Electricity Theft - Illegal and Dangerous

During a routine switchboard upgrade the other day, I discovered this house had an illegal and potentially dangerous electrical connection directly to the main electricity supply cable bypassing the meter.  In the picture below, the black cable is the main supply from the street, the white cable is illegally connected.  To check if your house has an illegal connection, turn off all main switches in your switchboard and then ensure that all electrical outlets, appliances and lights are no longer operating.  If anything is still operating, contact us immediately for a professional inspection.   

Call Epping electrical on 0431 232 796 for a FREE quote

Insulation scheme finally abandoned

Last week the government's billion dollar insulation scheme was finally abandoned. After being linked to four deaths, 93 house fires, and 250,000 houses potentially having unsafe or poor quality insulation, it was a largely expected decision by the time it happened. The government has promised a new improved scheme by June 1. We have to wait and see the details of that.

Inspectors are now being arranged to make sure the work on at least 48,000 properties has been done properly. I don't even want to imagine what they will find. Just the other day Geoff went to quote on a job that needed some roof work and discovered that the insulation batts have been put only in one single row just around the manhole!! That's it! The rest of the roof is empty, uninsulated. It's gonna need some serious remedial work to eventually sort out the mess.

If you have had your roof insulated under this scheme, especially by a person that walked off the street, made you sign a form, went up in your roof for an hour or so and walked away - get it inspected. It's highly likely the job has not been done properly. At best, it is only that your home is just as uninsulated as before. At worst, you run the risk of a roof fire or electrocution. Get it checked to be safe!

Have you had your roof insulated recently? What has your experience been?

"Am I insured if DIY electrical work causes a problem"

This is an interesting question I found in the list of keywords used in Google searches that led to this site. Let me give the short answer to the question. No :)

Here is what NECA (National Electrical and Communications Association) says:

... home owners with illegal wiring may find that they are not covered by the Home Building insurance policy in the event of a fire which can be traced to the illegal wiring as the cause of the fire

And a standard policy document from AAMI says:

You must at all times, and at your expense, take all reasonable precautions:
......
to ensure compliance with all statutory obligations, by-laws or regulations imposed by any public authority, relating to the safety of persons or property.

If you do not, we may reduce or refuse to pay any claim you may make.

As per the Electricity Safety Act 1998 it is illegal for an unlicensed person to undertake electrical installation work in Victoria.Persons who do undertake such work can be prosecuted in the courts and subject to substantial financial penalties.

Registered electrical contractor card

Electrician's license card

Stay safe. Always use a registered electrical contractor and a licensed and qualified electrician to do the work to the required standards. Ask to see their license – it is your guarantee that you are working with someone who knows that they are doing and gives you avenues for recourse if something goes wrong. Also make sure that you get a certificate of electrical safety once the work is complete.

Building a new home? Involve your electrician early

Most people, when building a new home will spend enormous amounts of time planning exact size and colour of rooms, appliances, woodwork and furnishings – but fail to seek the assistance of a qualified electrician early enough in the process to get the best possible outcome. Given that the electrical work in the home will provide light, warmth, entertainment, technology and probably even cooked food – you would want the service and outlets and wiring and every detail to accommodate your lifestyle and incorporate flexibility for future changes.

• Engage an electrician right after you get the building plans
• Know what to ask in your initial meeting
• Understand the electrical design process for your new home

For the best outcome and to save time and money, engage an electrician as soon as plans are available. An initial meeting with your electrician should typically take between 60-90 minutes depending on the size and complexity of your home.

Top 10 things to ask your electrician before building a new home

1. Electricity Supply arrangements, ie. underground or overhead etc
2. Availability and location of Electricity Service Pit or Service Pole, distance to house
3. Preferred Electricity Meter location
4. Occupancy – Single or Multiple (units)
5. Power Outlets – Type, Colour, Number and approximate location within each room, also include weatherproof outlets for external locations and outlets in ceiling for ducted heating and cooling
6. Lighting – Type of light fittings, Smart Lighting and Home Automation, number fittings and approximate location within each room, also review external lighting requirements
7. Electrical Appliance Review - Oven, hotplates, hot water, air conditioning, heating, garage door openers, spa bath, sauna, bathroom 3in1’s, exhaust fans, workshop equipment etc. For all appliances required, power consumption in KW, single or thee phase connection is required in order to confirm electricity supply capacity is sufficient
8. Telecommunications - TV Points, Telephone Points, Local Area Networking
9. Smoke Detectors – Number and Locations
10. Home Automation requirements

Once this is complete, your electrician should be able to prepare the initial quotation that will detail all reviewed requirements. It is advisable to obtain two or three quotes before deciding on your electrician. Do not base your decision solely upon price. Consider how all prospective electricians assisted you to understand the design and implementation phases, how clear each one was when reviewing your requirements, are they all available to undertake the work within your timelines? Remember, no matter how well you planned, changes will occur so you need to be able to easily communicate with your chosen electrician.

What’s the process of the electrical design and wiring for a new home?

Most home electrical installations go something like this: -

1. Confirm Electrician
2. Prior to concrete pour, install underground service and builders post, extend Telephone conduits to home, normally buried within same trench. 
3. Once concrete slab is complete, install Builders Temporary Supply, normally located in final position. Your electrician will organise the required inspection and paper work for supply to be connected. You will be required to nominate the electricity retailer of your choice and open an account with them.
4. Once the frame is constructed and windows, brickwork and roof installation is complete, the electrician can commence the “Rough-in” stage. This stage allows the electrician to run all required cables within the house frame. Normally the location of outlets and light switches are either confirmed on a final plan or ‘walked’ thru with the owner on-site. Note: Electrical Rough-in stage is normally done with plumbing Rough-in.
5. Once the plaster is complete, the electrician would cut out all power outlets and light switch locations, down-light holes are also cut. This will allow tiling to be complete where required and will confirm all locations are found ‘BEFORE’ painting is complete.
6. Once kitchen and bathrooms are fitted out, painting is complete, the electrical “Fit-off” stage can commence. All Power outlets are installed, Light Switches and Light Fittings are installed, Smoke detectors fitted, all appliances and finally switchboard fit out with safety switches and circuit breakers.
7. Test and energise the installation.

Simple as that. Of course there is more to it than that, but that’s a good start in your understanding. Remember to start early with your electrician, think about all your requirement in the early stages. If you do this, you will save both time and money.

If you are planning to build a new home in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and require a qualified electrician for your project, EPPING ELECTRICAL  would be more than happy to provide the initial review and detailed quotation for you and no cost.

I hope you found this information informative, if you have any questions, please drop me a line or call me on 0431 232 796.

Get paid by your customer: Top 5 tips

You get a call from someone wanting the services you provide, you listen carefully and prepare a quote for the job, you get the job beating all your competitors (yaaayy!!), you fix a date for the job and shop around for best materials, you accomodate the customer's changing and additional requirements that come up as he understands the product better, you finish the job a few days later and are happy about having provided a great service, you come back and prepare an invoice based on the earlier quote and added tasks, you send it in the mail, and... nothing!! You call the customer another few days later to ask for payment and...

"Oh my God!! That is definitely not what I expected"
"I nearly fell off the chair looking at the amount"
"How did it become this expensive??!!"
"I am really struggling for cash right now, can we negotiate this?"
"Can I pay in installments?"
"Can I pay next month?"

Have you ever faced difficulties getting payments from customers? Have you found yourself struggling to pay your suppliers since you simply dont get paid by your customers on time? Do you find yourself spending a lot of time trying to follow up with slow or non-paying customers, calling them, sending reminders and sometimes totally spoiling the good relationship you have so far developed with them? Here are our top tips to help you avoid this nightmare:

1. Set expectations right

Start even before your relationship starts. What are your call-out charges? Do you charge for a written quote? What is your definition of a quote, is this the same as your customers definition.  Make sure you make your initial charging policy clear the first time a prospective customer calls you. Do not assume that it is simple "common sense" that a particular service is or is not free. Just be honest, transparent and perfectly clear. Do not let anyone accuse you of "hidden charges". 

2. Provide a written estimate before you start

It is tempting to immediately start the work the customer asked for. But STOP! Always provide your estimated cost to complete the works. Think of what obstacles you might find on the way, and put in provisions for them. At the same time put in your terms for payment. Do you want a deposit? If it is a large job, do you want milestone payments along the way? How many days after the job do you want final payment by? Do you give a discount for early payment? What happens if the customer does not pay? Put it all down there, and make this your standard quoting practice.

Tip: Much of your spending on a job will be at the start, to buy materials required. Remember that cash flow is king in the business, and ask the customer to pay enough payment upfront to cover this. It also helps to make the final payment relatively small, so that if unfortunately you do have to chase up later, you are chasing up for a smaller amount.

3. Expect the unexpected

This is one of the greatest truths of any business. The customer wants something that you quote for, but as he sees his thoughts taking shape, he might think better of something, change one thing, add many more. And of course, with the focus on customer service that you have you will do that. But keep note of every change and addition.

Also take note of unexpected difficulties or setbacks at the job. We have had underground cables stolen overnight, hit illegal wiring that absolutely had to be fixed, found customers who had bought large appliances such as a spa without thinking of telling their electrician, had another tradesperson at a new house cut through our wires and.. you get the picture. Some of them we have absorbed into our own cost of doing business, some we have not. But what is important is to note every single one of them, and make sure the customer knows how that affects both schedule and cost. Inform the customer immediately, if possible. And better still, send him a daily running statement of work completed along with cost. This makes sure there are no surprises at the end of the job.

4. Send invoices promptly

Do not wait for the end of the week or month to send out invoices. Do this as soon as the job is done. If you have been sending running statements of work and have been in touch with the customer at all times, he will already be expecting this and will also have an idea of the total cost.

5. Keep track and follow up

Have a system in place that tells you of which customers owe you money. We use MYOB for our accounting and tracking and find it extremely easy-to-use and user-friendly. Even if you are not currently using an accounting software, track payments on Excel. If you have not received payment, you can call the customer the day before the due date to confirm that he has received your invoice. If you are not paid by the due date, do not be afraid to follow up, both on the phone and through written reminders. Sometimes customers do simply forget to pay in time, and a simple reminder is all it takes. If not follow up at least weekly, and try to get a promised date to get the payment by. Be polite, but firm!

Are the 5 tips enough?

Following up, calling, sending repeated overdue reminders. All these do eat up a lot of your time and energy. Sometimes, you will come across some customers who do not pay up despite all these measures. Know when to give up and accept that you are simply not going to get 100% payment from these people. There are still some things you CAN do after this stage - you can call in a debt collection  agency (they are expensive, and remember to read their terms carefully too, do not pay fees before they collect), you can try "factoring ", you can even try negotiating payments in installments or at least some percentage of the total. You can also insure the accounts receivable  from the very start if you just want to sleep in peace. Hopefully, if you have followed the 5 tips carefully, you will rarely reach this stage of non-payment