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Will covering IC-rated lights make them fail quickly?

by Richard Keech

2019-04-27

I’ve heard a few people opine lately that covering IC-rated LED lights is bound to cause accelerated failure rate.  One the one hand it’s well known that electronic devices fail more quickly when they get too hot.  On the other hand, you’d think that the manufacturers of IC-rated lights would not rate them as OK to cover if it would cause significant reduction in their likely service life.  So I thought I’d delve a little closer.

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Zero-bill case study

By Richard Keech

2019-01-18

Here’s a quick look at how I’ve transformed my home to zero bills.   Since the beginning of the transition I’ve now saved nearly $49,000 in energy.  I expect to have paid back my investment in solar and efficiency by the end of 2019.

Despite using much less energy, it’s also worth mentioning that the home is also much more comfortable than it was previously, thanks to the fundamental improvements to the thermal envelope.

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Energy consumption reduced to less than energy generation

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In praise of smart meters

by Richard Keech

2019-01-10

In Victoria, Australia, we now have a complete roll out of smart meters for our home electrical supply. It’s not unusual to find people who are of the view that smart meters are bad and that the roll out program was a costly failure.  I want to present an alternative view.  Smart meters give important capability, and the roll-out program has probably saved lives.

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