19 December 2014

Charles & Sheila Dolby

Just to let you know how thrilled we are with the Night Storage Heaters which you supplied and fitted. When it was so wet and miserable on Sunday we were as warm as toast.


We will certainly be recommending you to people who want a safe, efficient heating system.


Thank you.


Sheila and Charles Dolby, Quesada



Charles & Sheila Dolby

01 November 2014

Iberdrola letter to customers

IMG_0234IBERDROLA ARE writing to inform their customers that they are currently replacing electricity meters with smart meters. This is part of a ministerial order to replace  the traditional electric meters with state of the art electricity measuring equipment.


Properties on a low tariff, such as 3.3 kW or 3.45 kW or lower, may experience power cuts after the smart meter is fitted due to overloading the ICP, that means tripping out when too many electrical appliances are switch on at the same time. In some cases this involves a trip to the meter cupboard to reset the power control switch (ICP).  A smart meter limits the consumer to the amount on their contract. This amount is stated on your electricity bill. Check yours to see the amount is sufficient.


Properties with illegal upgrades will be reduced back to their original state once a smart meter is fitted. An illegal upgrade is one where a boletin was not issued by the installer, and a new contract was never arranged with Iberdrola.


Contact us if you need to upgrade your power supply.


 



Iberdrola letter to customers

27 July 2014

SPARKS RECENTLY had an emergency call out from a client who had suddenly experienced a power cut in their holiday home on an urbanisaciĆ³n in Torre-La Mata. He had checked his consumer unit and discovered everything was switched on. Then he contacted Iberdrola to check the status on his account, to be told that it was perfectly in order. Iberdrola suggested contacting an electrician as there obviously was a technical problem.


I arrived and quickly discovered the problem was simple… the client had overloaded his electrics and activated the kill switch in the new Smart Meter which Iberdrola had just installed.


Iberdrola are engaged in a nationwide Smart Grid improvement programme and are currently replacing all the traditional electricity meters across Torrevieja with Smart Meters. The new electricity meters have an integral kill switch which automatically disconnects the electricity if you exceed the amount of power that you are allowed. The kill switch or power limiter, known as an ICP, was previously a manually operated switch fitted in the consumer unit and easily accessible within the property. The new automatic ICP is now housed inside the new Smart Meter which is located in the meter cupboard outside the property, sometimes inaccessible. Some property owners don’t know where their electricity meter is located.


There are twelve different approved Smart Meters that provide two different methods of restoring the electricity in the event of a power cut caused by consumer overload. One type has a green reset button on the meter and must be pushed to restore the electricity. The second type is reset by switching the main switch off at the consumer unit for ten seconds, then switching it back on.


What this means is that it will become a major concern for a lot of property owners whose meter cupboards are generally locked. In the event of a power cut caused by having too many powerful appliances switch on at the same time, resetting the ICP will be somewhat problematic.


To avoid being caught out, ensure that you are contracted for a sufficient amount of power with Iberdrola. Most homes will generally need a minimum tariff of 5.75 kW to avoid nuisance power cuts.


If someone has illegally upgraded or by-passed the ICP in your consumer unit, inevitably you will experience power cuts once Iberdrola fit your Smart Meter. For an upgrade to be legitimate a boletin (electrical installation certificate) must be issued and submitted to Iberdrola.



14 January 2014

New ECOMBI Smart Heaters


NIGHT STORAGE heaters just got smarter! A brand new system boasts to be "the most economical electric storage heating available on the market," and looking at the new design it certainly looks that way. The new ECOMBI smart heater manufactured by the Elnur Gabarron SA is innovation at its finest.

The Madrid based heating specialist have taken the static storage heater and the fan convector storage heater, combined them together with a new patented electronic management system (ESICC - Smart Input Charge Control) to produce a new generation of storage heaters that automatically determine the amount of energy the heater needs, then adjusts it accordingly each day, which effectively reduces power consumption.

Storage heaters use electricity supplied at a cheaper ‘night-time’ rate to heat up special heat-retaining bricks. These bricks then heat your home around the clock using the heat stored in the bricks.

The new ECOMBI system incorporates smart management control and accurate temperature measurement using the ESICC electronic management module, which continuously monitors measurements on the temperature of the room, and maintains the desired comfort level.

Storage heaters used with a Day and Night Energy Plan (14-hour cheap rate time-of-day rates tariff) run at under half the cost of other types of electric heaters, and with the new ECOMBI smart heater those savings just got bigger. This new innovative system can reduce energy consumption by 35% compared to other static storage heaters. .

There are also savings to be gained using your electrical appliances with Day and Night Energy. For example, using the washing machine, one of the largest energy guzzlers in the home, during the cheap rate period will cut the running cost at least 50%.

Sparks could endorse any number of electric heaters, but the outstanding level of performance these heaters achieve makes them quite remarkable and unique. ECOMBI is the most innovative heating system available on the market. Contact us to arrange a home survey.

According to Which? – The UK’s ♯1 product testing consumer association – “The most cost-effective form of electric central heating uses night storage heaters.” (www.which.co.uk)

To find out more about the manufacturing company, Elnur Gabarron SA, watch this short video >>>