Hammond Electrical

Hammond Electrical Hammond Electrics is happy to undertake the smaller projects that most firms won't consider.

Hammond Electrical is dedicated to completing your project (large or small) with quality results, on time, and within your budget.

21/07/2025

Retirement has arrived.

05/12/2023

In the good old days everyone measured the light output from bulbs in watts, typically 40, 60 and 100. Everyone knew that a 40 watt bulb was quite dim and was best suited for cupboards or bedside lamps.100 watts would typically be used in the lounge, hanging from a central pendant and giving plenty of light for reading the newspaper or needlework and maybe 60 watts would be used in the dining room.
Plus, there were also outside floodlights that typically had a 500 watt, long, thin bulb, that was too hot to touch and frequently burned out.
So, all of us pre-millennials had a good sense of how much light output you would get from, say, a 100 watt bulb.
Then along came energy saving bulbs that the government encouraged everyone to get. They used a little less power than the filament bulbs we were familiar with and maybe lasted a bit longer. As an added incentive 100 watt incandescent bulbs were quickly withdrawn from sale.
Energy saving bulbs weren’t very popular because there was always a delay after switching on before they lit and, even then, they took a while to reach full brightness. Many of you might still have them.
As folk missed the old filament bulbs, manufacturers brought out tungsten halogen bulbs that gave the instant light again but got very hot and were only slightly cheaper to run than incandescent. At the same time, companies were developing LED technology, trying to bring the manufacturing cost down.
LED is quite different and produces bright light without the heat associated with filament bulbs and with very little energy usage. So low, in fact, that it no longer made sense to measure light bulbs in watts. Actually watts is a measurement of power usage rather than light output. So, manufacturers now mark their packaging with Lumens, which is a measurement of light output.
Unfortunately none of us has a sense of scale with Lumens and it will take time to get the hang of it. So, to ease the transition, here are a couple of examples:
A 100W incandescent bulb would typically produce 1600 Lumens. A similar light output would come from a 90W halogen bulb and from a 17W LED.
A 60W incandescent would be around 800 Lumens, the same as from a 45W halogen bulb, or a 9W LED.
So, LED seems to be the way to go and will certainly cut down on your energy bills. But manufacturers don’t want to make it too easy for you. Now you also need to decide between cool or warm white and this comes down to personal preference.
By the way, a word of caution if you still have the original energy saving bulbs that some power companies even gave out free. They are actually mini fluorescents and are coated on the inside of the glass with small amounts of mercury. So don’t dispose of them in household waste and try not to handle broken pieces with bare hands. They need to be taken to recycling centres, to be disposed of safely.

19/10/2021

Heat Pumps - for or against?
This morning Boris announced that the government will give a £5k grant towards installing a heat pump in your home which, on the face of it, sounds good. But, please consider your options very carefully before committing to this.
For some, this sounds like a great, green idea, particularly if you are thinking of buying a new build home, where a heat pump can be factored into the build. If you are in this position, then great, it could be a good way to help reduce your carbon footprint.
For others, in older properties, I would advise caution. Why? Look at the following points:
A heat pump installation will cost between £6k and £16k, depending on the installation. - source BBC News 19/10/2021. You could be out of pocket by up to TEN GRAND if you get the full grant!
British housing stock is the 2nd worst insulated in all of Europe. - source BBC News 19/10/2021. So you may have to spend out on better insulation. Otherwise the heat pump will never get your home warm enough.
The heat pump fan will run continuously day and night using electricity that you weren't using before. Is your electricity supply carbon neutral? Can you afford the extra cost of it 24/7?
The fan may be very quiet when it is installed, but will it still be so quiet after a year, or so? How many of you have had noisy bathroom fans? There is a lot of anecdotal evidence saying heat pump fans get very noisy over time.
The heat pump assembly has to go somewhere. On your outside wall or in your garden. Unless it is a ground system, in which case, have you got a large garden?
The hot water tank is probably twice the size of your existing one, assuming you have one. If not, have you room in your home to fit one?
If you currently have a gas boiler and radiators, they will all have to be ripped out, as you will need new, larger radiators, because the new water system won't be as hot as before.
You will need larger bore pipes too, to handle the extra water required.
I hate the disruption that the "Insulate" protestors have been causing and totally reject their methods, but they have a point. Maybe Boris should be investing this heat pump grant money into getting our housing stock properly insulated. Then we would ALL be using less energy to heat our homes.
Remember how there were grants available to stick solar panels on the roof? Then suddenly they were withdrawn. But while they were available, loads of cowboy firms set up to take your money and then left you without home insurance because of the potential damage to your home. I can see this happening again. Don't be caught out by fast talking salesmen and poorly trained installers.
If you do decide to go for a new heat pump, make sure that you have done your homework thoroughly. Get a proper survey done. Get accurate costings and a good maintenance contract. Also, expect your energy costs to rise!
There may be other options coming available, for instance, hydrogen boilers? It might pay to wait a while before paying out thousands of your hard earned money.

2 water features now converted to 12 volts and incorporated into the garden lighting system. Battery and charge controll...
30/05/2020

2 water features now converted to 12 volts and incorporated into the garden lighting system. Battery and charge controller now in the garden box.

27/05/2020

With the current Coronavirus restrictions, I am limited in what work I can carry out.
I can work in gardens, installing lighting, water features, shed electrics, etc as long as the home owner maintains social distancing and can isolate power at the consumer unit, or allow me access to do it.
I cannot work within homes where there is likely to be contact with shared surfaces.
Where necessary I can wear gloves, although that restricts the number of tasks I can do.
Be aware that I don't have a supply of face masks.
In emergency power failure situations I may be able to talk through solutions via phone. It's always worth trying that route first.
Be safe.

Low level solar powered lighting to illuminate dark footpath. Comprising 12v LED clusters off Amazon, fitted to white pl...
30/04/2020

Low level solar powered lighting to illuminate dark footpath. Comprising 12v LED clusters off Amazon, fitted to white plastic conduit, powered by a 12v leisure battery being charged by a fence mounted solar panel. The battery is temporarily covered by a green plastic tub to weatherproof it until it can be fitted in a yet-to-be-built garden storage unit.

30/04/2020

I am following government guidance and staying home. However,I am still available for outdoor work or urgent work within empty premises.

PLEASE STAY SAFE.

28/09/2019

I now include installing Velux window automation kits in my services.

28/09/2019

Alexa now has two twin sisters and controls three lights and two smart plugs. 🙂

10/01/2019

Getting to know Alexa. She now controls two lights and a smart plug, fairly reliably. Expecting her twin sister in a couple of weeks, then I can split tasks between them.
I will now be able to offer assistance to clients wishing to make their homes smarter - and I don't mean decorating, lol.

Address

35 Raglan Way
Dursley
GL115TA

Telephone

+447954407324

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