Many older homes have old wiring systems and obsolete switchboards and fuse boxes. These have very poor functioning and are unable to provide proper supply to the type of devices that are used in the home today. Over the last few decades there has been significant advancement in circuit breaker technology and many people are now proactively getting these old ceramic fuse boxes replaced with current-day circuit breakers.

However, as mentioned earlier, there are some older homes that still have these re-wireable fuses. This is largely because people aren’t aware of the dangers these fuse installations pose. Those who have heard it’s important to upgrade to circuit breakers feel that it’s just something people do because their electrical contractors tell them they should.

The rationalisation they have for it is that when they haven’t faced any issues with it for so many decades, there must be nothing wrong with it. They feel it’s just a way in which electrical companies make some money by telling their clients this and getting them to upgrade to newer systems. They couldn’t be further from the truth. Here is a list of all the dangers associated with re-wireable fuses:

Most people, electricians or otherwise, tend to use regular copper wires to replace the melted fuse wire. They aren’t really aware that a fuse wire is different from a common copper wire and that the latter isn’t designed to take the load of the circuit. In many ways, this inappropriate replacement in itself is a problem. And when the fuse blows again, they simply take another wire and replace the older one.

What they fail to realise is that fuse wires generally have very low melting points. Contrastingly, normal copper wires have a very high melting point. In addition, it’s not possible to standardise the current carrying capacity of these wires as that depends on how they have been positioned inside the base and the fuse carrier.

As you can see, re-wireable fuses are a distinct danger and this is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s best not to wait till a catastrophe occurs. Simply call Allround Electrical for an evaluation of the electrical installations and the old fuse box in your home. We will provide objective advice and a reasonable quote for replacing the re-wireable fuses in your home. The number to call is 1300 169 263. You can also drop us a line via email or use this online contact form.

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New rules will soon be in place to govern fossil fuel usage and cut carbon pollution coming from America's power plants. The Environmental Protection Agency proposed the plan last year, and it is expected to be finalized this summer. Most of the rules have to do with the generation of electricity, so it might not be obvious that the plan would have implications for the average consumer. As it turns out, the EPA plan could make a big difference in homeowners' utility bills – hopefully a positive one.

Reduction in Energy Bills

While many people fear that new clean energy rules will cause the retail price of electricity to skyrocket, experts are predicting otherwise. According to an analysis by the National Resources Defense Council, low and fixed-income households should actually see their utility bills fall by an average of 8 percent. In total, the group suggests that consumers could save as much as $37.4 billion on their electricity bills by 2020.

Why such a rosy picture? As the nation switches to more sustainable energy sources like wind, the costs of production will fall. Furthermore, since the fuel price for wind and solar is zero, consumers will be shielded from volatile prices of coal and natural gas, which can make electricity bills vary widely. What's more, the Clean Power Plan will promote investment in household energy efficiency to encourage families to reduce their own consumption.

A Boost to the Economy

Some think tanks are also predicting a boost to the economy as we transition to a cleaner energy grid, with jobs available to build and maintain the emerging infrastructure. People will be needed to work on windmills and solar installations, for example.

"The most important takeaway from our analysis is that, after accounting for the various ways in which the Clean Power Plan puts upward and downward pressure on employment, we find a net increase in jobs,” Industrial Economics Principal Jason Price said to UtilityDrive.com, forecasting a net gain of 74,000 jobs in 2020 and as many as 273,000 jobs by 2040.

Health and Climate Concerns

There should also be ancillary benefits to the EPA plan. Cutting down on fossil fuel emissions means less pollution in the air near ground level, too, so people should suffer from fewer related health problems. NRDC predicts that the change will prevent up to 6,600 premature deaths, 150,000 asthma attacks in children and 3,300 heart attacks.

In addition, the less carbon the nation burns, the less we accelerate climate change, which is poised to cause unpredictable but inevitably expensive disruptions in familiar weather patterns.

All in all, nobody knows for sure what will happen with the new EPA rules, since they haven't been finalized yet. However, if the experts' predictions are anywhere close to reality, Americans will be able to celebrate cheaper and more environmentally-friendly energy in the not-too-distant future.