installed many temporary camera systems into high end pop up stores. Although department stores such as Selfridges and Harrods have their own systems, it can be a requirement of the brands’ insurance to have an independent system. Our engineers work alongside the brands such as Bulgari; to ensure the CCTV is as discreet as possible, this includes bespoke painting the cameras to match the surrounding display for a pop up store.

If you’ve got a project that requires some extras eyes, get in touch with our team for a site survey.