Is white the colour?

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Kevin

Our main product is white, it is a nice white, a sort of matt finish on a carbon fibre material.

The best place to put one of our panels is in the ceiling – what, I hear you say, how can you put a heater in the ceiling, surely hot air rises?

You would of course be right, hot air does rise, but infrared is part of the light spectrum, you need to bask your room in light, albeit invisible light so that the whole room gets the benefit – you would expect to see your lights in the ceiling or at least high on the walls so that when the room gets gloomy all of the room gets brightened up, and so with infrared heaters.

Now, most people have white ceilings, so a white panel is perfect for blending into background. Yes, for sure the first few times you go into the room you will look up and see them in the ceiling but after a time you’ll just forget they are there!

So, white panels, white ceilings!

50w per square metre!

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Kevin

I was talking to someone the other day and they asked me to quote them to heat up a 33 cubic metre room. After all, it is the air that needs heating up in a room isn’t it?

Convector heating systems (including radiators in a room) heat the air in the room, the warm air rises and the cooler air falls to be heated up and rises again creating a flow of warm air around the room. It is this feeling of being surrounded by warm air that will make us all feel warm in that environment.

So, using traditional convector heaters to work up what power/energy that you need to warm the room you need the volume or cubic metres of space that need to be heated!

Infrared heating though works very differently, it actually heats up the objects in the room. The panels are at their most efficient when fixed upon the ceiling and the infrared rays (an invisible part of the light spectrum) will cover the floor area and provide warmth! The floor, the walls and the objects in the room will absorb this heat and gently radiate it back into the room, thereby heating everything around it, including the air, creating that cosy all round feeling of warmth!

Therefore, when we calculate how much power/energy is required to heat a room, we only need the square metre dimensions as it is the amount of floor area that the panels can reach that is the consideration, not the cubic area!

As a very general rule and as a guide we estimate that a fairly well insulated room with double glazed windows and an internal door will require about 50 watts per square metre of floor space to to provide the right amount of heat. Therefore assuming a rectangular room with dimensions of 4 metres by 3 metres has 12 square metres of floor space then 600w of power/energy are required to heat this room.

If insulation is poor then the amount of watts required will increase. A similar sized room with a large single glazed window in may well need 80 watts per square metre, and if very well insulated then maybe only 40w per square metres will be required.

Of course, just give us the information and we will be happy to work this all out for you!

National Happiness Survey – are you happy with life?

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Heather

I read with interest this week that the Governments National Well Being Survey suggests that farmers are some of the happiest workers in the country. I can see the draw of working outdoors in the beautiful scenery, living and breathing a job you have always wanted to do, learning and continuing on from previous generations. But the reality is very long hours, muck and dirt, the vagaries of the British weather, uncertainty of crop harvest, drop in milk prices and therefore annual income.

So why should our farmers be happy with their lot? I think it comes down to expectations and emotional wellbeing, a farmer has to face whatever problems are thrown at him and deal with it! After a very wet start to summer, this week in Devon the weather has been scorching hot and our farmers are out round the clock cutting grass to make haylege and hay to feed the animals this winter, there can be no moaning, because the job must be done before any rain falls, this week of sunshine can mean make or break for a farms livelihood next winter. And after all that hard work, what greater satisfaction than a neatly cut field and barn full of bales neatly stacked and stored.

Farmers do get a lot of job satisfaction, but that is because they are very proud of what they and their families have achieved, they can appreciate all the hours of hard work that go into producing a tasty piece of beef or the milk on the kitchen table and fine looking dairy herd in the meadow.

Happiness is gained from recognising all the wonderful things around us, no matter how small, that come together to create the vibrant world we live in, yes there are always things that could be changed for the better but sometimes we just need to get on and appreciate what we have got. Have a look around you now and see what makes you happy!

Ministers hope the research will be used to help guide young people in their career choices.

Technology provides greater workplace flexibility

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Heather

The other day I talked about how we have just accepted new technology into our lives, some 15 years ago people were all very nervous about computers and steered away from using them, leaving it to the youngsters! Today, I read on my “shedworking .co.uk” newsletter that according to a new report from printer specialists Brother that

“tablet technology, mobile printing and scanning solutions, the widespread availability of Wi-Fi connectivity and cloud technology means there are no longer barriers when it comes to working remotely, and almost any location can now be treated as an extension of – or even replacement for – your office.” Said Joanna Williams, Head of Brother UK Marketing and Communications. “76% of over-55s said technology had given them greater workplace flexibility”

New technology has completely changed our lives in the way we live and work, and it is quite possible to have an office at home and be connected with what is going on in the rest of the company, all with the aid of advancing technology.

Those wary of new technology some years ago have embraced the concept, choosing now to take full advantage of every new idea, hunting out a better performing gadget than the last because greater workplace flexibility has got to be of benefit to all if it reduces traffic congestion and stress levels at peak travel periods, reduces office overheads, and creates a happier and more relaxed workforce then that has got to be worth accepting new technology for now hasn’t it!

The use of computers and new technology enables us to work from an office based close to home in the heart of the countryside, which we love, but how has it benefited your lifestyle?

Heather Edwards

http://www.shedworking.co.uk/

New technology – go for it!

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Heather

Have you ever sat down and wondered how did I ever manage before all this new technology. Our lives have completely changed over the past ten years or so. We simply go out and buy the latest must have gadget without ever thinking will it work or how does it do that? Knowing that it just will do it! No one ever waits to see if it fails, or needs a trail period to iron out any faults, because before you know it the product will be updated and technology moved on to make a new product even better than the last.

Today a customer asked me if our heating panels have a proven track record. He was new to the concept of far infrared heating, but quite convinced from what he had read that it was just what he was looking for. Well, I guess we have been using them here in the office and in our homes for a few years with no problems, but that isn’t a very big track record is it, even so, this didn’t faze him at all. They have been used successfully in Europe for many years but are new to the UK.

The energy efficiency market is moving forwards all the time, the panels we sell today are a vast improvement on those we first looked at only a few years ago, and we have learnt so much too, new products will hopefully be launched later in the year to extend our range.

New technology does not come cheap, whether it is a smart phone or solar panel, there is no proven track record, you can only research and read up to make our own judgement. In such a rapidly growing market there is no time to wait and see if it works, do your research, and ask yourself is this product right for me? will it benefit me in my lifestyle? will it actually save me money or time? if the answer is yes then go for it!

Heather

The modern home contained an average of 41 devices…

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Kevin

I read on the BBC news website today – full article can be found here :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18577035

..that the modern home has 41 electrical appliances compared with a dozen or so in the 1970s. These 41 devices are the standard fridge, freezer, washing machine, TV etc…, but no doubt include more than one TV, a DVD player, a set top box for digital, radios, music as well as computers and mobile phones, quite a list, and according to the same article nearly 16% of your electricity bill is spent on devices that are left on stand-by!

That’s a lot of electricity!

One of the things that we promote is the Vphase unit that reduces the voltage in your house down to 220v from the standard 240v, a great way to cut your electricity costs without having to change your lifestyle, but of course if you would only actually turn off your TV, your computer screen, your mobile phone charge, and remember to turn off the lights when you leave a room, think how much electricity you could save without even buying something that can save you electricity.

There we were thinking that we need more capacity in the electric grid, more power stations, more wind farms, more solar PV, and actually we’re out there using more & more electricity in quite a wasteful way, and all we need to do is turn things off!

What are you going to turn off today?

The magic of far infrared!

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Kevin

I was at a networking event last night, where I was manning a stand for the North Devon Business Alliance (NDBA), when someone who I know quite well asked me how business was. They knew me in my other guise as a QuickBooks advisor over at K & V Associates and so I explained to them that I had set up this little company called Multiheat – yes, that is us right here & no link required – and mentioned that I was marketing infrared heating panels, and the immediate question was, how much light do they give off.

Yes, many people remember the infrared heaters that can still be seen warming up warehouses and garden patios and yes, these heaters give that orange glow that provide quite a bit of light, but the magic of our heaters is that they give off no light whatsoever.

The far infrared end of the spectrum is by far the more efficient end and all of the energy put into the panels comes out as the warmth giving infrared with no energy wasted in giving off light as well. That is what happens at the near infrared part of the spectrum.

The heat given off is a lot gentler as well, the fierceness of those patio heaters can be quite overwhelming at times, and are ideal for warming up your home, office or garden room amongst other places!

Banks – please provide a decent service!

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Kevin

A quick rant!

I want to make a payment to an overseas supplier!

I have to go into my local branch because the bank I use won’t let me do it online – when I say won’t I probably mean can’t!

I have a client who I do a lot of work for and I can make payments from their bank online to absolutely anywhere in the world, so I know it is possible, so why can’t my bank!

Apathy sets in because trying to open up a bank account with another bank is such a minefield & a boringly long process!

So, come on Barclays – get you blooming act together!

Kevin

PS: 18th June 2012 – To be fair to Barclays, their site was down for maintenance and once it was up and running a transfer to Sweden was actually very easy, so well done Barclays – you still need to get your act together when you decide to take your site down for maintenance, like tell the customer so that we don’t rant!

Wind turbines continue to cause issues!

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Kevin

Here in North Devon we are so lucky to live in such an unspoilt part of the country, however progress continues to encroach on the beauty of the countryside with new wind farms/developments popping up all over the place, but where shall we put them?

We need to do our bit also to reduce the countries carbon footprint & wind turbines are one such way of doing this and reading the local newspaper recently it is easy to discover that they are also very controversial!

The Diocese of Exeter are proposing to put up 6 turbines at 3 sites across North Devon being part of their strategy to reduce their own carbon footprint by 40% by 2020 – and some of the locals in Chittlehampton, East Anstey & Black Torrington are upset, and I don’t blame them!

All three villages are in their own way pretty and any unsightly modern structure, particularly large wind turbines will spoil that prettiness!

Then of course there is the Atlantic Array, a proposed offshore wind farm, that was initially going to have as many as 417 very large turbines, a lot of them in view of the North Devon coastline. Again, this made the local newspaper recently, reporting that the proposals were reducing the maximum number of turbines to 278, still a large number in anyone’s books!

Many communities are again concerned with the visual impact these turbines will have on our scenery & coastal views, and why is this important, well, because tourism is a very big contributor to our local economy and the concern is that from the ever increasing small one or two turbine developments popping up all over North Devon & with 270+ wind turbines out to sea we will be considered a generator of electricity pebble dashed with these things and that there will be very few places left in North Devon where you will not be able to see one!

Will that scare the tourists away? I’m not sure, but what we do seem to lack is some policy by the local & central government to decide on what the maximum number of turbines should be and where they should be sited to minimise this impact, because it is an impact!

While the occasional wind turbine can look quite imposing and the odd 20 turbine farm can look in its own way outstanding, too many of these things around every corner can spoil the scenery to a detrimental effect!

Or does it? Pylons and electricity have been there for years and we seem to turn a blind eye to them – of course they do not move in the same way as wind turbines but a blot on the landscape they certainly are!

I almost think, but am still open minded about this, is that one large farm, like the Atlantic Array, is the only development that we need in North Devon, then can we stop and forget the one/two turbine sites that will be here there and everywhere on our landscape if we are not careful!

What do you think?

Kevin

Survival of the fittest

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Heather

Today’s strong winds and heavy rain are wreaking havoc on the roads with fallen debris, but spare a thought for the wild animals and birds for it is in late springtime that many young are ready to leave the safety of the nest.

The trees here in Devon are bent double with the wind and the roaring noise is just incredible, my Dartmoor ponies are stood in their shelter away from the trees just to get a bit of quiet and to avoid the barrage of twigs and leaves, with only their fine summer coats they need to find protection from the chilling wind and rain, the sheep also have tucked their lambs up tight against the hedgerow out of the wind for safety. The young soon learn from mum how to find protection from the weather.

So, this evening as you pull on a thicker jumper, pop on the heater, or make a warming drink and peer out of the window looking at the bedraggled garden take a moment to consider what damage nature has really done, for it is instances like this when only the fittest survive, the natural instinct of all wild animals is to protect themselves and their young, and you can be sure the cleverest birds have tucked their nests deep amongst the strongest branches and will endure the stormy weather to sing bright and cheerfully again tomorrow.