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9 Considerations for Choosing Right Home Generators

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Photo © Ryan Tauss on Unsplash

To choose the right home generator is like selecting a quality and new refrigerator or dishwasher; you have needs and you simply want the best. For this reason, you may end up perplexed and confused. Nowadays, there are a number of generator types coming from different retailers and manufacturers in various models, shapes, prices, and sizes.

When choosing generators for home, it is very important to read and research between the lines; these items can put your family at risk. Here are top considerations when choosing what backup power solution works best for your lifestyle and home.

1. Sound Levels

Check the sound decibel and ensure the unit muffler is great quality. A loud and noisy generator will interrupt your family’s favourite program or disturb at night. Simply put, it will not allow your family to enjoy home comforts. Most reputable and good quality standby units sound like an air conditioning compressor or quieter. Purchase models which feature a great quiet mode.

2. Its Cost and Functions

Do you opt to pay extra cash for a premium brand generator or save cash and purchase a cheap budget brand? It is important for you to beware of the company’s leadership and reputation to ensure that you are purchasing a quality generator from a trusted dealer. Cost is usually dependent upon how big your home is, what circuits you want to back up, and your location.

Examine if the generator has its own programmer controller, which allow hands-free operation. The controller makes the unit to be user-friendly especially for the busy homeowners as it acts as the brain of the unit and sends an alarm when it requires maintenance.

3. Fuel Supply

This is a vital part of choosing a home generator. The fuel type should depend on factors such as affordability, accessibility, environment impact, shelf life, and storage safety. Some of the commonly used fuel types include:

· Diesel

Diesel generators require less maintenance, they are fuel-efficient and least flammable. However, they are louder because of the powerful compression ignition and response. Diesel cannot be stored for too long.

· Gasoline

Gasoline is highly accessible and it’s the most typically used. Even so, it is highly flammable and it has a short shelf life.

· Propane

Propane is safe to store and it is a clean fuel. However, it is highly flammable and it is more expensive.

4. Warranty

It is important to consider warranty offerings as well as seals of approvals. A generator company that is most reputable and trusted will offer you warranty flexibility that suits your budget and needs.

5. Generator Sizing

The engine is the heart of the generator. Larger size generators use liquid-cooled engines while smaller ones use air-cooled engines. Consider purchasing an engine built for heavy-duty unit usage. A quality home electric generator has a better engine that has long intervals, and it requires an oil change after every 200 hours or longer per service.

6. Ease of Installation

Consider choosing generator systems with pre-wired transfer switches in order to make it easier for a qualified installer or DIYer.

7. External Shell

Do not overlook the generator’s external shell. The external casing should have easy access for servicing. Consider choosing hinge enclosers and not bolted enclosers. Additionally, rust-resistant shells are the best for they are durable.

8. Weather Protection

Standby home generators with protected control panels are the best for homeowners that are planning to place their units near the windows.

9. Portability

If you love to do some renovations or rearrange your home furniture, you can choose to purchase a portable generator. They come with a transport trailer or wheels.

About The Author:

Caroline Bird is a creative writer and digital marketer. She loves sharing her perspective, tips and how-tos related to home improvement, productivity, business, technology, and SEO through her writing. Connect with Caroline via @bCarolinebird12

Australian Small Business Grants in 2019

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The Australian government is giving small businesses a boost with financial help in the form of payment incentives, tax credits or grants. To qualify for a grant, your business should be a start-up or a small and medium-sized business. The annual turnover of your business may come into play if you want to apply for some of the grants.

We will explore some of the business grants available to your business below.

Australian Government Entrepreneurs Program

To encourage productivity, competitiveness, and commercialization of ideas, the Federal Government is providing this grant to entrepreneurs. To accelerate commercialisation, the grant will give funding of up to $1 million for any process that goes into bringing a new product, service, and process into the market.

small business outlook 2019

Business advisors will be at hand to mentor and help in implementing strategies. They will also help create a business evaluation action plan that will recommend how to grow and improve. 

Your business must have an annual turnover of between $1.5 and $100 million. The company must also be in a particular growth sector like manufacturing, mining technology, medical-technology agribusiness, food, among others.

Start-up and existing incubators will receive up to $500,000 to help them access international markets.

State Government Grants – Victoria

These grants are available for people who live in the Victoria area and are available for anyone in food innovation, Social Enterprise, Defence and Aerospace, exports to Asia and advanced manufacturing.

Anyone who successfully applies will get vouchers that they can use in innovation, market engagement, and business capability.

Winning a state government grant can provide prestige and credibility, with the appearance of a small business critical to help it get off the ground. In addition, the most obvious benefit of this grant is that, unlike a loan, grants do not need to be repaid. This can provide you with a unique advantage over your competition.

According to the short-term finance experts at Maxiron Capital, “The approval of state funding can provide the same boost to a small business or start-up as a small business loan. With no repayments to make there is the opportunity to use short-term financing to scale at speed and drive home the advantage provided through state grants.”


State Government Grants – Queensland

This $50,000 Grant is available for businesses that need to purchase specialised Services or equipment. The grant aims to accelerate the growth of businesses that have high growth and employment aspirations.

According to the Queensland Government, Business Queensland, “Business innovation often requires an up-front investment of resources to develop new ideas, with a view to future profits. For businesses that are unable to fund their own ideas, a range of grants and financial assistance is available to support innovation.”

In order to find the specific grant, you can go over the Grant Directories.

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State Government Grants – New South Wales

The $2000 Grant is for businesses that hire new employees without paying payroll tax. The company will get the grant for every new employee they hire.

There are typically two types of grants for employee hiring, both of which will require you to understand your taxation and legal rights. A Small Business Grant is aimed at small businesses looking to increase their headcount, which means businesses that are paying less than $750,000 a year in wages and therefore falling under the NSW Payroll Tax threshold.

With the ability of grants to transform your business, the legal experts at Southern Coast Lawyers indicate that “you should always be aware of relevant state legislation pertaining to your business. Knowing your legal responsibilities and ensuring you are working within these parameters can ensure you are eligible for business grants when they become available to you.”

Then there is the other typical grant that is the Jobs Action Plan. This is for larger businesses, so it is important to identify which type of grant suits your needs the most.

CSIRO Kick Start Grant

Any Australian SME or start-up can qualify for the $50000 matched funding Grant. 

The fund will aid in research activities done together with CSIRO to grow the business. Your company must have an Australian company number (ACN) have an annual turnover of below $1.5 million, and GST registered.

The research will cover areas such as product development, ideas with commercial potential, and testing of products or materials. It should not be less than a one-year research project.

CSIRO will provide between $10000 and $50000 in matched funding for your research investment.

Certain Inputs to Manufacture (CIM) programme

CIM is a concession which will allow manufacturers in Australia to import specific raw material like chemicals, paper goods, plastic and metal for food packaging, duty-free.

You will only get the grant if you can prove that you cannot get the same quality of the product in the domestic market.

R & D Tax Incentive

The R&D tax incentive will give a company a 43.5% refundable tax, for any costs that arise due to research and development activities.

To be considered for the grant, the company has to be incorporated, and have R&D reductions or costs of $20,000 at the minimum. You must also have an annual turnover of no less than$20 million.

Australian Government Restart Incentive

The Australian Government Restart Incentive is a grant that will go to any business that employs and retains mature employees of age 50 and above.

The company must have a valid ABN, is a member of an unemployment service provider, and should offer the employee a minimum of 20 hours per week. Your company will receive a payment of $10,000 over six months.

Health Benefits of Fresh Meat Over Processed Meat

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Before we drill down into the benefits of a free range butchers grass fed meat & that which is processed, we need to go over the difference between fresh & processed food. What is the difference between the two? Fresh food provides nutrients for your body such as fibre, vitamins and minerals with low added sugar and fat. Processed food is at the other end being energy dense and high calorie providing energy with little value to your body.

Fresh, whole food would be considered, ideally, as a food with only one ingredient. Think fresh fruit, vegetables & grass fed meat like beef from an organic butchers. These foods will assist you in maintaining a healthy lifestyle by consuming all your recommended nutritional intake. A processed food is any food with more than one ingredient, and food companies typically add additional sugars, preservatives, dyes and “bad” fats such as saturated and trans fats. When it comes to meat processed includes things like chicken fingers, fish sticks, canned meat & deli products.

Read on to understand more about the benefits of eating fresh grass fed meat from a free range butchers as opposed to processed meat from the supermarkets frozen section.

Why Processed Meat is Bad for You?

Although not completely proven, it is believed that people who eat processed meat are generally on the unhealthy side of the spectrum. All the of the added chemicals & processing that strips of all the nutrients makes it harder for those people to get their recommended intake. The evidence that is there is convincing because the links are consistent across the board.

Studies in certain animals have also added credibility to this claim. For example, studies in rats have shown how consuming processed meat can increase the risk of bowel cancer. The clear takeaway is that processed meat contains harmful chemical compounds. Chemical compounds we would be better off not consuming.

 

Benefits of Fresh Meat

 

Grass fed meat, like that from a free range butcher are a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids. These are essential to a healthy heart and help with brain function. There is also evidence that these acids can slow the growth of a number of cancers.

The organic grass fed meat from free range animals are also a source of CLAs (conjugated linoleic acids). This is another critical nutrient for preventing, and even fighting cancer. In fact, grass fed meats and dairy products are shown to be 3-5 times higher in these acids than conventional meat and dairy.

Another plus is that grass fed meats contain a lot more Vitamin E. Vitamin E is a very important vitamin that helps with hormone regulation and supports heart, respiratory, brain, prostate and breast health.

Processed meat contains things that are not naturally present in fresh meat. Nasty chemicals, additives and preservatives. Many things that are harmful to health. For this reason, eating a lot of processed meat over fresh grass fed meat may increase the risk of chronic disease & cancer. Choose fresh meat and enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

At the end of the day, you should limit your intake of processed foods and base your diet on fresh whole foods. For all your grass fed meats head to a free range butchers like https://canningsfreerangebutchers.com.au/ & enjoy all the health benefits associated with organic butchers and their fresh food & grass fed meat.

The Low-Down On Finding Work In Australia For Mechanical Engineering Graduates

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engineering jobs australia

An extremely diverse field, mechanical engineering includes the design, management, construction, maintenance, organisation and operation of mechanical equipment and machinery. In the past five years, the demand for mechanical engineers has increased greatly and there has been a considerable growth in employment. The primary job of mechanical engineers is designing and building large-scale mechanical and industrial processing plants and facilities. Additionally, they take on administrative tasks such as ensuring the smooth and efficient running of programs and drawing up budgets. So, how can you find a mechanical engineering job in Australia? Let’s take a look.

Statistics show that mechanical engineers in Australia are able to find a job within four months of graduating. Moreover, the average starting salary of mechanical engineers in Australia is between $55000 and $60,000 per year. The states where mechanical engineering graduates find a job easily include Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. While finding a mechanical engineering job in Australia is not that difficult, you need to follow certain steps to guarantee employment and build a mechanical engineering career.

Contrary to the popular belief, being good at maths and science isn’t sufficient to find a job in mechanical engineering or build a career in it. If you are a recent mechanical engineering graduate then there are certain things you need to do to find a job and advance your career. Here are some tips you can follow to find a mechanical engineering job in Australia and take your career to the next level.

Look for graduate programs

Want to get your career off to a flying start? If yes then look for and try to get into a graduate training program. Offered by a number of companies today, mechanical engineering graduate programs are the perfect way to start your career. The duration of these programs is one to two years and you can apply for them by visiting job boards or attending university career expos. Also, a good resource for graduates is the Engineers Australia website.

Think outside of the box

While you went to university to study mechanical engineering, you should be ready and willing to take on job responsibilities that aren’t your forte. Knowledge of certain software and electronic components is an unstated prerequisite for landing a mechanical engineering job today. For this reason, you should find out about and learn the basics of disciplines related to mechanical engineering.

Stay in touch with your Alma matter

Your Alma matter i.e. the university you attended can help you to increase your networking reach and find a ‘decent-paying’ job. Therefore, keeping in touch with the faculty and staff at your university even after you graduate is important.

Finding a mechanical engineering job in Australia is easy but only if you follow the steps that guarantee employment. By following the aforementioned tips, you’ll be able to find a mechanical engineering job in Australia and take your career to the next level.

Trading Signal Services: Evaluating Your Options

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We all want to make money trading the market and trading signal services seemingly make that a lot easier. You simply follow the trading signals provided and (ideally) make a shed load of cash.

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But with so many people offering trading recommendations, who do you choose? First and foremost, you need to make sure that the individuals at the company are reputable.

Trading Analysis Signals and performance

Lookup people of interest on LinkedIn, check their endorsements and true work history. Google their name and see what you can find out about them. If possible, also try and arrange a catch up with them over the phone or in person to really get to know them.

In addition to that, you’ll also want to look at past performance. Although past performance isn’t necessarily a guide to future returns, it’s a damn good indicator!

You’ll want to see performance going at least 18 months back. Furthermore, check to see if the return figures have been externally audited. For individual and “small traders”, that may not be possible. However, they should provide some way for you to verify their claimed returns.

For example, if they provide Dow Jones forecasts they should show the past recommendation documents that backup their analysis, gains and losses. Although it may be tedious, look back at market prices to see if in fact they did make the gains that they claim.

The third key feature to evaluate is the “trading style”. Do they aggressively trade in and out of markets? Or do their positions last a few weeks? If their style doesn’t match your style or what you’re looking for, move on. Signing up to a Forex signal service that provides 20 updates throughout the night can become overwhelming if you’re just getting started.

And finally, evaluate their process. One of the reasons why Madoff got away with his elaborate trading scam for so long is because people didn’t question his trading strategy. Ask questions, understand the process and if things seem too good to be true, they probably are.