Happy New Year!

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We’d like to wish all our customers a very Happy New Year!  We hope you’ve had a happy and relaxing Christmas and if you’re anything the team at Dalec, you’ll be looking forward to a busy 2015!

This is a great opportunity to start another year of blog posts with a quick reminder on the importance of electrical safety in the kitchen.  Many people don’t realise that the kitchen is the most dangerous room in the house.  Over 50% of fires in the home start in the kitchen and with this in mind, electrical safety in the kitchen is absolutely vital.  The majority of kitchen fires are due to faulty wiring, pans left unattended or electrical sockets coming into contact with water.  Provided you follow a few simple safety rules you’ll be able to ensure that your kitchen is a much safer place to be.

Your kitchen is likely to boast a large number of electrical appliances and gadgets so having an adequate supply of electrical sockets is essential.  Never, ever overload sockets and regardless of how small your kitchen may be, you must make sure that electrical sockets are positioned well away from taps and any other sources of water.

If used incorrectly, even if electrical kitchen appliances meet current British safety standards, they can still be potentially dangerous.  Toasters, microwaves and kettles should always be turned off when not in use and it’s important to ensure that electric chords are kept well away from hot surfaces such as cooker hobs.  It goes without saying that small appliances should never be positioned under or near curtains or blinds.

It’s important to remember that if you’re planning on moving house or are considering having a new kitchen fitted, it’s essential that you choose registered electrical safety professionals such as Dalec for advice on the wiring in your kitchen.  We are specialists in all types of electrical installation and are happy to offer guidance on kitchen safety – from the best places for plug sockets through to safety checks on electrical wiring of any age.

 

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Protect your family with a carbon monoxide detector

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Tragically around 30 people die every year in the UK as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.  Installing a carbon monoxide detector in your home is the best way to ensure that your home and family are protected from this invisible and potentially deadly gas.

Carbon monoxide is invisible and odourless and is impossible to detect without a specially designed carbon monoxide detector.  Carbon monoxide is produced when gas appliances such as boilers, cookers or built-in gas ovens aren’t correctly or completely burning fuel.  This can happen for a number of reasons but usually because they have been incorrectly maintained or fitted, or if a chimney or a flue has become blocked.  It’s important to remember that it’s not only appliances or boilers which can produce carbon monoxide as heaters, solid fuel stoves, fires or heaters can all potentially be affected.

Carbon monoxide detectors look very similar to smoke alarms and should be installed in the same way.  It’s possible to buy combined smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors or to install carbon monoxide detectors as part of a comprehensive fire alarm and protection system.

Here at Dalec we are specialists in all aspects of fire protection for homes and businesses and if you would like advice or information on protecting your family from the danger of carbon monoxide, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today.

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Has your electrical equipment been PAT tested?

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If you run your own business, it’s vital that you protect your employees by ensuring that all electrical equipment is PAT tested on a regular basis.  PAT testing is an integral part of health and safety at work legislation and is incredibly important if you are to ensure that your staff and customers are safe at all times.

Annual PAT testing will ensure that the electrical equipment you use – whether it’s the kettle in the staff kitchen, photocopiers or computer equipment and specialist machinery – complies with the Electricity at Work Regulations which were put in place back in 1989.

Larger, fixed items of electrical equipment might need to be PAT tested less frequently and annual PAT testing is simply a guideline for portable electrical equipment with the regularity of PAT testing dependent on the type of environment the appliances are located in.

Here at Dalec we offer a wide range of electrical services for businesses in Leeds and are happy to give further advice and information on PAT testing.

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Switch off and save money

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Here at Dalec we love saving money and with this in mind, we were very interested to read that turning appliances off at night could save around £80 per year on the average electricity bill.

We know it’s all too easy to leave the TV or DVD player on at night but it’s becoming more common for people to leave other appliances on, such as computers, tablets and mobile phones.  Other appliances – dishwashers and washing machines, for example – are also often left on stand-by, even though they might appear to be switched off.

Appliances left on stand-by can account for up to 16% of the average electricity bill of around £500 a year so spending a little time each evening turning everything off before you go to bed is a cheap and easy way to save money.

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Dalec – your local electrician in Leeds

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We keep hearing about the benefits of buying local in terms of supporting local shops and community.  ‘Buying local’ can also apply to using services and here at Dalec we’re proud to offer a wide range of electrical services to businesses and residential customers in Leeds.

Choosing a local tradesman is not only a good way to support a local business, it can also help you save money on call out or travel charges.  In addition, you’re likely to find that local electricians, for example, are more likely to take pride in their work and their reputation in comparison to a large firm or national company.

Finding a reputable local electrician is easy if you ask friends and family for recommendations – using an electrician who has been recommended to you is a great way to give yourself peace of mind.  It’s also important to ensure your chosen electrician has been certified to carry out electrical work on your property so look out for the ECA (Electrical Contractors’ Association) logo.

Here at Dalec we’re very proud of our reputation for offering professional, safe and reliable electrical services throughout Leeds and if you would like further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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Electrical safety for students in Leeds

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Whilst the start of the next academic year might seem like a very long way off indeed, we know that many students are currently in the process of arranging their university accommodation for September.

If you are a student or if you have a son or daughter who’ll be starting out on student life this coming autumn, the chances are that electrical safety will be pretty low down on your agenda!  However, when looking around private rented accommodation, it’s very important to check the property is carefully maintained and meets the relevant electrical safety standards.

Students should ask their landlord for an Electrical Installation Condition Report and it is strongly recommended that a test of all electrical installations in a property should be carried out at least every five years, or each time a tenancy changes.  Certification should also be provided by a landlord to confirm that any recent electrical work meets the UK national standards: BS 7671.

This might sound complicated and one more thing to worry about, so to make things simpler, we recommend that you take a look at the Electrical Safety First website which is full of helpful information and advice.

Here at Dalec we are qualified, certified electricians in Leeds and our services are available to landlords – if you are a landlord in in Leeds and would like further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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The dangers of dodgy E-cigarette chargers

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The popularity of e-cigarettes is on the rise and if you use one, have you stopped to think about whether your e-cig charger is safe to use?

Sadly there have been numerous reports recently about the dangers of faulty e-cig chargers, including a number of worrying reports of chargers which have blown up whilst in use.  Avoiding the dangers of e-cig chargers is simple, providing you take the following steps:

  1. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully because the capacity of batteries and the charging voltage is will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer – this is why using the correct charger is so important.
  2. Read and pay attention to any warnings which are supplied with your specific product. For example, over-tightening the screw connection to the rechargeable battery could damage the mechanism which can, in turn, lead to overheating or the failure of the product.
  3. Never leave an e-cigarette unattended whilst charging for a long period of time or overnight.
  4. When choosing an e-cigarette, look out for the CE mark which indicates that the charger complies with European safety requirements.
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Security lighting for peace of mind around the clock

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Security lighting is known to be an effective deterrent to intruders.  Designed to make burglars more visible, security lighting will put off even the most determined of intruders.

A range of different types of security lighting are available; from simple exterior lights which can be left switched on during the hours of darkness, through to sophisticated lighting systems which can be linked to a comprehensive home security system.  Security lighting can also be used inside the home in the form of timers designed to switch internal lights on when it’s dark and to turn them off again at a pre-set time.

Here at Dalec we’re specialists in all aspects of home security and if you would like advice or information on how to protect your property with security lighting, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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Easy ways to reduce your electricity bills

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Although we’re being told that the UK is coming out of a recession, times are still tough for many home and small business owners in Leeds.  With this in mind, we thought we’d give a couple of simple yet effective tips for saving money on your electricity bills.

As mentioned in one of our recent blog posts, turning appliances and devices off at the mains rather than leaving them on standby is one of the most effective ways to reduce your energy bills.  Switching off the washing machine, TV, games console or computer at the mains is a great way to save money in return for very little effort at all.

Installing energy saving light bulbs is another easy yet effective way to reduce your energy bills.  LED light bulbs are also well worth considering and the price of these highly efficient bulbs is steadily coming down: when used in the right place, LED bulbs can prove to be a worthwhile investment.

It can also be worth thinking about installing a smart meter as a simple way to keep tabs on the amount of energy you use. The Government is planning for all homes in the UK to have had a smart meter installed by 2019 and smart meters are known to be an effective way to save money on both electricity and gas bills.

If you would like advice or information on any aspect of using electricity in your home or business, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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Security for business owners in Leeds

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Following on from last week’s post on the importance of protecting your home whilst you’re away, we thought we’d take the opportunity to remind business owners of just how vital an up-to-date, reliable security system can be.

Providing adequate security protection for a business or commercial premises poses a very different set of problems compared to a residential property.  Shops and offices are usually occupied throughout the year and are rarely left unoccupied for long periods of time.  However, business premises and shops are equally, if not more, susceptible to burglary or criminal damage.

When it comes to choosing a security system for a shop or business premises, a range of factors need to be taken into consideration.  The size and use of the building, the number of employees, who will require access and at what times of day the building is used will mean that the security system needs to be planned carefully.

Here at Dalec we are experts in security alarm installations for businesses across Leeds.  We know that protecting your business is vital and we’re happy to offer further advice – whether your business just has one or two employees or several hundred.

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