Latest on Solar Panel home Electricity

The rising $A has made the provision of Solar Power for Homes, much less expensive. Panels are usually imported from large, low cost manufacturers in China. The advent of pay by the month schemes, from the Electricity utilities has made solar power available for all.

Given, one can buy a solar system for cheaper than the cost of electricity, this has accelerated the provisioning of solar systems for your home. The payoff  from a solar system is close to three to four years, an excellent return. My own system will take three years to pay for itself, as I have a large 3.5Kw system. I benefit from feeding back,  excess daytime power. My return is currently $1,600 a year, plus the $2,500 power bill, I don’t need to pay!

The smaller 1.5Kwh systems are far more popular, with a large inverter, and thus scope for doubling the system if required. As an Easy Home Renovating improvement, the rate of return on my Solar Power system is 25%, a great rate of return.
Projections, are for the cost of electricity to continue to rise at 20% compounding for several years. An average family home, power bill has rocketed from $1,000 to $2,500 a year over the last three years. At this rate the average home electricity bills will be $10,000, by 2020.

The requirement for Electricity infrastructure rebuilding, compounded by the introduction of a carbon tax, will put pressure for rising power bills, well past 2020, according to John Grimes, Chief Executive of the Australian Solar Energy Society.

Four Easy Renovating popular Projects

1 Prepare and repaint the home interior. This requires lots of preparation and repairs, before one paints. Allowing for a prime coat, then two paint coats and plenty of preparation, plastering, taping and sanding.
Costs include materials $600, Labour $800, at four days at $200 a day. Total $1,400, compares to professional quote $2,200.

2 Remove an internal, non- load bearing wall. Allowing for plastering, adding trim, cornices, sanding and painting. Check by climbing in the roof that its a non- load bearing wall.

Costs include materials $600, Labour at four days work, $800. Total $1,400, compares to professional quote $3,000.

3 Install a tubular Skylight, involves cutting through ceiling plaster, hiring a safety harness and removing tiles.

Costs for materials $220, for three hours work labour at $80. A DIY total of $300. A professional quote at $550.

4  Render the front facade of a home. This entails mixing and applying mortar over the bricks, smoothing and painting afterwards. Modern paints can have a render type finish from one coat. Thus removing one of the processes.

Costs include materials $200, labour $1,000. A total of $1,200. Compares to a professional at $1,800.

My conclusion, for readers is if you are keen, all these projects are fun jobs.  But if you value your time more highly or dont enjoy the work, in order to, achieve a professional finish one can employ contractors. My view is, I would work with contactors on the first few projects, thereby gaining a free short term apprenticeship, then Do It Yourself, DIY.

New Masters Home Improvement stores under construction

Currently, Masters are building close to 20 new stores, right now. The ones expected to open this year, 2012, include, Cairns, Toowoomba South, Qld, Rutherford, NSW, Pennant Hills, NSW, Canberra Airport, ACT, Baldivis,WA, Forrestdale,WA, Bibra Lake,WA, Ellenbrook,WA, Mount Gambier, SA,  Mornington, Roxborough Park, Preston, Oakleigh South, Knoxfield, Carrum Downs, South Morang, Box Hill South,Victoria.  More stores will be built rapidly in Victoria, as they have a fast track approval process and have plenty of available retail land.

Masters, which is largely a Lowes,” look a like” clone, has plans to build 150 stores, at least, over the next five years. The new Masters stores will cost close to $2.7Bn, a vote in favour of home renovating. I think they will prove popular and have a great impact, as the Bunnings store sales where they are closely competing, have had store sales falls of close to 30%.

Masters, claims it has superior customer service, better quality products and a more comfortable shopping experience. Masters provides great value white goods, a home decor department, great service, credit, wholesale discounts, a McCafe, great value in Kitchens, Plumbing and many Kitchen displays.

Popular Cosmetic Renovating

Some of the most effective cosmetic renovations include a new kitchen, new bathroom, remove carpets and replace with new laminate floorboards, spray paint the roof, rendering brickwork, gardens and landscaping, internal and external painting, new doors, handles, new lighting. Given one is tight on the expenses, you should spend close to ten percent of the original value of the home. The aim is to uplift the value by close to twenty five percent, or even more. If you can add light through new windows or skylights, or replace wooden doors with glass doors. Create space through a new deck or removing walls to open up hallways and even create an extra bedroom, you might achieve a greater property uplift factor.
The plainer and more basic a renovation home, the higher and more opportunity for a transformation through ‘simple” cosmetic renovation. How is it that such great value can be so easily created? Well, many home vendors are busy or have special reasons to sell quickly. They may lack the confidence, time, contacts or cash to do even a simple renovation project.
The home renovator after several projects has many skills, learnt from the prior projects that are of great value such as a trades team, agent contacts, cheap materials, skills for project management and use of time.