Too often people base a purchasing decision on price alone, and then in two years wonder why no-one picks up the phone from the “fly-by-night company” they purchased their solar panels from when the inverter dies or its output is cut in half. It’s also quite important to know that there are differing qualities of panels on the market and you should compare “apples with apples”.

There are three main types of panels: Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, and thin-film or Amorphous, and you should know the advantages and disadvantages of each. If your only criteria when purchasing panels is cost, then I suggest you compare “like with like”. It’s senseless to compare the price of Mono with the most recently developed Amorphous panel and make your purchasing decision according to the price alone.

One of the most important distinctions to make with regards to solar panels is the range wattages on the market. Watts are related to the output of each panel, so a 200W panel would output 200 watts per hour. Expect to pay twice the price of a 100W panel.

Warranties
Solar PV (photo-voltaic) panels have a performance warranty that may last up to 25 years, and a guarantee of five to ten years. Also, your specialist can provide a warranty on workmanship, which is typically five years. Ask your solar retailer who will be providing the warranty, the name of the importer and/or manufacturer, and what steps are likely to happen if something breaks.

Be aware that if a cheap solar panel importer stops trading in the future, their warranty obligation ceases. You’d probably feel far more peace with a well-known brand that has service agents for warranty work in Australia.

The following describes the three main types of solar panels available, each with their own benefits:

Monocrystalline Cells
Monocrystalline panels are a proven and reliable technology, used for the past 50 years and still popular today. They have the best conversion efficiency at 12-18% of all sunlight. Because these have the highest power to size ratio, they’re the best option if you have limited roof space. They also degrade very slowly, generally losing 0.25 – 0.5% per year. Their lifespan can be 25 years, and even up to 50 years if cared for.

Disadvantages:
Monocrystalline cells don’t perform as well as other panels in shady conditions, and they are fairly fragile. They can be more expensive to manufacture due to their complexity.

Polycrystalline Cells
Polycrystalline compares fairly well in performance and longevity to monocrystalline, and provide efficiency of 12-13%. Well known brands include BP SX, Sharp and Kyocera.

Polycrystalline panels provide great longevity (around 25 years). They work best at 25 degrees C and will lose some efficiency at higher temperatures (over 50 degrees C), which is common in the Australian summer.

Amorphous Thin Film
Thin film panels typically have a much lower efficiency at 6%, however, Cadmium Telluride Thin-Film panels (CdTe) have progressed to 11% efficiency. These are more suitable for inland Australia conditions where space is no problem and temperatures are hot. Amorphous panels do not lose energy in higher heats.

Disadvantages are: Lifespan is less; there is a 3-6 month breaking-in period; and they typically require 2-3 times the roof space for the same output of crystalline cells.

When choosing your solar panels remember to focus on the goal of recouping your set-up costs through savings in electricity. The more efficient and higher watt panels can achieve this faster. However, if you are looking at solar farms in Outback Australia where temperatures regularly go above 40 degrees celcius and there is some cloud cover (these panels also work much better in the shade}, then these panels could be suitable.

The Requirements of Solar Panels
With all types of solar panels, the owner must ensure they are maintained and kept free from dirt and shade, because these things impinge on solar power output.

Panels are installed facing north and at a roof angle of a minimum 10 degrees. Do the solar panels you want physically fit into the space you want to place them? Each solar panel is about 1.6 m long by 0.8 m wide. A 1.5kW solar panel system requires around 12 m² of north-facing roof space. As mentioned, this footprint varies depending on the type of panel. Don’t worry if you can’t work out the amount of unshaded space the roof has for your panels, because your installer can calculate it precisely when quoting. You may want to be conservative with the space, though, in the event you would like to add more panels later to cover more of your energy needs.

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To discover another flavour of Sydney’s nightlife, experience Kings Cross. Kings Cross has a rich social and cultural history and yet is a notorious suburb. It is pocketed with true crime scenes and clubs, with detailed tales of wheeling, dealing and corruption.

If your idea of a good night out involves something with a lighter theme, head to Luna Park. The amusement park is well lit up and you can enjoy the wild rides.

Thrill seeking of another kind awaits those who are game to venture high above the harbour with a bridge climb. For an evening on the harbour rather than above it, hire an experienced skipper who can sail you to a secluded bay in the harbour and drop anchor. You can dine in wonder when the lights of the city reflect magically on the water, and witness the magnificent views of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

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Travellers who love high impact sports and other adrenalin-pumping activities would enjoy Tasmania. Activities such as rafting, jet boating, diving, horse riding, sea kayaking, climbing/abseiling and cable hang gliding are sure to keep people busy and in high spirits. Rafting can be done on several rivers in Tasmania including the Derwent River, Arthur River, Picton River and Franklin River. Particular mention needs to be made about white water rafting on the Franklin River as it is a fantastic multi-day adventure spot. A minimum of 10 days could be taken to complete a full experience along the Franklin. On this trip adventurers would come across the stunning rapids present at the Great Ravine. Tourists interested in a one-day rafting trip from Hobart, can do so at Picton River.

If horse riding is your passion, there are lots of trail-riding experiences over the Tasman Peninsula, Central Highlands, Strahan, Ben Lomond and Coles Bay. Sea kayaking is yet another activity that is extremely popular in Tasmania and kayak operators can be found in Strahan, Hobart, Freycinet, Bathurst Harbour and Bruny Island to name a few. The Tasmania Visitors Bureau also elaborates on the adventure sports like abseiling/climbing, caving, and cycling/mountain biking. Tourists who are looking for the abseiling/climbing experience in their holidays should check out the guided trips in places like Tasman Peninsula, Coles Bay, Cataract Gorge (Launceston) and Ben Lomond. For keen cyclists, bikes are available for hire to cycle around Hobart. Bikers can also trek within the mountains and the national forests of Tasmania.

Most visitors may not be keen on adventure sports so they could look at fishing and cruising opportunities. Cruising provides a great, relaxing experience for visitors and is an enjoyable way of seeing the wonderful rivers and harbours of Tasmania. Gordon River Cruises is one of the most popular tours on the island. A holiday to Tasmania is incomplete without a captivating sail on the beautiful Gordon River. For visiting heritage locations and finding the best fishing opportunities, visitors are advised to travel to the West Coast of Tasmania.

The Tasmania Visitors Bureau are the specialists for Tasmania holidays and cheap package deals. Tasmania holiday packages not only take the pain out of planning a vacation but save you time and money also. Great deals for Hobart accommodation are in good supply too.

It should be noted that for a given compression ratio the theoretical efficiency of the spark-ignition engine is more than that of the compression-ignition engine; however, in practice it is possible to operate compression-ignition engines at compression ratios high enough to produce efficiencies greater than those attainable with spark-ignition systems. In addition, diesel engines do not rely on throttling the intake mixture to control power. Therefore the idling and reduced-power efficiency of the diesel is far superior to that of the spark-ignition engine.

The main drawback of diesel engines is their emission of air pollutants. These engines typically discharge high levels of particulate matter (soot), reactive nitrogen compounds (commonly designated NOx), and smell, compared with spark-ignition engines. Consequently, in the small-engine category, consumer purchase is low.

A diesel engine is started by driving it from an external power source until conditions have been established under which the engine can run by its own power. The most basic starting method is to admit air from a high-pressure source, about 1.7 to nearly 2.4 megapascals, to each of the cylinders in turn on their normal firing stroke. The compressed air becomes heated sufficiently to ignite the fuel.

Other starting methods include auxiliary equipment and include admitting blasts of compressed air to an air-activated motor geared to rotate a bigger engine’s flywheel; supplying electric current to an electric starting motor, similarly geared to the engine flywheel; and applying a small gasoline engine geared to the engine flywheel. The selection of the best starting method depends on the physical size of the engine to be started, the nature of the connected load, and whether or not the load is able to be disconnected during starting.

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Generally, proper carpet care involves regular vacuuming and cleaning using these techniques: shampooing, foam cleaning, dry cleaning, bonnet cleaning, and steam cleaning, or hot water extraction.

Now, the question is, which one of these techniques deliver the best results? Most carpet manufacturers, including professional carpeting and cleaning organisations, are unanimous with their answers.

They state that steam cleaning or hot water extraction is the most thorough way to clean even the grummiest carpet. Steam cleaning is the most common technique used by professionals. In fact the Australian Standard even states that other methods are only interim cleaning methods and that hot water extraction is the primary method.

Steam cleaning uses a hot water cleaning solution that is sprayed on the carpet via a high pressure delivery system. A truck-mounted or portable machine is then used to thoroughly extract the solution (together with the dissolved dirt). However, note that the truck-mounted equipment is more powerful than the portable one and should be used where possible.

Steam cleaning also consists of a number of phases – from pre-vacuuming to remove the dry soils in the carpet before wetting and turning to mud, treating stains and spots (if any), pre-spraying with a cleaning solution, agitation (hand or machine operated) of the cleaning solution into the carpet, hot water extraction, rinsing with a neutralising aid, and speed drying.

But why is it considered the best? Because only steam cleaning does the following:

• The high amount of heat it uses kills bacteria, molds, fungus, and dust mites, making it the most hygienic process to clean carpets.
• It doesn’t leave any residue if done correctly, making your carpet soft, fresh and clean.
• It is the only technique that has the vacuuming process used the entire time which means more “nasties” are removed from your carpet.

As we all know, carpets are very expensive – so you want them to always be in great condition and to last as long as possible.
Highly recommended by professionals, steam carpet cleaning is the best way for you to maintain your valuable investment in soft floor coverings.
Now that we know the best method for keeping your carpets clean the question most asked is how long will my carpets take to dry after cleaning?

The time frame for carpets to be totally dry depends on several things, such as the level of soiling and the cleaning method used. Generally, it can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 12 hours. The Australian Standard states that up to 24 hours is acceptable.

If you use steam cleaning or hot water extraction by a professional, drying should take 2 hours to 12 hours. Take into consideration the following factors to determine how long it will take for your carpet to dry, and what you can do to make it dry much faster.

The type of fibre- This is by far the most important thing. Wool carpets take a lot longer to dry then synthetics. Wool carpets are about 30 % absorbent compared to the few percent range for synthetics.

Thickness and Weight of the Carpet – The heavier the carpet, the longer time it will need to dry.

Exposure to Air – If your room doesn’t have windows, or if the windows are shut, to create ventilation, evaporation will be lessened. Turn on the fan in your room to improve air flow, making your carpet dry faster. During hotter months, turn on the air conditioner instead.

The Humidity and Weather conditions- Obviously the higher the humidity the longer it will take for carpets to dry. Is it a hot fine day or a cold wet day for example?

Now, if you really need your carpet to dry at a much faster rate, opt for professional carpet cleaners that offer speed drying services on top of state of the art equipment and years of experience.

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Until the 16th and 17th centuries when European cultures appeared upon the scene, Oceanic societies maintained various types of Neolithic technology. One exception was in the northwest of New Guinea, where the people living around Geelvink Bay (Teluk Cenderawasih) traded very small quantities of metal from the Indonesians of the Moluccas (Maluku). The technique of forging was zealously guarded, virtually as a cult secret; some tools were traded but only in amounts too small to have made much impact on usual working conditions.

Throughout the rest of Melanesia and in Polynesia and Micronesia, the basic tool remained the stone blade, which was hafted as an adze or an axe, and sometimes interchangeably as both. Tridacna shell was occasionally used for blades in those parts of Oceania where stone was in short supply, including Micronesia and the Solomon Islands. When obsidian was available, it was chipped into blades for use as both weapons and tools. Other suitable materials included bamboo and bivalve shells, which take very sharp edges. Some fine cutting and engraving was performed with unhafted boar tusks or with hafted shark and rodent teeth. Animal bones served as gouges, awls, and needles. All these tools were employed in working wood, which with only rare exceptions was the main medium used throughout Oceania.

Clay was also employed, mainly for sculptures, for some of the smaller musical instruments (whistles), and for pottery in Melanesia and New Guinea. The making of clay vessels was almost exclusively women’s work, apart from in a few small areas in New Guinea and the northern Solomons. The usual method involved spiral coiling of rolls of clay. The decorating of the pot was the work of men.

Some working of shell and turtle shell was done with simple drilling and abrading equipment. The carving of stone, although obviously providing far more arduous and time-consuming problems than wood, was employed remarkably often and occurred throughout the Pacific Islands; hammering, pecking, and polishing were the main methods. Even so resistant a material as greenstone was mastered by sanding with abrasives.

Paint and painting were thought to animate sculpture, at times literally, in religiosymbolic terms, as paint was considered to have magical, vivifying powers. Paints were generally ochres, with some vegetable-derived pigments. Water was the usual medium, occasionally added to with sap. Brushes were made from the fibrous ends of chewed or frayed sticks, small feather bundles, pieces of wood, and sometimes the most elementary applicator of all, the finger. Apart from sculpture, the surfaces used for painting were rock faces, bark, and tapa (cloth made from felted bark). Rock painting was very common in Australia, where panels of bark were also used. In Melanesia, paintings were made mainly on sago-palm leaves and sheets of tapa cloth. In Polynesia the women created great quantities of tapa, which they then decorated with traditional designs using vegetable dyes. The techniques they employed included painting, stenciling with leaf templates, rubbing over relief-design tables, stamping, and printing with carved bamboo rollers.

The only areas where weaving was practiced were the Caroline Islands, the Polynesian outlying islands east of the Solomon Islands, a small number of the Santa Cruz Islands, parts of Vanuatu, the Saint Matthias Group (northwest of New Ireland), and several places on the northern coast of Irian Jaya. Spinning was unknown; instead of yarn or thread, strips of banana fibre were used on a simple backstrap loom. Weaving was a woman’s craft in the Caroline and Saint Matthias islands but was employed by men elsewhere. A form of “finger weaving,” as in net making, was used by Maori women in creating textiles from flax fibres.

The architecture of the Pacific Islands was varied and sometimes large in scale. Buildings reflected the structure and preoccupations of the cultures that constructed them, with a great deal of symbolic detail. Technically, most buildings in Oceania were no more than simple assemblages of poles held together with cane lashings; only in the Caroline Islands were complex methods of joining and pegging known.

Oceanic artists’ quest for media was consummately opportunistic; they regarded almost anything from the lavish natural world that surrounded them as potentially usable. The marine world provided shells of all kinds, especially conus, cowrie, and nassa shells. Birds gave down, beaks, and plumes (those of the birds of paradise were particularly prized); animals provided teeth, tusks, and skins; insects supplied wonderfully brilliant wing cases. The vegetable kingdom was drawn upon for flowers, leaves, and fibres. The gathering of such materials into single objects was rare in Polynesia and Micronesia, but the practice was typical of Australian and Melanesian styles, and added brilliantly to their more spectacular effects. The most basic medium of all was the human body, which received both removable and permanent decorations, including scarification, enhanced by treatment to raise keloid welts in New Guinea, and tattooing with needles and pigments elsewhere.

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Now, think back to the first meeting you had with the sales consultant at the kitchen table. Do you recall talking about your prior energy use in the home, and what habits you ought to change if you decided to get solar? If you answered yes, then you probably organised your solar quote through mysolarprice.com.au, as we only engage solar companies that we are certain will educate the consumer about their typical power use and give them a good understanding of what power output the system is capable of. Some ‘fly-by-night’ solar panel companies who have only recently arrived on the scene have misled the public regarding the performance capacity of their grid connected systems. This has led to some mistrust and confusion in the Solar arena. Mysolarprice.com.au knows of these companies, and will not deal with the solar installers found to be giving misleading information or involved in any dishonest sales tactics.

Have you forgotten these power saving tips the solar consultant gave you? If so, don’t worry, as we provide here the TOP 15 tips for reducing your power consumption to get the most out of your tariff feed, whether that be Net Tariff feed or Gross Tariff feed. Some businesses with larger systems from 2kw (2 kilowatts) or more may not have to modify their behaviour at all and will still be in positive territory, that is, able to get a surplus or credit for their power. This depends on the home, roof type, shade, number of people in the home, appliance usage, and most importantly their behaviour in the home or in other words how they interact with their home. Some families work during the day and turn their standby power off, whilst doing their washing and household chores at night time. Whereas other people have an air-conditioned home office which uses a massive amount of power during the day and do little at night. How does this make a difference you may ask? If you are in a state like Queensland that has a “Net Tariff Feed” this is extremely important. This basically means you get the balance of the power you send to the grid from the amount of power youuse during the day but not at night, because solar panels do not generate power at night time. Therefore, if you are using a great deal of power during the day when your solar power system is working the hardest, you are competing or cancelling it out with the amount of power you are feeding back to the grid, or “Net” Feed. If however, you are not there during the day and turn off all your appliances at the wall to eliminate inactive and active standby but only leave the essential items on like the fridge, you will be streets ahead of the rest and get more of a “net” balance which can only mean one thing: more $$$$$$ in your pocket!

These top 15 energy saving tips range from modifying the building material of the house, to being more energy efficient, to minor behavioural modifications like turning off the lights when you leave the room. This list will be in the order of the simplest minor behaviour modifications to bigger structural changes to the building material.

TOP 15 POWER-SAVING TIPS

1.Turn the lights off when you leave the room. This is especially important if you have energy-guzzling old-fashioned incandescent lights or worse, halogen lights. I have seen people leave on 4 x tastic 500w heat lamps on in the bathroom all day. That’s an incredible 2KW or 2000 watts of power being consumed for no reason.

2.Let in natural light to the rooms. This will reduce the requirements for lights during the day.

3.Replace your incandescent light bulbs and halogens with CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) or LED’s. They use only approx. a quarter or less power than the standard 75watt incandescent or 60watt halogen, and can last much longer than the standard incandescents or halogens.

4.Use Sensor CFL spotlights outside, instead of the old energy-inefficient spotlights of yesterday.

5.Turn off all standby power. This is probably the best tip I can give you for reducing your daily electricity consumption. A typical home generally operates at around 10-15% standby power, so if you have a quarterly bill of $400 that means $40-$60 of that bill is standby power -which does nothing! It may not seem like much but that’s approx. $120-$240 a year just for not turning appliances off at the wall. An easy way to control your standby is to install a proper standby power board.

6.Choose energy-efficient appliances. This doesn’t necessarily mean throwing out your 5-year-old fridge because it only has 2 stars, and spending $2,500 on one that is 4 star. It means if you are presented with an option of buying a new appliance, then make sure it has the highest star rating available. So if you have the money and the choice is over a 2 star 50 inch plasma TV or a 5 star 50 inch Led TV you should get the LED.

7.Turn off any second or third fridges not being used. I have found in energy audits that a lot of people have a spare chest freezer or 20-year-old rusting fridge with split seals in a hot basement. This will account for a great chunk of the electricity bill. Sometimes I’ve opened the door and there’s nothing even in there, so the fridge is running -and working overtime- for no reason.

8.Turn off your computer screens and speakers when not being used. This is so easy, however most people I come across forget to do this. If you have a Sub-Woofer with a separate power supply be sure to turn that off also when not in use.

9.Draft Sealing in Winter. If you use electric heating in winter, be sure to cover any drafts, otherwise you are simply wasting money.

10.Use ceiling fans or pedestal fans instead of air-conditioning. Air-conditioning is one of the most expensive appliances to use in summer. If are going to use air-conditioning in summer, make sure that the room is tightly sealed, the windows are covered and you have insulation in the ceiling.

11.Air-Conditioning Tips for Summer.

- Buy the optimum sized air-con for your room -not house, unless it’s ducted. If buying ducted make sure it can be zoned.
- Buy an energy efficient inverter air-conditioner with a high star rating for both cooling and heating.
- Set the thermostat between 18-21 degrees. Every degree celsius higher that you set the a/c increases your usage by 10%
- Re-circulate cool air from within rather than using hot air from outside. If the compressor is outside make sure its not sitting exposed in the western sun.
- Ensure the windows have both internal and external shading.

12.Air-Conditioning Tips for Winter.

- Set the thermostat to 23-26 degrees
- Wear warm clothes to insulate your body so you don’t need mechanical heating
- Insulate your house as with Air-Conditioning in Summer Tips.
- Because hot air rises, a ceiling fan can be turned to the lowest setting -in reverse- as this actually pushes the warm air down towards the house’s occupants
- Avoid electric radiator heaters and electric fan heaters as they are massively expensive.
You are better using reverse cycle air conditioning as it’s a great deal cheaper (most people don’t know this).

13.Insulation. Reflective foil type insulation is better in sub-tropical climates such as Brisbane receives, but thicker, bulky insulation such as wool/fibreglass or polyester is best suited to more temperate climates such as Toowoomba.

14.Windows. There are a lot of things you can do to insulate your windows to stop the heat entering the home during summer, and keep it in in winter. In summer it’s important to keep direct solar radiation off the east and west windows by vertical screening, and keep it off north facing windows with big eaves or horizontal shading. This is so you can allow the sun in during winter when it is lower in the sky. These are principles known as solar passive design.

15.Hot Water. If your home has an electric hot water system and you have it on the wrong tariff this can be the greater part of your bill. Generally, your hot water should be on an off-peak tariff depending on your location and retail provider. A hot water bill is normally a quarter of your electricity bill if the system is electric. If it is a newer heat pump it will be much less. The most efficient water heating device is Solar Hot Water, with a natural gas boost.

These are just some of the generic energy-saving tips that I have come across while doing household energy audits which I find a lot of people need help with. If you can reduce the daily consumption it’s going to make it a lot easier to:
1. Keep your bills down, and
2. Make it easier for the Solar Panels to work and provide you with a bonus or credit on your next bill.

One other thing I can also mention is panel care. Your panels should be kept free of dirt and grime, as even a small build-up of dust on the panels can drastically reduce the panel’s performance by up to 30% or more. I will look at the process of solar panel maintenance in my next article.

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One helpful application is be the red laser that comes available with the Apple iPhone. The red laser lets people to scan a product and instantly see the available prices of that specific product online. Along with the online comparison shopping which the barcode scanner provides, the red laser also has a number of other quite useful features. For instance, you can scan a dvd noticed while in a shopping mall and the red laser will find a copy of it online and will also provide for you to have the whole movie sent to your TiVo.

The red laser is also capable of adding items to your shopping list. For example, when a person is going to discard their coffee jar, they can scan it and it will be added on their shopping list reminding them to purchase it next kitchen shopping trip.

One can use the red laser to scan almost anything and get information that is relevant to their interests. You can try using it on a book and the red laser will be able to locate a copy of it within a nearby library. It is able to do this due to its deep integration with the world’s biggest library catalogue -WorldCat. The red laser is also able to look for a copy of any book scanned and find any online retailers which hold it in stock.

Other than finding prices and looking for products, the red laser will also allow you to scan food. If anybody is allergic to any ingredient, one can scan a product and then reveal the allergen info. Instead of labouring to look through the whole list of ingredients in the packaging, red laser will reveal a list of all the ingredients within the product and show you the most common allergens within it. On top of all that, red laser will also help you eat healthier by revealing the full nutritive contents within the product.

Red Laser comes with several other useful features -you would be surprised at the numerous items you can scan and find helpful information on. This is definitely an application worth buying.

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Far from appearing like your typical collection of rocks stacked on top of each other, the majority of constructions that use stone cladding can look very aesthetically pleasing, not to mention reliable and extremely easy to build. Stacked stone examples are far and wide and can be found in a multitude of places. Take for example a certain country retreat in the Daylesford Hills in Victoria, where they opted to go for it instead of the usual sandstone walling. The architect used Craft Stone European Castle Stone Golden Sand as the alternative.

What resulted from this was a much more pleasant design and they were able to avoid additional footings, by using timber frame & fibre cement as a substrate. This was used in an outdoor portion – a rock wall if you will – so it’s something that will often catch the attention of people passing by if they ever come across it.

But of course, usage is in no way limited to outdoor portions of a house. Indoor use is also permitted, and when it comes to cases like these, its benefits can be experienced in all manner of ways, whether it ends up in the kitchen or in the rumpus room.

A stacked stone fireplace can take advantage of such an architectural marvel, where a timber frame clad with fibre cement sheet can be used to create. A 12mm Standard mortar joint can be used to fit the Craft Stone Stacked Ledgestone Merlot for the construction. The best part is the whole thing takes a day to construct which brings to light the stunning cost and labor saving incentives that this brings to the table. Face it – less construction time means less labour costs, and fewer expenses in general.

With clear benefits such as those mentioned above, it’s no wonder that this method is becoming more and more popular nowadays. Add the fact that resulting designs can compliment just about any design, and suddenly it’s not so hard to see why people say it’s the perfect design feature. Stone cladding is what dream homes are made of!

For more information about stone cladding, stacked stone and rock wall building options, please contact Craftstone Australia.

Interior design has significantly improved throughout the years, as decorative pieces and furniture have come to represent a more contemporary look to them. With the evolution of interior design trends came the similar evolution of lighting. Designer night lights are now one of the most important aspects of a interior design project. Choosing designer lights that create a statement fulfills both the aesthetic and as well as the functional side of the designing process. Whether you want classic designs or contemporary ones, there is always a lighting piece that will suit your needs and preferences.

The addition a lampshade or two in a bedroom can make a crucial difference. Drop lights are also pleasant additions to the living room or the dining room and string lights are now becoming a necessity when decorating. There are so many unique choices for night lights these days that it can be quite overwhelming to choose. Decorative lights provide an attractive touch to the room and depending on the kind of light you decide to use, it can create the overall theme of the room. More contemporary designs include LED colour change lights, large drop lights and metallic lighting fixtures. No matter what your interior design theme is, you can find a lighting fixture that will be ideal. This even extends to the gardens and ponds with outdoor lighting.

A lot of the modern lights these days are also more cost-efficient they don’t consume too much electricity as they used to. It is beneficial to decide on one center light and include several accent lights so that you are able to dim the lighting in the room should you want to. Warm lighting can greatly influence the ambience in the room, as it is a lot more comfortable than white lights.

Chandeliers have also greatly evolved through the years. From elaborate tear drop chandeliers, they now come in a variety of different designs and colours. Dark wrought iron chandeliers offer more minimalistic options for homes, as they are not as ornamental as traditional chandeliers but can be as beautiful in feel and effect. Decorative night lights are most certainly a wonderful investment, as they can improve the aesthetic element of any home.