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Once you have decided what size solar panel system you want, the next step is to judge what type of solar panels will meet your needs. This should not be decided based solely on price, because power efficiency, longevity, warranty, and space needed are also important factors.

Too often people base purchasing decisions on price only, and then in two years wonder why no-one picks up the phone at the “fly-by-night company” they purchased their solar panels from when the inverter dies or its output is reduced by half. It’s also quite important to recognise that there are differing qualities of panels on the market and you should compare “apples with apples”.

There are 3 main types of panels: Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, and thin-film or Amorphous, and you should know the advantages and disadvantages of them all. If your main hurdle for purchasing panels is cost, then I suggest you compare “like with like”. It’s wrong to compare the price of Mono with the latest Amorphous panel and make your purchasing decision from the cost alone.

One very important distinction to make with regards to solar panels is the different wattages available. Watts are related to the output of each panel, so a 200W panel would output 200 watts per hour. You should expect to pay twice the cost of a 100W panel.

Warranties
Solar PV (photo-voltaic) panels come with a performance warranty that can last up to 25 years, and a guarantee of five to ten years. As well, your specialist can provide a warranty on workmanship, which is typically five years. Ask your solar retailer who will be providing the warranty, the name of the importer and/or manufacturer, and what to expect if something fails.

If a cheap solar panel importer stops trading sometime in the future, their warranty obligation ceases. You are going to feel far more peace with a well-known brand which has service agents for warranty work in Australia.

The following describes the three main types of solar panels available, each with their own benefits:

Monocrystalline Cells
Monocrystalline panels are a proven and reliable technology, used for the past 50 years and still popular today. They have the best conversion efficiency at 12-18% of all sunlight. As these have the highest power to size ratio, they’re the best option if you’ve got limited roof space. They also degrade very slowly, generally losing 0.25 – 0.5% per year. Their lifespan can be 25 years, and even up to 50 years if cared for.

Disadvantages:
Monocrystalline cells don’t perform as well as other panels in shady conditions, and they are quite fragile. They can be more expensive to manufacture due to their complexity.

Polycrystalline Cells
Polycrystalline compares quite well in performance and longevity to monocrystalline, and provide efficiency of 12-13%. Well known brands include BP SX, Sharp and Kyocera.

Polycrystalline panels withstand excellent longevity (around 25 years). They work optimally at 25 degrees C but will lose some efficiency at higher temperatures (over 50 degrees C), which is common in the Australian summer.

Amorphous Thin Film
Thin film panels typically have a lower efficiency at 6%, however, Cadmium Telluride Thin-Film panels (CdTe) have progressed to 11% efficiency. These are more suitable for inland Australia conditions where space is no problem and temperatures are hot. Amorphous panels don’t lose energy in higher heats.

Disadvantages are: Lifespan is less; there is a 3-6 month breaking-in period; and they typically require 2-3 times the roof space for the same output of crystalline cells.

When choosing solar panels remember to focus on the goal of recouping your initial costs through savings in electricity. The more efficient and higher watt panels will do this faster. However, if you are looking at solar farms in Outback Australia where temperatures regularly go higher than 40 degrees celcius and there is some cloud cover (these panels also work much better in the shade}, then these panels may be for you.

The Requirements of Solar Panels
With all types of solar panels, the owner must ensure they are kept free from dirt and shade, because these factors have a bearing on solar power output.

Panels are installed facing north and at a roof angle of a minimum 10 degrees. Do the solar panels you want physically fit into the space you want to install them? Each solar panel is about 1.6 m long by 0.8 m wide. A 1.5kW solar panel system requires around 12 m² of north-facing roof space. As mentioned, this footprint varies depending on the type of panel. Don’t worry if you can’t work out the amount of unshaded space the roof has for your panels, because your installer will calculate it precisely when quoting. You may want to be conservative with the space, however, in the event you would like to add more panels later to cover more of your energy needs.

My Solar Price specialise in solar power, solar hot water, and solar pool heating quotes. For three free quotes you can visit My Solar Price.

If anyone loves getting out into the great outdoors, surrounded by native life, then they should definitely visit the Australian island of Tasmania. For holiday information about the island including places to stay, sightseeing attractions and activities, visit the Tasmania Visitors Bureau. This island is blessed to have a wonderful combination of lush wilderness escapes, a long and interesting heritage and endless scenic views. International travellers will need to make prior arrangements for accommodation and transport, so planning is essential. The Tasmania Visitors Bureau saves travellers from going through all those hassles connected with holiday bookings. Quick and in-depth answers to many queries about your visit to Tasmania are given gratis.

Tourists who are fond of adventure sports and other adrenalin-pumping activities will love Tasmania. Activities such as rafting, jet boating, diving, horse riding, sea kayaking, climbing/abseiling and cable hang gliding are sure to keep a person on the edge and in high spirits. Rafting can be done on a number of rivers in Tasmania including the Derwent River, Arthur River, Picton River and Franklin River. A special mention ought to be made about white water rafting on the Franklin River as it is a fabulous multi-day adventure spot. A minimum of 10 days can be used to complete a full experience along the Franklin. On this trip adventurers will come across the fantastic rapids present at the Great Ravine. Tourists keen on a one-day rafting trip from Hobart, can do this at Picton River.

If horse riding is your passion, there are plenty of trail-riding opportunities over the Tasman Peninsula, Central Highlands, Strahan, Ben Lomond and Coles Bay. Sea kayaking is yet another activity that is very popular in Tasmania and kayak operators can be located in Strahan, Hobart, Freycinet, Bathurst Harbour and Bruny Island to name a few. The Tasmania Visitors Bureau also details adventure sports such as abseiling/climbing, caving, and cycling/mountain biking. Tourists who are looking for an abseiling/climbing experience in their holidays should check out the guided trips in locations like Tasman Peninsula, Coles Bay, Cataract Gorge (Launceston) and Ben Lomond. For avid cyclers, bikes are available for hire to cycle around Hobart. Bikers can also trek through the mountains and the national forests of Tasmania.

Some visitors might not be keen on adventure sports so they can look at fishing and cruising opportunities. Cruising provides a very relaxing experience for visitors and is an enjoyable way of experiencing the fabulous rivers and harbours of Tasmania. Gordon River Cruises is one of the most popular tours on the island. Any trip to Tasmania is incomplete without a captivating sail on the renowned Gordon River. For visiting heritage locations and finding the best fishing opportunities, visitors are advised to see the West Coast of Tasmania.

The Tasmania Visitors Bureau are the specialists for Tasmania holidays and cheap package deals. Tasmania holiday packages not only take the pain out of planning a vacation but save you time and money also. Great deals for Hobart accommodation are in good supply too.

The visual art and architecture of native Oceania, includes media such as sculpture, pottery, rock art, basketry and personal decoration. In these societies, art and architecture have usually been closely connected, for example, storehouses and meetinghouses are often decorated with beautiful carvings, and so they are presented together in this discussion.

Up until the 16th and 17th centuries when European cultures appeared upon the scene, Oceanic cultures maintained a number of different types of Neolithic technology. One exception was in the northwest of New Guinea, where the people living around Geelvink Bay (Teluk Cenderawasih) traded very small quantities of metal from the Indonesians of the Moluccas (Maluku). The art of forging was jealously guarded, almost as a cult secret; some tools were traded but only in quantities far too small to have made much impact on usual working conditions.

Throughout the rest of Melanesia and in Polynesia and Micronesia, the basic tool remained the stone blade, which was hafted as an adze or an axe, and at times interchangeably as both. Tridacna shell was occasionally used as blades in the parts of Oceania where stone was in short supply, including Micronesia and the Solomon Islands. When obsidian became available, it was chipped into blades for use as both weapons and tools. Other suitable materials included bamboo and bivalve shells, which allow extremely sharp edges. Some fine cutting and engraving was done with unhafted boar tusks or with hafted shark and rodent teeth. Animal bones served as gouges, awls, and needles. All these tools were employed in working wood, which with only rare exceptions was the main medium used throughout Oceania.

Clay was also used, in the main for sculptures, for some of the smaller musical instruments (whistles), and for pottery in Melanesia and New Guinea. The making of pottery vessels was nearly exclusively women’s work, except in a few small areas in New Guinea and the northern Solomons. A typical method involved spiral coiling of rolls of clay. The decorating of the pot was the work of men.

Some working of shell and turtle shell was done with simple drilling and abrading tools. The carving of stone, although obviously presenting far more difficult and time-consuming problems than wood, was employed remarkably often and occurred throughout the Pacific Islands; hammering, pecking, and polishing were the main methods. Even such a hard a material as greenstone was mastered by sanding with abrasives.

Paint and painting were thought to animate sculpture, sometimes literally, in religiosymbolic terms, as paint was considered to have magical, vivifying powers. Paints were usually ochres, with some vegetable-derived pigments. Water was the typical medium, occasionally supplemented with sap. Brushes were created from the fibrous ends of chewed or frayed sticks, small feather bundles, pieces of wood, and sometimes the most elementary applicator of all, the finger. Apart from sculpture, the surfaces used for painting were rock faces, bark, and tapa (cloth made from felted bark). Rock painting was most common in Australia, where panels of bark were also used. In Melanesia, paintings were made mainly on sago-palm spathes and sheets of tapa cloth. In Polynesia the women created large quantities of tapa, which were then decorated with traditional designs using vegetable dyes. The techniques they employed included painting, stenciling with leaf templates, rubbing over relief-design tables, stamping, and printing with carved bamboo rollers.

The only areas where weaving was practiced were the Caroline Islands, the Polynesian outliers east of the Solomon Islands, some of the Santa Cruz Islands, parts of Vanuatu, the Saint Matthias Group (northwest of New Ireland), and a few places on the northern coast of Irian Jaya. Spinning was unknown; instead of yarn or thread, strips of banana fibre were used on a simple backstrap loom. Weaving was a woman’s craft in the Caroline and Saint Matthias islands but was practiced by men elsewhere. A form of “finger weaving,” as in net making, was used by Maori women in creating textiles from flax fibres.

The architecture of the Pacific Islands was varied and sometimes large in scale. Buildings reflected the structure and preoccupations of the cultures that constructed them, with considerable symbolic detail. Technically, most structures in Oceania were no more than simple assemblages of poles held together with cane lashings; only in the Caroline Islands were complex methods of joining and pegging known.

Oceanic artists’ quest for media was completely opportunistic; they regarded almost anything from the lavish natural world that surrounded them as potentially usable. The sea provided shells of all kinds, particularly conus, cowrie, and nassa shells. Birds provided down, beaks, and plumes (those of the birds of paradise were particularly prized); animals provided teeth, tusks, and skins; insects supplied wonderfully brilliant wing cases. The vegetable kingdom was drawn upon for flowers, leaves, and fibres. The assembly of such materials into single objects was uncommon in Polynesia and Micronesia, but the practice was typical of Australian and Melanesian styles, and contributed brilliantly to their more spectacular effects. The most basic medium of all was the human body, which allowed for both removable and permanent decorations, including scarification, enhanced by treatment to raise keloid welts in New Guinea, and tattooing with needles and pigments elsewhere.

For quality discount art supplies and artist supplies, make sure you visit discountart.com.au for your art supplies. Australia boasts some of the worlds most innovative artists and art galleries.

Ok, so you’ve just had your brand new grid-connected solar panels connected by your local accredited solar power installer.

Now, remember the first meeting you had with the sales consultant by the kitchen table. Do you recall talking about your prior energy use in the home, and what habits you ought to change if you decided to get solar? If you answered yes, then you probably organised your solar quote through mysolarprice.com.au, as we only engage solar companies that we are certain will educate the consumer about their typical power use and give them a better understanding of what power output the system is capable of. Some ‘fly-by-night’ solar panel companies who have just arrived on the scene have misled the public in the performance capacity of their grid connected systems. This has led to some mistrust and confusion in the Solar arena. Mysolarprice.com.au knows of these companies, and will not deal with the solar installers found to be giving misleading information or involved in any dishonest sales tactics.

Have you forgotten these power saving tips the solar consultant gave you? If so, don’t worry, as we provide here the TOP 15 tips for reducing your power consumption to get the most out of your tariff feed, whether that be Net Tariff feed or Gross Tariff feed. Some businesses with larger systems from 2kw (2 kilowatts) or more may not have to change their electricity usage at all and will still be in positive territory, that is, getting a surplus or credit for their power. This depends on the home, roof type, shade, number of people in the home, appliance usage, and most importantly the behaviour in the home or in other words how they interact with their home. Some families work during the day and turn their standby power off, whilst doing their washing and household chores at night time. Whereas other people have an air-conditioned home office and use a massive amount of power during the day and do almost nothing at night. How does this make a difference you may ask? If you are in a state like Queensland that has a “Net Tariff Feed” this is extremely important. A Net tariff feed basically means you get the balance of the power you send to the grid from the amount of power youhave used during the day but not at night, as solar panels don’d generate power at night time. Therefore, if you are using a lot of power during the day when your solar power system is working the hardest, you are competing or cancelling it out with the amount of power you are feeding back to the grid, or “Net” Feed. If however, you are not there during the day and turn off all your appliances at the wall to eliminate inactive and active standby but only leave the essential items on like the fridge, you will be streets ahead of the rest and get more of a “net” balance which can only mean one thing: more $$$$$$ in your pocket!

These top 15 energy saving tips range from modifying the building fabric of the house, to being more energy efficient, to minor behavioural modifications like turning off the lights when you leave the room. This list will be in the order of the simplest minor behaviour modifications to bigger structural changes to the building material.

TOP 15 POWER-SAVING IDEAS

1.Turn the lights off when you leave a room. This is especially important if you have energy-guzzling old-fashioned incandescent lights or worse, halogen lights. I have seen people leave on 4 x tastic 500w heat lamps on in the bathroom all day. That’s an incredible 2KW or 2000 watts of power being consumed for no reason.

2.Allow natural light into the internal space. This will reduce the requirements for lights during the day.

3.Replace your incandescent light bulbs and halogens with CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) or LED’s. They use only about a quarter or less power than the standard 75watt incandescent or 60watt halogen, and can last much longer than the standard incandescents or halogens.

4.Use Sensor CFL spotlights for outdoors, instead of the old energy-inefficient spotlights of yesterday.

5.Turn off all standby power. This is probably the best tip I can give you for reducing your daily electricity consumption. A typical home generally operates at around 10-15% standby power, so if you have a quarterly bill of $400 that means $40-$60 of that bill is standby power -which does nothing! It may not sound like much but that’s approx. $120-$240 a year just for not turning appliances off at the wall. An easy way to control your standby is to install a proper standby power board.

6.Choose energy-efficient appliances. This doesn’t necessarily mean throwing out your 5-year-old fridge because it only has 2 stars, and spending $2,500 on one that is 4 star. It means if you are presented with an option of buying a new appliance, then make sure it has the highest star rating available. So if you have the money and the choice is over a 2 star 50 inch plasma TV or a 5 star 50 inch Led TV you should get the LED.

7.Turn off any second or third fridges not in use. I have found in energy audits that many people have a spare chest freezer or 20-year-old rusting fridge with split seals in a hot basement. This will account for a large chunk of your electricity bill. Often I’ve opened the door and there’s nothing even in there, so the fridge is running -and working overtime- for no reason.

8.Turn off your computer screens and speakers when not being used. This is so easy, but most people I come across forget to do this. If you have a Sub-Woofer with a separate power supply be sure to turn that off also when not in use.

9.Draft Sealing in Winter. If you are using electric heating in winter, then be sure to stop any drafts, otherwise you are definitely wasting money.

10.Use ceiling fans or pedestal fans instead of air-conditioning. Air-conditioning can be one of the most expensive appliances to use in summer. If are going to use air-conditioning in summer, make sure that the room is well-sealed, the windows are covered and you have insulation in the ceiling.

11.Air-Conditioning Tips for Summer.

- Buy the optimum sized air-conditioner for your room -not house, unless it’s ducted. If buying ducted make sure it can be zoned.
- Buy an energy efficient inverter air-conditioner with a high star rating for cooling and heating.
- Set the thermostat between 18-21 degrees. Every degree celsius higher that you set the a/c increases its usage by 10%
- Re-circulate cool air from within rather than drawing hot air from outside. If the compressor is outside be sure its not sitting exposed in the western sun.
- Make sure the windows have both internal and external shading.

12.Air-Conditioning Tips for Winter.

- Set the thermostat to 23-26 degrees
- Wear warmer clothes to insulate your body so you need less mechanical heating
- Insulate your space as with Air-Conditioning in Summer Tips.
- Because hot air rises, a ceiling fan can be turned to the lowest setting -in reverse- as this actually pushes the warm air down towards the home’s occupants
- Avoid electric radiator heaters and electric fan heaters as they are massively expensive.
You are better to use reverse cycle air conditioning because it’s a great deal cheaper (most people don’t know this).

13.Insulation. Reflective foil type insulation is best in sub-tropical climates such as Brisbane experiences, but thicker, bulky insulation such as wool/fibreglass or polyester is better suited to more temperate climates such as Toowoomba.

14.Windows. There are a number of things you can do to insulate your windows to stop the heat entering the place during summer, and keep it in during winter. In summer it’s important to keep direct sun rays off the east and west windows by vertical screening, and keep it off north facing windows with big eaves or horizontal shading. This is so you can allow the sun in during winter when it is lower in the sky. These are principles known as solar passive design.

15.Hot Water. If you have an electric hot water system and you have it on the wrong tariff this can be the bulk of your bill. Generally, your hot water should be on an off-peak tariff depending on your location and retail provider. Your hot water bill is normally a quarter of your electricity bill if the system is electric. If it is a newer heat pump it will be much less. The most effective water heating device is Solar Hot Water, with a natural gas boost.

These are just some of the basic energy-saving tips I have come across when performing household energy audits which I find most people need help with. If you can reduce your daily consumption it’s going to make it a lot easier to:
1. Keep your bills down, and
2. Make it easier for the Solar Panels to work and provide you with a bonus or credit on your next bill.

One other thing I can also mention is panel care. Your panels should be kept free of dirt and grime, because even a small build-up of dust on the panels can drastically reduce the panel’s performance by up to 30% or more. I will look at the process of solar panel maintenance in my next article.

If you require any further energy saving tips or solar power saving tips, then Mysolarprice.com.au can help. We provide all the solar panel infomation necessary to make an informed solar purchasing decision.

Mysolarprice.com.au specialise in solar power brisbane solar hot water brisbane and solar pool heating brisbane

Lighting is an important part of any room. It takes a lot of effort and consideration to choose the right night lights, as it can make or break a room. Decorative lights can easily liven up a space, irrespective of how boring the furniture is. Lighting also plays a crucial role in creating the ambience in a room. Where you place these lights should also be planned well, as wrong placement can ruin the mood in a room.

Interior design has greatly evolved throughout the years, as decorative pieces and furniture have come to represent a more contemporary look to them. With the development of interior design trends came the similar evolution of lighting. Designer night lights have become one of the most crucial aspects of any interior design project. Choosing decorative lights that make a statement fulfills both the aesthetic and functional sides of the designing process. Whether you want classic designs or modern ones, there is definitely a lighting piece that will suit your needs and preferences.

Adding a lampshade or two in a bedroom can make a crucial difference. Drop lights are also pleasant additions to the living room and the dining room and string lights are now becoming a necessity when decorating. There are so many unique choices for night lights today that it can be quite overwhelming to choose. Decorative lights provide an attractive feel to the room and depending on the kind of light you decide to use, it can set the overall theme of the room. More modern designs include LED colour changing lights, large drop lights and metallic lighting fixtures. No matter what your interior design theme is, you can find a lighting fixture that will complement it. This even extends to the gardens and water features with outdoor lighting.

A lot of the modern lights these days are also more cost-efficient as they don’t consume as much electricity as they used to. It is ideal to decide on one central light and add several accent lights so that you can dim the lighting in the room should you want to. Warm lighting can greatly influence the ambience in the room, as it is a lot more pleasing to the eye than white lights.

Chandeliers have also greatly evolved through the years. From elaborate tear drop designs, they now come in a variety of varying designs and colours. Dark wrought iron chandeliers offer more simplistic options for homes, as they are not as ornamental as traditional chandeliers but can be as beautiful in feel and effect. Decorative night lights are certainly a great investment, as they can improve the aesthetic value of any home.