Turn down the temperature of your hot water at the central heating boiler, at the immersion tank (if your water is heated by electricity), or on your instant water heater. Don’t waste energy heating water only to have to add cold water so that it is not too hot to use! 60°C / 140°F should do it. Read the rest of this entry »
Select the correct saucepan size for the heating element or gas flame.
Cut food into small pieces before cooking — it will cook more quickly.
Put a lid on top of the pan when you can; your meal will cook much more quickly, and you won’t be wasting energy. Read the rest of this entry »
Renewable energy is energy produced by a source that continually renews itself. Well-known sources are the sun, moving water, wind and plant materials. This energy can be used for space heating and hot water heating, and to produce electricity for your home. Read the rest of this entry »
Some utility companies offer free energy inspections, or you can do your own. The point to remember is a basic law of physics: heat moves toward cold. In winter the heated air in your home tries to move to the cold outside, and in the summer the hot air outside tries to get into the coolness of your home. Read the rest of this entry »
Heating and cooling costs are a major part of the operating expenses of a home. Many factors affect the temperature in your home and the amount of energy consumed to achieve a comfortable level. The number of windows facing east and west, prevailing winds and landscaping, family size, the number of lights burning (about 90 per cent of the energy used by incandescent bulbs turns into heat), and the efficiency of your heating and cooling system all contribute to the temperature. Read the rest of this entry »
6. Removing the shell.
Twist the shell slightly and remove it from the cap.
7. Inside the lamp socket.
Beneath the outer shell, you should find an insulating sleeve covering the socket. Remove the insulating sleeve and you’ll see the screw terminals. Read the rest of this entry »
There are numerous detection devices available and choosing the right one to protect a particular area isn’t always easy. There is a whole range of circumstances to take into account — the size of the room, what’s in it, even how it is constructed, as well as what’s outside or even across the road.
You may need one or more types of detectors in any one area — for example, there are bound to be doors and windows to protect as well as the room itself. There may also be very large areas of glass, such as a patio door, draughts or heating, which may make it difficult to site certain types of detectors, and you may have pets in the house which will mean careful positioning and directing of the detection pattern. Read the rest of this entry »
There are no specific British Standards for control panels (or alarm devices themselves), although elements of BS 4737 relate to features found in alarm equipment. This is likely to change with the introduction of European Standards which will, for the first time, require individual components to meet levels of performance and construction.
It is very important to understand how an alarm system is operated if false alarms are to be avoided. To reduce this risk, manufacturers have been making instructions easier to follow and many panels now incorporate a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) giving plain English step- by-step instructions to guide users through the arming, resetting and disarming procedures. Read the rest of this entry »
When the solenoid is energized, the plunger is pulled upward by magnetic force of the solenoid coil, and the pin travels back and forth in the upper slot of the spin cam bar. This action pulls the spin cam bar backward from the basket clutch shaft, which allows the bar to slide downward toward the clutch lining. Read the rest of this entry »
Although the homeowner will probably never do a major teardown of a washer gearcase, it is worthwhile to understand its function. The gear train of the automatic washer consists of a sector gear, connecting rod or possibly the rack and pinion gear type. In this type drive, the pinion gear drives a larger main - drive gear. A connecting rod is attached to both ends of the main - drive gear and the sector gear, which pivots on a stud through an approximate 180 - degree arc. A more common type is the sector gear. This gear meshes with the agitator gear to accomplish the washer oscillation. Read the rest of this entry »
