AE Electrical https://ae.co.zw Fri, 12 Feb 2021 15:07:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://ae.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/cropped-AE-Logo-new-32x32.png AE Electrical https://ae.co.zw 32 32 Benefits of Using a Solar Geyser https://ae.co.zw/benefits-of-using-a-solar-geyser/ https://ae.co.zw/benefits-of-using-a-solar-geyser/#respond Fri, 26 Jun 2020 16:54:11 +0000 https://www.ae.co.zw/?p=4601 Solar geysers mainly use solar panels or tubes, all known as collectors, which are fitted to your roof of your residence or business. The water is heated in the collectors using thermal solar energy from the sun which is then kept in a tank. This can be used in conjunction with an older model of electrical geysers to reach your required temperature, especially useful in colder climates during the winter months. There are two main types of solar heating geysers.

  • Tube Solar Geysers – Also known as vacuum tube collector they compose of multiple glass tubes filled with a transfer liquid, this is normally a mixture of water and antifreeze. The heat is then transferred to the water through an interchange, called a manifold.
  • Flat Plate Solar Geysers – The Development came in the early 50’s; this is the most typical type of panel geyser used in solar water heating. In areas where freezing or frost is most frequent, adjustable polymers are used and the panel can freeze and unfreeze many times without any damage.

Saving Money

Residential or commercial your electric geyser is the largest energy user, it uses up to 40% of your monthly electricity spend on average. When you change to solar you will see huge savings. Not only will your electricity bill drop heavily, but you also might qualify for an Eskom rebate. You might be worried about the expense of changing over, but once you see the amount of savings, you’d be silly not to.

Maintenance & Servicing

Serving for solar geysers is generally very low and a SABS approved solar geysers will come with a 5 year guarantee. After installation most providers offer a manual which covers some simple maintenance checks which should be carried out every now and then to ensure the system is working correctly.

By far, the most important thing to check is are there any leaks, these can be easily spotted by the dripping water. If your system is not boiling the water on a warm day we suggest you contact the installation company. Some installation companies will offer a yearly service check.

 

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Top 5 Advantages of a Gas Stove https://ae.co.zw/top-5-advantages-of-a-gas-stove/ https://ae.co.zw/top-5-advantages-of-a-gas-stove/#respond Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:03:05 +0000 https://www.ae.co.zw/?p=4597 1. Better Cooktop Control

Gas burners allow instant changes in heat while cooking because a flame doesn’t need any time to warm up or cool down like electric burners. Both beginner and professional chefs often prefer gas burners when they need rapid changes in heat for certain recipes and don’t want to use multiple burners on various settings.


2. Durable

The metal grates on gas stove tops are hardier than the electric range smoothtops. Smooth cooktops are made of glass or ceramic, so more care is needed to avoid scratching or cracking the surface. Metal grates will be able withstand heavy or rough-textured cookware without any problems.


3. Cost Effective

When paying for utilities, gas is generally cheaper than electricity. Even if the cost of your gas range is initially more expensive, paying less in utilities will save you money in the long run. These savings can especially add up if you cook a lot.


4. Cookware Friendly

If you cook with a wok or other cookware with rounded bottoms, gas burners are a must. The flame from a gas burner will heat your pots more evenly, making them perfect for everyday cookware and unusually shaped cookware alike.


5. Emergency Ready

If the power is out at your home, you can still cook dinner on most gas stoves. Just manually ignite the burners with a match or lighter. This makes gas ranges a major benefit for homes in areas that often experience inclement weather and extended outages.

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The Advantages of LED Lights for the Environment https://ae.co.zw/the-advantages-of-led-lights-for-the-environment/ https://ae.co.zw/the-advantages-of-led-lights-for-the-environment/#respond Thu, 25 Jun 2020 13:50:40 +0000 https://www.ae.co.zw/?p=4593 Taking care of the environment is a responsibility that everyone should feel accountable for. Most of us are already aware of environmentally friendly processes such as recycling to minimise the amount of waste we produce and reduce our carbon footprint. However, a lot of people are unaware of new and upcoming technologies that we can use to help reduce carbon emissions. A good example of this is LED lighting, which provides many environmental advantages.

Energy Efficient

LED lights are up to 80% more efficient than traditional lighting such as fluorescent and incandescent lights. 95% of the energy in LEDs is converted into light and only 5% is wasted as heat. This is compared to fluorescent lights which convert 95% of energy to heat and only 5% into light! LED lights also draw much less power than traditional lighting; a typical 84 watt fluorescent can be replaced by a 36 watt LED to give the same level of light. Less energy use reduces the demand from power plants and decreases greenhouse gas emissions.

 

No Toxic Elements

LED lights contain no toxic elements. Most offices currently use fluorescent strip lights which contain noxious chemicals such as mercury. This will contaminate the environment when disposed of in landfill waste.  Disposal has to be arranged through a registered waste carrier so switching to LED avoids the cost and time implications required for compliant disposal – and helps to protect the environment from further toxic waste.

Less Lights Needed

LEDs have a better quality of light distribution and focus light in one direction as opposed to other types of lighting which waste energy by emitting light in all directions, often illuminating areas where light isn’t required (such as the ceiling). This means that less LED lights are needed to achieve the same level of brightness given off by fluorescents and incandescent lights. Fewer lights will reduce energy consumption and will therefore be a benefit to the environment.

Lifespan

A longer life span means lower carbon emissions. LED Lights last up to six times longer than other types of lights, reducing the requirement for frequent replacements. This results in using fewer lights and hence fewer resources are needed for manufacturing processes, packaging materials and transportation.

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6 Advantages of Using Solar Energy https://ae.co.zw/benefits-of-solar/ https://ae.co.zw/benefits-of-solar/#respond Tue, 23 Jun 2020 07:54:25 +0000 https://www.ae.co.zw/?p=4575 Solar energy is obtained from the sun’s radiation and it can be converted to electricity or heat. It is freely available and thanks to advances in technology, we can now harness even more of the solar energy that is continuously available to us.

Here are 7 benefits related to this renewable source of energy.

Impact on the Environment

 

Solar energy has the least negative impact on the environment compared to any other energy source. It does not produce greenhouse gases and does not pollute the water. It also requires very little water for its maintenance, unlike nuclear power plants for example, needing 20 times more water. Solar energy production does not create any noise, which is major benefit, since a lot of solar installations are in urban areas, such as domestic solar panels.

Reduce Your Energy Bill

Generating your own electricity means that you will be using less from the utility supplier. This will immediately translate to savings on your energy bill. Plus, you can also make money by selling the unused electricity, which you have generated, back to the grid. Through solar panel grants offered, you can make your green investment even more beneficial. 

The more energy you produce, the less you will need from the supplier which will increase your energy self reliance.

Solar Energy Is Applicable Everywhere

As long as there is sunshine, solar energy can be deployed anywhere. This is particularly useful for remote regions with no access to any other source of electricity. There is a vast amount of people around the world with no access to electricity.

Independent solar systems could be deployed in those regions and improve the lives of millions of people. Moreover, solar energy is also used to power up spacecrafts and boats.

Less Electricity Lost During Long-Distance Transport

 

Some of the energy, around 3-5%, is lost during transportation and distribution. The longer the distances between the production and the supply points, the more energy is lost. Those losses might not seem significant but they can influence the performance of the installation in regions with high population density.

Having solar panels on the roof or in the yard significantly reduces this distance, therefore increasing the efficiency of the solar panels.

Improves Grid Security

The grid is less vulnerable to blackouts if there are many power plants which are spread out. A grid with high penetration of solar energy has thousands of energy production centres which are widely spread out. This improves the security of the grid in case of overload, natural or human-caused disasters.

Job Creation

The are many advantages of solar energy, and another one is job creation. Large part of the cost associated with solar systems comes from the installation of the panels. This contributes to local job creation. Using solar systems boosts the economy and positively affects the local community.

 

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