Solar heat your pool?

[:en]In our line of business, our incoming enquiries are often very seasonal. Obviously, going back a few weeks ago, they all seemed to be indoor heating related. Either people needed their heating systems fixed or they were looking to get heating installed – as quickly as possible! How quickly things can change. Suddenly, with a bit of sunshine, it’s pool heating and covers that seem to be on people’s minds.

We install all types of heating systems for pools but a recurring question that’s been raised recently is whether they can get their pools heated from solar panels. The answer is that you can use solar as part of a heating system but unless you invest a lot of money in a lot of big panels, you cannot rely on solar only to heat your pool, especially in winter.

However, what solar heating can do (on its own) is extend your swimming season so you can start swimming earlier in the year and finish later in the year. What’s more, if you have a heat pump as well, then you could have a heated pool all year round and solar panels will help to substantially reduce your bills.

We also get asked a lot about the grants available for solar, and whilst we are one of only a few companies that can get the huge subsidies available from the government for solar heating, unfortunately it only applies to your homes, not your pools.

Of course there is no point in getting pool heating unless you get a pool cover as well (assuming it’s an outdoor pool) to help retain the heat, and there are many different types of pool cover but that’s a subject for another time.

After this awful winter, it’s just great that people are thinking about getting in their pools again….even if they do need their pools to be heated first![:es]In our line of business, our incoming enquiries are often very seasonal. Obviously, going back a few weeks ago, they all seemed to be indoor heating related. Either people needed their heating systems fixed or they were looking to get heating installed – as quickly as possible! How quickly things can change. Suddenly, with a bit of sunshine, it’s pool heating and covers that seem to be on people’s minds.

We install all types of heating systems for pools on Costa del Sol and Marbella, but a recurring question that’s been raised recently is whether they can get their pools heated from solar panels. The answer is that you can use solar as part of a heating system but unless you invest a lot of money in a lot of big panels, you cannot rely on solar only to heat your pool, especially in winter.

However, what solar pool heating can do (on its own) is extend your swimming season so you can start swimming earlier in the year and finish later in the year. What’s more, if you have a heat pump as well, then you could have a heated pool all year round and solar panels will help to substantially reduce your bills.

We also get asked a lot about the grants available for solar, and whilst we are one of only a few companies that can get the huge subsidies available from the government for solar heating, unfortunately it only applies to your homes, not your pools.

Of course there is no point in getting pool heating unless you get a pool cover as well (assuming it’s an outdoor pool) to help retain the heat, and there are many different types of pool cover but that’s a subject for another time.

After this awful winter, it’s just great that people are thinking about getting in their pools again….even if they do need their pools to be heated first![:no]In our line of business, our incoming enquiries are often very seasonal. Obviously, going back a few weeks ago, they all seemed to be indoor heating related. Either people needed their heating systems fixed or they were looking to get heating installed – as quickly as possible! How quickly things can change. Suddenly, with a bit of sunshine, it’s pool heating and covers that seem to be on people’s minds.

We install all types of heating systems for pools but a recurring question that’s been raised recently is whether they can get their pools heated from solar panels. The answer is that you can use solar as part of a heating system but unless you invest a lot of money in a lot of big panels, you cannot rely on solar only to heat your pool, especially in winter.

However, what solar heating can do (on its own) is extend your swimming season so you can start swimming earlier in the year and finish later in the year. What’s more, if you have a heat pump as well, then you could have a heated pool all year round and solar panels will help to substantially reduce your bills.

We also get asked a lot about the grants available for solar, and whilst we are one of only a few companies that can get the huge subsidies available from the government for solar heating, unfortunately it only applies to your homes, not your pools.

Of course there is no point in getting pool heating unless you get a pool cover as well (assuming it’s an outdoor pool) to help retain the heat, and there are many different types of pool cover but that’s a subject for another time.

After this awful winter, it’s just great that people are thinking about getting in their pools again….even if they do need their pools to be heated first![:]

[:en]Having just come out of a meeting with a builder we’ve never worked with before, I felt inspired to write something, not just because of that meeting but because it’s been something on my mind for a while.

The economic crisis has been tough for everyone. We all know the boom time is over for the time being. Making money for old rope isn’t easy any more, but the irony is that this is actually something to celebrate.  When money is that easy to come by, it brings in hoards of second rate (or third rate) tradesmen – otherwise known as “cowboys” – who undercut the real professionals that are trying to carve out a living through integrity and quality. Making money by providing a bad service is never a good thing.

What I was reminded of today when I met my builder friend, is that this crisis is filtering out all the rubbish, and we are left with the good people who have built their enterprises on integrity and professionalism.

We deal with a very broad range of clients throughout southern Andalucia, some of them foreign, but many of them Spanish. However,  I have actually met a number of potential English clients recently who told me that they wouldn’t normally hire English firms who work in our sector – heating, cooling, electrics, plumbing – because they had had such bad experiences with them in the past. Luckily, they were able to see that we weren’t cut from the same cloth, and we’re now happily working together. But the point is that the “cowboys” were not only taking business off us, but were also destroying the reputation of our sector all together.

The builder I met today was Albanian but I’ve met some good professional English ones recently too![:es]Después de haber salido de una reunión con un constructor con el que nunca habíamos trabajado antes, me sentí inspirado a escribir algo, no solo por esa reunión, sino porque ha sido algo en mi mente por un tiempo.

La crisis económica ha sido dura para todos. Todos sabemos que el tiempo de auge ha terminado por el momento. Ganar dinero por la soga vieja ya no es fácil, pero la ironía es que esto es realmente algo para celebrar. Cuando el dinero es tan fácil de conseguir, atrae hordas de comerciantes de segunda categoría (o de tercera clase), también conocidos como “vaqueros”, que socavan a los verdaderos profesionales que intentan ganarse la vida a través de la integridad y la calidad. Ganar dinero proporcionando un mal servicio nunca es algo bueno.

Lo que me recordó hoy cuando conocí a mi amigo constructor, es que esta crisis está filtrando toda la basura, y nos quedamos con las buenas personas que han construido sus empresas en integridad y profesionalismo.

Nos ocupamos de una amplia gama de clientes en todo el sur de Andalucía, algunos de ellos extranjeros, pero muchos de ellos españoles. Sin embargo, recientemente conocí a un número de posibles clientes ingleses que me dijeron que normalmente no contratarían empresas inglesas que trabajen en nuestro sector (calefacción, refrigeración, electricidad, plomería) porque habían tenido experiencias tan malas con ellos en el pasado. Afortunadamente, pudieron ver que no estábamos cortados del mismo paño, y ahora estamos felices trabajando juntos. Pero el caso es que los “cowboys” no solo nos estaban quitando los negocios, sino que también destruían la reputación de nuestro sector.

¡El constructor que conocí hoy era albanés, pero también conocí a algunos buenos profesionales ingleses recientemente![:no]Har nettopp kommet ut av et møte med en byggherre vi aldri har jobbet med før, jeg følte meg inspirert til å skrive noe, ikke bare på grunn av det møtet, men fordi det har vært noe i tankene mine for en stund.

Den økonomiske krisen har vært tøff for alle. Vi vet alle at boomtiden er over for tiden. Å tjene penger på gamle tau er ikke lett lenger, men ironien er at dette faktisk er noe å feire. Når det er lett å komme med penger, bringer det inn i hoards of second rate (eller tredje rate) håndverkere – ellers kjent som “cowboys” – som undergraver de virkelige fagfolkene som prøver å skaffe seg en levetid gjennom integritet og kvalitet. Å tjene penger ved å gi en dårlig tjeneste er aldri en god ting.

Det jeg ble minnet om i dag da jeg møtte min buildervenn, er at denne krisen filtrerer ut alt søppel, og vi er igjen med de gode menneskene som har bygget sine bedrifter på integritet og profesjonalitet.

Vi håndterer et svært bredt spekter av kunder over hele Sør-Andalucia, noen av dem utenlandske, men mange av dem spansk. Imidlertid har jeg faktisk møtt en rekke potensielle engelske kunder nylig som fortalte meg at de normalt ikke ville ansette engelsk firmaer som jobber i vår sektor – oppvarming, kjøling, elektrisitet, rørleggerarbeid – fordi de hadde hatt så dårlige erfaringer med dem i forbi. Heldigvis kunne de se at vi ikke ble kuttet av samme klut, og vi jobber nå lykkelig sammen. Men poenget er at “cowboysene” ikke bare tok forretninger av oss, men ødela også omdømmet til sektoren vår sammen.

Byggeren jeg møtte i dag var albansk, men jeg har nylig møtt noen gode profesjonelle engelske også![:]

Brilliant Solar Innovation!

As Oasis evolves,  we will become ever more focused on energy efficiency because it’s going to be a huge area over the coming years. We all, both domestically and commercially need to find ways of reducing energy so that we can get to grips with rising costs.

Energy efficicency is already a hot topic but I think the innovations in this area are only just beginning to take off. As such, one of the things that I shall be doing in this blog is drawing attention to ground breaking innovations in our space that might be relevant to you on a personal level, or if not, will hopefully be something of real interest.

Today, I want to draw your attention to a company and a solar innovation that’s going to change the lives of millions of people, specifically those living in rural developing countries. It’s an amazing invention from a company called VNL in India, and they are winning all sorts of accolades around the world. Time Magazine has profiled them under their feature on ‘Tech pioneers that will change your life’.

WorldGSM™ is the first solar powered mobile network designed from the ground up to serve rural populations in developing economies — and do it profitably. Basically, they have created a solar powered mobile phone base station that has no requirement for the electriciy grid. VNL’s base station needs less than 100 watts of power, costs $15,000 (vs. $100,000 for a conventional one) and is profitable at just $2 of revenue per user per month. Traditional GSM (global system for mobile communication) stations break even at $6.

What a fantastic innovation in the solar space!

Readmore: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1948486_1948485_1948477,00.html#ixzz0gSz7FGjY

Bills set to soar!

Every now and then one reads an article that doesn’t necessarily tell you anything you didn’t already know but it serves as a big wake up call. That’s what happened to me when I stumbled across this article about Richard Branson and others warning us of huge increases in bills coming our way. The article is actually directed at the UK but it’s the same problem for everyone. Oil is running out and inflation is ramping up….as if we needed any more bad news right now! Unfortunately, that means the cost of all our basic requirements are set to surge, especially things like heating/hot water.

In fact, the estimates in the article are very conservative. They talk about the cost of oil set to climb to a “sustained level over $100 dollars over the next five years”. Bearing in mind that oil has already peaked at $147 a barrel, the basic rules of supply and demand can only lead to one conclusion. Demand from highly populated countries like China and India are increasing all the time as they become more industrialised, and when it comes to supply, oil is running out. Combine that with increasing inflation, and I think the price of oil could sustain a level over $200 in the next five years, nearly three times what it is now. Not just our bills but everything from food to transport will go through the roof.

I believe we should all be doing whatever we can to invest now in ways to protect ourselves from these difficulties in the future. Energy efficiency and renewable energy are crucial for the future – that cannot be emphasised enough! As I write this, the rain continues to fall but luckily here in Andalucia, we know that we get more hours of sun than almost anywhere else in Europe so we are lucky that we can really take advantage of solar power. What’s more, the local government is even providing a huge amount of the investment up front in the form of grants and subsidies, both for domestic and commercial purposes. I think investing in solar power now is what they call a “no brainer”!

Here is the link to the article I’m referring to: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/oilprices/7203172/Britain-faces-oil-crunch-within-five-years-Richard-Branson-warns.html

Solar heat your pool?

[:en]In our line of business, our incoming enquiries are often very seasonal. Obviously, going back a few weeks ago, they all seemed to be indoor heating related. Either people needed their heating systems fixed or they were looking to get heating installed – as quickly as possible! How quickly things can change. Suddenly, with a bit of sunshine, it’s pool heating and covers that seem to be on people’s minds.

We install all types of heating systems for pools but a recurring question that’s been raised recently is whether they can get their pools heated from solar panels. The answer is that you can use solar as part of a heating system but unless you invest a lot of money in a lot of big panels, you cannot rely on solar only to heat your pool, especially in winter.

However, what solar heating can do (on its own) is extend your swimming season so you can start swimming earlier in the year and finish later in the year. What’s more, if you have a heat pump as well, then you could have a heated pool all year round and solar panels will help to substantially reduce your bills.

We also get asked a lot about the grants available for solar, and whilst we are one of only a few companies that can get the huge subsidies available from the government for solar heating, unfortunately it only applies to your homes, not your pools.

Of course there is no point in getting pool heating unless you get a pool cover as well (assuming it’s an outdoor pool) to help retain the heat, and there are many different types of pool cover but that’s a subject for another time.

After this awful winter, it’s just great that people are thinking about getting in their pools again….even if they do need their pools to be heated first![:es]In our line of business, our incoming enquiries are often very seasonal. Obviously, going back a few weeks ago, they all seemed to be indoor heating related. Either people needed their heating systems fixed or they were looking to get heating installed – as quickly as possible! How quickly things can change. Suddenly, with a bit of sunshine, it’s pool heating and covers that seem to be on people’s minds.

We install all types of heating systems for pools on Costa del Sol and Marbella, but a recurring question that’s been raised recently is whether they can get their pools heated from solar panels. The answer is that you can use solar as part of a heating system but unless you invest a lot of money in a lot of big panels, you cannot rely on solar only to heat your pool, especially in winter.

However, what solar pool heating can do (on its own) is extend your swimming season so you can start swimming earlier in the year and finish later in the year. What’s more, if you have a heat pump as well, then you could have a heated pool all year round and solar panels will help to substantially reduce your bills.

We also get asked a lot about the grants available for solar, and whilst we are one of only a few companies that can get the huge subsidies available from the government for solar heating, unfortunately it only applies to your homes, not your pools.

Of course there is no point in getting pool heating unless you get a pool cover as well (assuming it’s an outdoor pool) to help retain the heat, and there are many different types of pool cover but that’s a subject for another time.

After this awful winter, it’s just great that people are thinking about getting in their pools again….even if they do need their pools to be heated first![:no]In our line of business, our incoming enquiries are often very seasonal. Obviously, going back a few weeks ago, they all seemed to be indoor heating related. Either people needed their heating systems fixed or they were looking to get heating installed – as quickly as possible! How quickly things can change. Suddenly, with a bit of sunshine, it’s pool heating and covers that seem to be on people’s minds.

We install all types of heating systems for pools but a recurring question that’s been raised recently is whether they can get their pools heated from solar panels. The answer is that you can use solar as part of a heating system but unless you invest a lot of money in a lot of big panels, you cannot rely on solar only to heat your pool, especially in winter.

However, what solar heating can do (on its own) is extend your swimming season so you can start swimming earlier in the year and finish later in the year. What’s more, if you have a heat pump as well, then you could have a heated pool all year round and solar panels will help to substantially reduce your bills.

We also get asked a lot about the grants available for solar, and whilst we are one of only a few companies that can get the huge subsidies available from the government for solar heating, unfortunately it only applies to your homes, not your pools.

Of course there is no point in getting pool heating unless you get a pool cover as well (assuming it’s an outdoor pool) to help retain the heat, and there are many different types of pool cover but that’s a subject for another time.

After this awful winter, it’s just great that people are thinking about getting in their pools again….even if they do need their pools to be heated first![:]

[:en]Having just come out of a meeting with a builder we’ve never worked with before, I felt inspired to write something, not just because of that meeting but because it’s been something on my mind for a while.

The economic crisis has been tough for everyone. We all know the boom time is over for the time being. Making money for old rope isn’t easy any more, but the irony is that this is actually something to celebrate.  When money is that easy to come by, it brings in hoards of second rate (or third rate) tradesmen – otherwise known as “cowboys” – who undercut the real professionals that are trying to carve out a living through integrity and quality. Making money by providing a bad service is never a good thing.

What I was reminded of today when I met my builder friend, is that this crisis is filtering out all the rubbish, and we are left with the good people who have built their enterprises on integrity and professionalism.

We deal with a very broad range of clients throughout southern Andalucia, some of them foreign, but many of them Spanish. However,  I have actually met a number of potential English clients recently who told me that they wouldn’t normally hire English firms who work in our sector – heating, cooling, electrics, plumbing – because they had had such bad experiences with them in the past. Luckily, they were able to see that we weren’t cut from the same cloth, and we’re now happily working together. But the point is that the “cowboys” were not only taking business off us, but were also destroying the reputation of our sector all together.

The builder I met today was Albanian but I’ve met some good professional English ones recently too![:es]Después de haber salido de una reunión con un constructor con el que nunca habíamos trabajado antes, me sentí inspirado a escribir algo, no solo por esa reunión, sino porque ha sido algo en mi mente por un tiempo.

La crisis económica ha sido dura para todos. Todos sabemos que el tiempo de auge ha terminado por el momento. Ganar dinero por la soga vieja ya no es fácil, pero la ironía es que esto es realmente algo para celebrar. Cuando el dinero es tan fácil de conseguir, atrae hordas de comerciantes de segunda categoría (o de tercera clase), también conocidos como “vaqueros”, que socavan a los verdaderos profesionales que intentan ganarse la vida a través de la integridad y la calidad. Ganar dinero proporcionando un mal servicio nunca es algo bueno.

Lo que me recordó hoy cuando conocí a mi amigo constructor, es que esta crisis está filtrando toda la basura, y nos quedamos con las buenas personas que han construido sus empresas en integridad y profesionalismo.

Nos ocupamos de una amplia gama de clientes en todo el sur de Andalucía, algunos de ellos extranjeros, pero muchos de ellos españoles. Sin embargo, recientemente conocí a un número de posibles clientes ingleses que me dijeron que normalmente no contratarían empresas inglesas que trabajen en nuestro sector (calefacción, refrigeración, electricidad, plomería) porque habían tenido experiencias tan malas con ellos en el pasado. Afortunadamente, pudieron ver que no estábamos cortados del mismo paño, y ahora estamos felices trabajando juntos. Pero el caso es que los “cowboys” no solo nos estaban quitando los negocios, sino que también destruían la reputación de nuestro sector.

¡El constructor que conocí hoy era albanés, pero también conocí a algunos buenos profesionales ingleses recientemente![:no]Har nettopp kommet ut av et møte med en byggherre vi aldri har jobbet med før, jeg følte meg inspirert til å skrive noe, ikke bare på grunn av det møtet, men fordi det har vært noe i tankene mine for en stund.

Den økonomiske krisen har vært tøff for alle. Vi vet alle at boomtiden er over for tiden. Å tjene penger på gamle tau er ikke lett lenger, men ironien er at dette faktisk er noe å feire. Når det er lett å komme med penger, bringer det inn i hoards of second rate (eller tredje rate) håndverkere – ellers kjent som “cowboys” – som undergraver de virkelige fagfolkene som prøver å skaffe seg en levetid gjennom integritet og kvalitet. Å tjene penger ved å gi en dårlig tjeneste er aldri en god ting.

Det jeg ble minnet om i dag da jeg møtte min buildervenn, er at denne krisen filtrerer ut alt søppel, og vi er igjen med de gode menneskene som har bygget sine bedrifter på integritet og profesjonalitet.

Vi håndterer et svært bredt spekter av kunder over hele Sør-Andalucia, noen av dem utenlandske, men mange av dem spansk. Imidlertid har jeg faktisk møtt en rekke potensielle engelske kunder nylig som fortalte meg at de normalt ikke ville ansette engelsk firmaer som jobber i vår sektor – oppvarming, kjøling, elektrisitet, rørleggerarbeid – fordi de hadde hatt så dårlige erfaringer med dem i forbi. Heldigvis kunne de se at vi ikke ble kuttet av samme klut, og vi jobber nå lykkelig sammen. Men poenget er at “cowboysene” ikke bare tok forretninger av oss, men ødela også omdømmet til sektoren vår sammen.

Byggeren jeg møtte i dag var albansk, men jeg har nylig møtt noen gode profesjonelle engelske også![:]

Brilliant Solar Innovation!

As Oasis evolves,  we will become ever more focused on energy efficiency because it’s going to be a huge area over the coming years. We all, both domestically and commercially need to find ways of reducing energy so that we can get to grips with rising costs.

Energy efficicency is already a hot topic but I think the innovations in this area are only just beginning to take off. As such, one of the things that I shall be doing in this blog is drawing attention to ground breaking innovations in our space that might be relevant to you on a personal level, or if not, will hopefully be something of real interest.

Today, I want to draw your attention to a company and a solar innovation that’s going to change the lives of millions of people, specifically those living in rural developing countries. It’s an amazing invention from a company called VNL in India, and they are winning all sorts of accolades around the world. Time Magazine has profiled them under their feature on ‘Tech pioneers that will change your life’.

WorldGSM™ is the first solar powered mobile network designed from the ground up to serve rural populations in developing economies — and do it profitably. Basically, they have created a solar powered mobile phone base station that has no requirement for the electriciy grid. VNL’s base station needs less than 100 watts of power, costs $15,000 (vs. $100,000 for a conventional one) and is profitable at just $2 of revenue per user per month. Traditional GSM (global system for mobile communication) stations break even at $6.

What a fantastic innovation in the solar space!

Readmore: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1948486_1948485_1948477,00.html#ixzz0gSz7FGjY

Bills set to soar!

Every now and then one reads an article that doesn’t necessarily tell you anything you didn’t already know but it serves as a big wake up call. That’s what happened to me when I stumbled across this article about Richard Branson and others warning us of huge increases in bills coming our way. The article is actually directed at the UK but it’s the same problem for everyone. Oil is running out and inflation is ramping up….as if we needed any more bad news right now! Unfortunately, that means the cost of all our basic requirements are set to surge, especially things like heating/hot water.

In fact, the estimates in the article are very conservative. They talk about the cost of oil set to climb to a “sustained level over $100 dollars over the next five years”. Bearing in mind that oil has already peaked at $147 a barrel, the basic rules of supply and demand can only lead to one conclusion. Demand from highly populated countries like China and India are increasing all the time as they become more industrialised, and when it comes to supply, oil is running out. Combine that with increasing inflation, and I think the price of oil could sustain a level over $200 in the next five years, nearly three times what it is now. Not just our bills but everything from food to transport will go through the roof.

I believe we should all be doing whatever we can to invest now in ways to protect ourselves from these difficulties in the future. Energy efficiency and renewable energy are crucial for the future – that cannot be emphasised enough! As I write this, the rain continues to fall but luckily here in Andalucia, we know that we get more hours of sun than almost anywhere else in Europe so we are lucky that we can really take advantage of solar power. What’s more, the local government is even providing a huge amount of the investment up front in the form of grants and subsidies, both for domestic and commercial purposes. I think investing in solar power now is what they call a “no brainer”!

Here is the link to the article I’m referring to: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/oilprices/7203172/Britain-faces-oil-crunch-within-five-years-Richard-Branson-warns.html

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