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Your electric meter is used to determine the amount of electricity you’re using in your home. Your electric supplier bills you according to the readings of your electricity readings. Here are some frequent electricity meter readings, questions and answers. How does a meter reading work? Electric meters have a series of dials, the newer ones […]

Over the past 50 years, the colours of UK wiring had changed once in 1977 and then again in 2006 when the UK wires were changed to match those on the continent. The new colour wires adhere to Amendment 2 of 17th Edition BS7671 Wiring Regulations. The UK standard for electrical installations and safety all […]

If you have researched getting electrical work done or ever had a conversation with an electrician you will come across electrical jargon which you probably don’t understand and find a little intimidating? So today we’re going to explain the mysterious electrician lingo and what it all means. AC – Alternating current. AC periodically reverses direction […]

Every home uses electrical appliances without them. Our home wouldn’t be at home. It would be like living in a cave. Appliances last a while, but we generally need to upgrade them every 5-10 years or so. When appliances fail, we repair or replace them; a common scenario is… Your washing machine starts playing up […]

Previously we spoke about the big energy wasters in your home the fridge tumble dryer and washing machine. It’s not just the big appliances you need to worry about, misusing your small appliances and devices will needlessly waste electricity also. Too many people leave devices and appliances on when they’re not in use. Research suggests […]

Pretty much everything in your home is powered by electricity, the cost of which is going up slowly but surely. Many people needlessly waste money by misusing their appliances. Here are the top 3 energy-wasting appliances in your home, how to prevent wastage and run your appliances as cheaply as possible Fridges/Fridge-Freezers Your fridge is […]

Overload your electrical system and the RCD (or MCB fuse) will do its job and trip cutting the power to the overloaded circuit and flicking the switch from on to the off position. After the surprise of the sudden power cut, all that’s usually required is to flick the switch back to ‘on’ and the […]

Motion sensor lights are a popular type of outdoor security lighting for domestic and commercial properties. Motion sensor lights automatically turn on in the dark when activated by movement. Motion sensor lights act as both a safety and security feature. When you come home at night or go outside in the dark, the lights will […]

The consumer unit is the most important part of your home electrical system. Here are some common consumer unit questions. Are old fuse boxes illegal? No, they are not illegal, but by law, you cannot install an old-style fusebox. Are old fuse boxes safe? Yes and no. While an old fusebox will do the job, […]

Ventilation in bathrooms is essential. Bathrooms create a lot of condensation and damp, which if not appropriately expelled can lead to the dreaded mould. Opening a window offers some ventilation but it’s not usually enough damp will still be accumulating in places and some bathrooms don’t have a window anyway. If you want to ventilate […]

USB plug sockets are probably the most useful electrical innovations of the last few years. A simple idea that makes our lives more convenient. It’s common in this day and age for people to have multiple devices that are charged via the USB your phone, tablet, laptop, kindle, smartwatch, Fitbit, GoPro etc. Your children have […]

The UK is one of the heaviest CCTV’d countries on the planet with over 5 million cameras installed around the country. In recent years CCTV has become popular among Essex homeowner, and it’s easy to see why CCTV Deters burglars and vandals and if anything does happen to your property the CCTV can identify the […]

Smart metres are the latest gas and electricity metres currently being installed by energy suppliers in every home in the UK Smart meters show exactly how much energy is being used with readings sent to the utility companies daily. Soon estimated bills will be a thing of the past, and you’ll only pay for exactly […]

What Is An RCD? Your consumer unit houses RCD (Residual current device) & MCB (miniature circuit breaker) fuses.  The RCD’s prevents you, anyone in your household (or place of work) suffering from an electric shock if live components In the electrical system are accidentally touched RCD fuses found in the modern home replace traditional fuses […]

We’ve already discussed the benefits of switching over to LED lights. However, there are some common misconceptions we hear when we recommend upgrading to LED lighting. Most of which is inaccurate or not true. LED Lighting Is Expensive First of all, LED lighting is considered expensive, which is true to an extent they are more […]

Electricity is everywhere without it we’ll still be living in the dark ages in primitive homes lit by candles and heated by log fires. Thanks to electricity everyone in the western world is richer than the richest man alive a couple of hundred years ago. Although we use artificial means to generate electricity, it is […]

You’re highly likely to have some form of LED lighting in your home, if not you have heard of LED lighting and most probably the benefits it provides. LED lightbulbs are more efficient, environmentally friendly and safer than CFL (compact fluorescent light) and traditional incandescent bulbs. When you understand how different types of bulbs work, […]

Getting your home checked over by an NICEIC registered Electrician will establish if your home needs rewiring. Ensuring your wiring is safe is very important. Old faulty wiring can cause electrocution and electrical fires. Replacing old wiring will protect you and your family. A rewire probably isn’t the top job on your list of work […]

Every day you use Electricity, everyday life would be impossible without it. You give little thought to how your daily supply of Electricity’s delivered; everything works day in day out year after year. The wiring hidden in the walls and ceilings supplies your sockets, hard-wired appliances and lights with power. Wiring is an essential part […]

Are you a business owner in Essex? Would you like to reduce your electricity costs significantly? Decrease maintenance costs? Increase workplace productivity? Make your business more environmentally friendly? Yes, of course, you would. You can enjoy these benefits and increase your profits by upgrading your old commercial lighting to modern LED lighting. Here’s how an […]

Heating your rooms with bulky, inconveniently placed radiators that have to work hard isn’t the best option when it comes to heating. You may have considered Underfloor Heating before but then realised you have no gas supply at your property? No problem Electric Underfloor Heating is a cost-effective alternative to traditional wet underfloor heating, cheaper, […]

Responsible Energy Efficiency in the home ensures you do your bit when it comes to reducing energy consumption and protecting the environment. You can save a few pounds too. Today we’re going to look at getting the maximum efficient use out of your Washing Machine A Washing Machine that’s used 300 times a year (not […]

As Fully certified NICEIC Domestic Installers TM Hughes Electricians carry many tools on their vans. When we arrive at an electrical emergency, we need to diagnose faults as quickly as possible. This allows us to complete the job swiftly and keeps the price down for the customer. One of our favourite tools is the Thermal […]

Anyone with young children knows how curious they can be and want to protect them. The baby and toddler care market is enormous worth around 158 billion annually in the UK. Clever marketers play on emotions to sell their products, one of which is fear. No one wants their child to get hurt around the […]

Electricity is the lifeblood of any workplace; without it, your business wouldn’t run. Electricity is dangerous and must be treated with care by Employers, Employees, and Contractors. Whether you run a small shop or a large industrial factory as an Employer, you have a duty of care to ensure your employees are safe in the […]

Many homes in Essex include outdoor areas if you have a garden you probably use tools such as electric lawnmowers, hedge trimmers and strimmers. Outdoor electricity must be treated with respect and some caution; careless use can lead to unnecessary risk. Here are a few safety guidelines that will keep you and your family safe […]

Smart devices, appliances and solutions such as Smart Lighting are becoming more and more popular in Essex homes. Now you can make your old plug-in appliances ‘Smart’ with Smart Plugs. A Smart Plug plugs-in to your traditional sockets you then plug-in a traditional appliance such as a lamp into your Smart Plug. Your lamp can […]

The modern 21st century home is full of smart devices, smart meters, smart speakers, smart locks, smart plugs it seems nowadays there’s a smart solution for everything in the home this includes Smart Lighting. Smart Lighting is fast gaining popularity, providing an efficient, cost-effective way to light your home. Here are seven reasons why you […]

The smoke alarm is an essential safety feature of any home, if your home was built after 1992, then you should by law have a mains-wired smoke alarm, if you live in an older home built before 1992 you should have a smoke alarm either wired to the mains or battery operated. If you haven’t […]

Smoke alarms save lives, an essential feature of any home in recent years hard-wired smoke alarms have replaced traditional battery-operated smoke alarms. Building regulations now state that newly built and refurbished properties should have hard-wired smoke alarms that are interconnected, which is a good thing as wired smoke alarms are superior to battery-powered alarms. Those […]

CCTV is a common security feature of many Essex homes. Fortunately, the cost of CCTV installation has come down considerably over the years, and many savvy homeowners are having it installed along with other security features such as burglar alarms and security lighting which helps prevent burglary, trespass and vandalism. Unfortunately, CCTV is not ‘set […]

Old gas and electricity meters are gradually being phased out and replaced by Smart Meters. The ongoing Government, smart meter scheme, ensures that energy companies must offer their customers smart meters by 2020. You might have been offered a smart meter, or you might already have one, Or this is the first time you have […]

Electricity is the lifeblood of our day to day living without it we’d be sitting in the dark in damp candlelit homes with little in the way of entertainment cooking our food off fires. Few would argue that creating and distributing electricity is one of humanity’s most significant achievements. As fantastic as electricity is it’s […]

The primary energy suppliers service 9 out of 10 households in the UK. Many Gas & Electricity customers have used one of the big suppliers for years without changing and most of those who do change go straight to another big energy supplier. Many don’t even know there are alternative newer, smaller energy suppliers that […]

A consumer unit’s an essential component of the home; without one, your property wouldn’t be safe. The Consumer Unit prevents electrical shock (which can kill) while protecting cables and appliances from overload and electrical fire. There are several different types and brands of consumer unit the type you need will depend on your property size, […]

Now and then we find old live wires while working in the homes and businesses of Essex. Whenever electrical work’s undertaken in the home or commercial premises old cables connected to the electrical system should be dealt with so they don’t pose an electrocution threat. Sadly negligent Electricians or irresponsible DIYers have and do leave […]

Is it time to rewire your home? In the right conditions the electrical cables that run through your walls and ceilings powering sockets, lights and appliances can last a very long time. However, electrical wiring does deteriorate every time and will need replacing at least every 30 years. Do you live in an old property […]

The Kitchen is the highest energy-consuming room of any household it’s where most (if not all) the energy-draining appliances live. Running a Kitchen’s expensive and’s only going to get more costly as energy prices rise. By getting into a few simple habits around the Kitchen, it’s easy to save energy and money, here’s how. We’ll […]

Electrical Sockets are used day in day out year after year without them none of our Electrical appliances would work, outlets are critical to our daily lives, but they are often overlooked and taken for granted. Do you ever check your sockets? Have you ever had your sockets checked? Sockets last a long time and […]

Electricity and electrical appliances are fire risks around 50% of household fires are caused by appliances. Preventing electrical fires isn’t difficult following these steps will keep you and your family safe. Always buy electrical appliances made by reputable manufacturers and sold by trustworthy retailers. Counterfeit electrical goods such as fake phone chargers are rife online, […]

Energy Performance Certificates commonly referred to as EPC’s came into force in 2008. Any newly built home, home for sale or rent must have an EPC, so buyers or tenants are aware of the properties energy rating. EPC’s are the responsibility of the seller/landlord, so if you’re buying or renting a home you should never […]

You probably have noticed that Solar Panels are becoming more and more common around Essex, nowadays drive down any street and you’ll see at least one house with Solar Panels fixed to the roof. As time goes on your going to see more homes that have jumped on the Solar Energy bandwagon and with good […]

Phone chargers supplied with Smart Phones never seem to last as long as the Phone, it’s very annoying when one has to wiggle a lead and get it in the exact position for the Phone to Charge and even more annoying when you move it slightly, and your Phone stops charging. Time for a new […]

Modern Electrical systems and appliances are very safe and as such Electrocution (serious injury or death) and Electrical Burns are not as common in the UK household as other accidents such as burns from dry heat (a burn from a flame or hot appliance) or scalds (wet heat such as boiling water) but unfortunately Electrical […]

Smoke Alarms are an essential feature in every property; there are around fifty thousand domestic fires each year in the UK that sadly cause hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries. Most of these casualties could have been prevented if a smoke alarm was fitted. A smoke alarm will notify anyone in the house of […]

A common complaint in some Essex households is that fuses keep tripping. While tripping RCD fuses can be irritating RCD’s are wonderful devices that protect us from electrical shock and fires. Tripping fuses indicate that there’s a fault somewhere in the electrical system or the system’s overloaded. Here’s how to diagnose the cause of your […]

By law Landlords and letting agents have a duty of care towards their tenants with legal obligations that ensure the properties’ electrical system and appliances are safe. Making sure your property is safe protects your tenants from electrical accidents and fire, validates your insurance and protects you the landlord from fines. Legally, it’s essential to […]

Essex is a high energy consumption area with over half of households having a high energy usage (more than 3100 kWh per year). The average home uses 13 appliances. Thirty years ago the average was four appliances per household that’s a considerable increase. Of course, appliances are more energy efficient than they were 30 years […]