Friday, 25 January 2013

Hawkesbury International Sand Sculpting Championship

Last weekend,  I was very fortunate to be able to volunteer at the 2nd Hawkesbury International Sand Sculpting Championship.  
  
What an amazing event.  The theme was "Fairytales and Fables" and featured 14 competitors from around the world.  Each contestant given 20 tonnes of sand and 4 days to create their interpretation of the theme. 

The thought of creating something rather spectacular from practically nothing is impressive.  These artists dream up an image and then through hours and hours of patient work, they bring their image to life using little particles of nothing.  

The other wonderful thing to watch is a group of strangers working together to help out at a community event.  We probably had about 1000 people through the gates for the 5 hours I was there.  The event is held over 2 weeks and would not be possible without the support from the sponsors, suppliers and the many volunteers who are helping over the span of the championship. 

I enjoyed my time volunteering and meeting many new people.  I encourage you to find a way to help your community by doing the same. 

Live smart, Live long. 
B. Saffy

excelcommercialservices.com.au

Brian Saffy volunteering at the Sand Sculpting Championship
One of the amazing sand sculpturesOne of the amazing sand sculpturesOne of the amazing sand sculptures

Monday, 14 January 2013

How much electricity is your business really consuming and how can you monitor it to save money?

To succeed in today’s fiercely competitive business environment, companies must monitor and reduce both production and service costs. No matter what size business you have, energy represents a significant portion of these costs and energy monitoring becomes a key factor in cost reduction.
There are simple things you can employ to help you monitor and manage your energy consumption. A basic dial type meter will tell you your consumption manually. Stepping up to a digital type meter will provide more detailed information and compile automated reports and billing software if required. From here you could move on to monitoring and analysis with intelligence to predict any rising problems before they cause you any expensive rectification works.
Reducing consumption during peak times or shifting loads to off-peak times can save a typical commercial premises ten to fifty percent annually on energy usage costs. By monitoring energy consumption on a regular basis and compiling your energy usage data you have a record you can reference.
In a critical situation, this energy data can be gathered 24/7 by using products like the Dranetz ES and Encore series intelligence modules. Dranetz is a leading provider of intelligent monitoring solutions for electrical demand, energy monitoring and power quality. Dranetz Encore series allows you to capture and analyse your data, and also help you solve your power quality problems. For as detailed as you want, Dranetz can help you proactively manage your power infrastructure and increase reliability and decrease costs. From portable equipment to permanent installed systems and the best power quality software on the market, including web-based solutions, the integration of power measurement capabilities sets the Encore 61000 apart as a truly revolutionary product and provides preventive and predictive information with ease.
With this data you are placed in a position where you have a wealth of information to guide you into an area of energy reduction, power quality improvement and most importantly, money back in your pocket. And, with product selections to meet a range of budgets and installation requirements, here are some of the benefits you or your clients will receive with energy monitoring:
  • Scalable solutions to fit a variety of budgets
  • Segregated consumption details to know exactly what energy different areas are using
  • Identify high usage areas to target for energy efficiency development
  • Identify poor efficiency areas to diagnose improvement solutions
 
Some higher end systems provide:
  • Diagnosis of problems before they translate into overall failures
  • The easy to use and intuitive Windows and web-based software (local and remote)
  • Interpretive tools and reports to help find problems
  • User friently touchscreens
Excel Electrical Solutions can provide you with an energy monitoring solution to meet your needs and budget. We are also proud to be the recommended installers for the Dranetz Encore series for the Australian agent Pacific Test Equipment. Contact us today to make sure your critical system stays up and running efficiently. You can contact us on sales@excelelectrical.net.au or (02) 8824 4671.
For more details on Dranetz product range, you can check out their website.
Live smart, live long
B.Saffy

Friday, 11 January 2013

How do you make the right choice of fit out contractor and not risk the ultimate cost?

Are you looking for a fitout company and trying to work out the right choice?

Carrying out a recent fitout for a service station mechanic's shop. We started with some existing base building fitout already in place. It very quickly became apparent that the previous contractor had either used unlicensed electrical tradesmen or apprentices to do the installation. This could have cost someone's life.

There was no earthing to be found at any lighting points, some fittings installed straight on to the metal purlins were also defective and the surface cable ducting was atrocious. A very dangerous situation was present. Once discovered, we needed to upgrade the existing installation not only to meet the standard but to also make it safe. The original principle contractor had would not have realised the impact of their choice, which was more than likely the cheapest submission.

So how do you know if the contractor you are about to choose will keep you and the people around you in a safe environment? Or the people moving into your finished project?

Always use licensed trades people and get copies of the companies licence details for everyone working on your site. Make sure there are sufficient OH&S practices in place, with appropriate documentation. It is a great idea to get some references or look at some testimonials. If other people (or companies) are raving fans of a prospective choice, it is a good indicator that they are the right choice.

Live smart, live long
B.Saffy

excelcommercialservices.com.au