Top tips for getting your Christmas sparkle

1. ‘Tis the season for adding sparkle to your home, but not at the expense of your family’s safety. To light up your Christmas without the risk, chuck out your old 240V decorative lights and replace them with LED ones. Check out places like Bunnings for options that are cheaper and far safer - especially if you have pets with a penchant for chewing through wiring or inquisitive young children.
2. For outside lights, don’t dangle power cords through windows or load up power boards with multiple lights. Instead, use external power points – they’re easy to install, more convenient and much safer. They’re ideal not just for Christmas lights, but year-round for outdoor entertaining. You can even have an internal switch installed so you can turn the points on or off without the bother of going outside to do it.
3. For a truly smart Christmas, there are Bluetooth timers that allow you to activate your Christmas lights from your smart device – so no more getting out of bed to check whether you have turned off your Christmas lights.

We can help with all your external power and lighting needs. Give us a call on 0418 442 578 or email info@kuring.com.au to arrange a time for us to visit you.

Problems with your garden lights?

With October’s heavy rain, some people are finding their old 240V garden lights are playing up. Don’t risk the same scenario happening again. Instead, it is cheaper and easier to start afresh with LED lights. Plus, they are safer, more energy efficient and last longer than traditional 240V lights. In fact, a small investment now will give you attractive and fuss-free garden lighting ambience for years to come. So call us to book in your upgrade.

Special gift for our first January bookings

December is always a crazy busy month. But if your job can wait until January, now is the best time to book it in.

If you are one of the first 30 January bookings, you will receive a free 4-gang powerpoint upgrade.

To book now and lock in your project for January, contact us on 0418 442 578 or info@kuring.com.au

Set the summer lovin’ mood with outdoor lighting

Good lighting does much more than help you see what you’re doing. It also:

• Adds ambience to outdoor spaces by highlighting garden features or plantings – like pretty fairy lights entwined through your trees.
• Enhances the beauty of your outdoor area. Things like colourful festoon lights and pool lights mean you can choose your mood – from understated elegance to “let’s party”!
• Improves safety by highlighting pathways or functional areas like clothes lines and bin storage areas.

Our team can update your existing lighting or install a new lighting system from scratch. We can even help you design a lighting plan to achieve the look you desire. But it’s best to book in early before the December rush.

When choosing outdoor lighting, only use lights intended for outdoor use with a minimum weatherproof rating of IP23. With weatherproof ratings, the first number shows you how resistant the item is to particles, such as dust, and the second tells you how resistant it is to liquids. So the higher the number the better the protection. Find out more here HERE

One outdoor lighting option is stainless steel LED lights – they are hard-wearing, attractive and corrosion-resistant.

Complement the look and functionality of your covered outdoor entertainment area with a stainless steel ceiling fan. It will allow you to enjoy your outdoor area even on the hottest days. These fans are great in winter too. Simply switch over to winter mode and the fan will take warm air from around the ceiling of your outdoor area and push it down to where you are sitting.

Always look for fans that are specifically designed for outdoor use like stainless steel fans which have low susceptibility to corrosion.

We can assist you with lighting plans and installation for your outdoor area, garden and swimming pool. Call 0418 442 578 or email info@kuring.com.au to arrange a time for Matt to visit your home.

3 Top tips for a sensational summer

1.    If you have a BBQ, outdoor kitchen or pizza oven, great lighting will make cooking and entertaining so much easier. Talk to us about improving or installing better outdoor lighting so you can be the household’s MasterChef.

2.    Change your ceiling fans to summer mode. If you can’t remember whether you changed them during winter, simply turn on the fan and stand near it. If you can’t feel a slight breeze, it’s on winter mode. Turn the fan off then flick the little black switch at the fan’s base to summer mode.

3.   If you have a pool, check your pool pump timer. With warmer days and frequent use, it’s time to increase the number of hours your pump is in operation. Adjust your equipment to run for 8 hours per day.

To find out more, contact us on 0418 442 578 or info@kuring.com.au

Fast forward for fire safety

Winding your clocks forward for daylight saving is a great time to change the batteries in your smoke detector/s. This one thing could literally save you and your family from a fire.

Alternatively, consider installing lithium-ion photoelectric smoke detectors. They have a 10 year life span and do not need the batteries changed.  After 10 years you simply replace the whole unit.

Contact us at Ku-ring-gai Electrical for further information about photoelectric smoke detectors or to get a quote.

Thermal imaging can save lives and dollars

What is it?

Thermal imaging is like a health check-up for your electrical system. Special infrared cameras are used to view the heat being generated at a switchboard. The heat is captured as a thermal image.

Devices drawing more power – or any malfunctioning components – generate more heat. Thermal imaging provides an early warning about faults in an electrical system, so they can be fixed before causing problems such as a fire, explosion or power failure.

Who needs one?

• Residential properties with large or multiple switchboards, such as unit complexes. Scheduling thermal imaging as part of a regular maintenance program is much cheaper, and potentially safer, than out-of-hours callouts for power failures or false fire alarms.
• Commercial premises, where a power outage, forced shutdown or fire could cause loss of data and infrastructure, not to mention hassle and massive revenue loss.

What it involves

Thermal imaging requires special equipment used onsite by a trained expert. A scheduled maintenance check won’t need to disrupt your building’s power supply. After completing the scan, a detailed report will be provided outlining anything that is faulty.

Often any problems will only need a quick fix. Typically, it’s the cheaper items in your wiring, like fuses, that cause the most problems. At times it might be a simple but vital safety device on its way out, such as a circuit breaker.

Your guarantee of safety

Ku-ring-gai Electrical Services always use top quality products and will never compromise the safety of you, your family or your property by using cheaper options. To arrange a thermal imaging report for your residential, business or commercial building, call us on 0418 442 578 or email info@kuring.com.au.

Building and renovation special 

Freshen up with contemporary accessories

Are you tired of plain, old-fashioned looking switches and power outlets? The Clipsal Saturn range of accessories will add a contemporary touch to your home.

Saturn comes in a variety of colours, with a stylish glass look to complement modern surfaces such as glass kitchen splashbacks. The light switches include LED rings around the switch so you can select whether the LED ring is set to indicate:

• If the light is on – ideal for outdoor and balcony lights
• If the light is off – handy for finding the light switch in the dark
• When a heated towel rail is on

The push button switch mechanisms are hard-wearing with labelling options making it easy to remember what each button does.

If you’re tired of rummaging around to find a USB charger, the Clipsal USB Wall Charger is a neat way of charging multiple devices and can be retrofitted to complement your decor.

For truly clutter-free charging, try the Smart Shelf. It can hold two smartphones or one tablet at a time, eliminating cluttered benchtops while your devices are charging.

Get smart at home

Going ‘smart’ with your home adds convenience, comfort, security and energy efficiency. Retrofitting options for existing homes are now a reality.

Nero is an affordable home control range which allows you to retrofit your home using as much or as little technology as you like. To control your smart home system, all you need is a smart phone or tablet (either Android or iOS) and the My Nero App.

If you’re considering going smart, the team at Ku-ring-gai Electrical can discuss an electrical plan to suit your needs and budget.

Simple strategies for comfort and convenience

Small things can enhance your home’s liveability:

• LED strip lights under servery benchtops and overhead cupboards will add light in existing kitchens.
• Sensor lights in walk-in pantries and wardrobes will make it easy to find what you want without the worry or expense of leaving the light on after you’ve gone.
• Heated towel rails for bathrooms are now available in low voltage so you can put them anywhere – even in the shower!
• For bathroom lighting, adding lights around the mirror will eliminate shadows, making shaving and make-up application easier.

If you’re thinking about renovating or building, get the right advice on all your electrical and lighting options from the team at Ku-ring-gai Electrical. We’re here to help you with all your home and office wiring needs.

Call us on 0418 442 578 or email info@kuring.com.au.

Wireless technology to watch over your commercial premises

Have you ever had a break-in at work? Managing security can be a constant challenge, especially in industrial areas where it’s often isolated or quiet after dark.  Yet even an attempted burglary can be a costly headache that will disrupt your business. And if you’re managing a commercial construction site, after-hours theft or vandalism can delay your project and cause costs to escalate.

Using CCTV can be a great deterrent against would-be thieves or vandals. However, in the past, fitting a CCTV system at a commercial premises could be a big job – especially if there are multiple buildings to secure (e.g. an office, factory and warehouse complex). The reason is, multiple sites require wiring to be installed between each building.

Now for the good news

Advances in technology have simplified the way CCTV systems work. You can now use wireless transmitters to link security cameras between two or three buildings – making it pretty straightforward to create a long-range wireless network for your CCTV system.

You won’t need to install extra wiring and you can reach parts of your property or site where in the past, wiring was either impractical or impossible! The wireless access points can broadcast multiple camera streams as long as you have the bandwidth to support it.

If you’ve been thinking about boosting security at your workplace, commercial premises or construction site, CCTV using wireless access points could be a cost-effective solution.

Call me to discuss your CCTV options or to arrange a time for me to visit your premises to assess your requirements.

Bunnings Safety Recall – SmartSpace Kit Home Electrical Components

Bunnings has issued a safety recall for electrical components included in SmartSpace kit homes purchased prior to July 2015. The recall relates to specific cabling and electrical devices that were sold as part of the SmartSpace kit homes.

A serious risk has been identified that could result in electrical shock or fire. You can find all the relevant details here.

If you bought one of these SmartSpace kit homes from Bunnings before July 2015 or you’re not sure if the recall relates to your kit home, act now and get in touch with the SmartSpace Support team.

Contact the SmartSpace Support team today by calling 1300 985 110 or emailing info@smartspacehomes.com.au. They’ll let you know if you’re affected and organise to get the components checked.