Category Archives: Our Blog

Whether you own one modest home or a business with several locations, there’s one thing that’s always at the top of your mind: energy efficiency. Our power bill can always be reduced… even if your partner or staff has finally got into the hang of switching off the lights, after an infinite amount of reminding them.

But what if we didn’t have to resort to nagging to improve energy efficiency?

That’s where lighting controls and automation enter the picture. With the power of lighting controls and automation, you can improve energy efficiency and do something good for the environment, too. Here’s how the team at Spectra Electrical in Sydney can help:

Dimmers

Dimmers are great for a bunch of reasons. They reduce the output of your lightbulbs which saves energy, they’re excellent for setting the mood at home, and they’re inexpensive, too. Dimmers need to be used with the correct bulbs, though; incandescent bulbs, for example, aren’t as efficient when dimmed compared to other bulbs more suited to dimming, like LEDs and fluorescent dimmers.

Spectra Electrical can install dimmers in your home or business to increase energy efficiency and reduce power bills. Our expert electricians can install dimmers wherever you’d like them.

Motion sensors

Motion sensors are perfect for security and utility lighting. Whether you want extra security for your home’s garage or your business, motion sensor activated lighting is highly effective. It’s also a great way to improve energy efficiency, as these lights turn off automatically after a period of not detecting movement.

Talk to the team at Spectra Electrical if you’re interested in swapping out your traditional floodlights for motion sensor lights.

Timers

Timers are convenient and super effective devices which can help improve energy efficiency in a big way. Turning on and shutting off at a certain time, timers ensure that your lights will always turn off, even if you forget to switch them off manually.

Spectra Electrical has helped many businesses in Sydney cut down their energy costs by installing timers in their lighting systems.

Smart device control

With technological advancements, you can even control timers and dimmers of your home or business using your smart device. It’s as simple as getting an electrician to rig up the dimmers and timers and installing an app on your phone or iPad. This way, you can have full access to your lighting controls at the swipe of your finger.

Spectra Electrical are Sydney’s best team of electricians, working for you to improve your home or business’s energy efficiency, cut down on energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint, all at once. Spectra Electrical specialise in general electrical work, Level 2 electrical work, solar electricity and more. Simply get in touch with our team to make a greener, cost-effective difference to your home or business today.

How to Stay Mentally Healthy

Hasn’t 2020 just been incredibly unprecedented? I think “unprecedented” best describes it – who expected this??  It’s certainly changed the way we go about our business. Change is great – don’t get me wrong – as Benjamin Franklin once said “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished”, so we have to keep changing, growing & adapting if we’re going to survive. However change can be HARD.  And with the restrictions & limitations in place with Covid-19, the biggest change has been isolation.  As humans, face to face interaction is so vital – little things like being able to bounce ideas off each other, share a joke at the time or just getting that nod of approval or knowing look from a colleague.  This all suddenly disappeared & sudden change is really quite traumatic.  Some of us adapt better than others, but even if it was fun for a little while to be stuck at home, everyone has eventually asked the question of “when can we go back to normal?”. Being isolated, can have an enormous affect on your mental health.  KPMG recently made the following observations with the onsert of Covid-19:-

  • Cash/liquidity has become critical for survival.
  • Business continuity plans have had to be rethought given the simultaneous global nature of the pandemic & the subsequent impact of international & domestic lockdowns.
  • Leaders are being challenged to deal with a new level of ambiguity balancing what they can control with things they can’t.
  • Organisations are struggling to balance the health of their employees (physical, mental & economic) with the viability of their business across both the short & long term.
  • To continue operating in this environment, many organisations are trying to stay open while planning for the future through a combination of cash saving tactics & digital models.

So…. how do we all get through this?  TOGETHER is one answer but as that can’t always be in the literal sense of the word, support from others is high up on the list.

Here’s some tips for staying mentally healthy during Covid-19:-

WORK LOSS – STAYING WELL

  1. Be KIND to yourself – the message of being KIND is universal so look after yourself & be KIND to others (after all … it’s free!)
  2. Connect with family, friends & professionals
  3. Maintain a routine
  4. Exercise regularly
  5. Clear your mind
Protect yourself

* Manage information
* Budget & financial plan
* Develop a flexible routine

Promote yourself 

* Exercise, sleep, eat well, limit alcohol
* Mindfulness & perspective
* Achievement & pleasure activities

Support yourself 

* Stay connected
* Use social supports
* Access help

WORKING AT HOME

Protect yourself

* Develop a new playbook: expectations, process & outputs
* Create flexible routines
* Organise a Team based approach to flexibility
* Ensure suitability of work environment
* Utilise the right tools, infrastructure & equipment

Promote yourself 

* Set examples & boundaries as a leader
* Ensure time for health
* Organise online catch-ups
* Maintain development & progression

Support yourself

* Be aware of other stressors in the household
* Identify & promote professional supports
* Support & peer networks

For more information, visit coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au

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