Kobalt Systems

01/27/2023

⭐️ Twinning - who wore it better? 🤩

11/24/2022

Thinking about making the switch to a heat pump, but worried your electrical service is already maxed out?
The CleanBC Better Homes and Home Renovation Rebate Program is offering a $500 rebate for upgrading your electrical service to 100, 200, or 400 amp service for your home when upgrading from a fossil fuel primary space or water heating system to a primary electrical space or water heating system. Learn more here: https://betterhomesbc.ca/rebates/electric-service-upgrade-rebate/

11/11/2022

This year was a reminder of how quickly freedom can be taken away. Thank you to the brave men and women who have served, and continue to serve Canada during times of war, conflict, and peace 🌺

09/06/2022

𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁

If you are looking for the best garage door opener for your home that can be controlled by remote access even when you are away from the house, consider investing in a smart garage door controller.

Many people are looking for ways to eliminate the number of keys or controllers they have to carry, but want to keep their home safe and secure while away. Home automation systems are designed to make our lives easier, and in recent years, the smart technology market has developed a solution that helps make garage doors even easier to access and operate than a standard garage door.

By turning to smart technology, the chances of losing your remote controller are minimized, but the security of your home is increased.

Switching to a smart garage door controller can save you a lot of space and time and, when used correctly, can bring a lot of other benefits to your day-to-day routine.

Check out our most recent blog post https://www.kobaltsystems.ca/smart-garage-door-controllers/ to learn about the security benefits of integrating a smart garage door opener into your home security system.

The best garage door opener is one that can be controlled by remote access even when you are away from the house. These are called smart garage door openers.

07/14/2022

𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗩 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗖

Electric vehicles are surging in popularity across the country for many reasons including saving money on gas, emissions-free motoring, reduced lifetime maintenance and costs, improved battery performance and an increase in options on the market.

The one thing that still holds some vehicle owners back from making the switch to an electric vehicle is concern over the ability to charge the vehicle quickly and conveniently.

Of course, electric vehicles (EVs) do need regular charging, depending on their range, and while there are more public charging stations opening, there is also higher demand for those charging spots.

While EVs can be charged at home on your regular 120v wiring, charging this way will be slow. More often, EV owners are choosing to upgrade to a Level 2 (240v) charging station for faster and more convenient charging at their home or workplace.

The good news is that there are a number of national and provincial (BC) rebates available for those buying EVs and upgrading their charging systems.

Click here to find out how much in rebates you can get for installing an EV charging station at your home or business:

In BC, rebates are available for installation of Level 2 EV chargers in single family homes, multi-unit residential buildings and on business premises.

06/28/2022

𝗙𝗣𝗘 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗯-𝗟𝗼𝗸 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺

If you live or work in an older building, you could be sitting on a ticking time-bomb when it comes to the safety of the electrical panel and circuitry. You’ll want to check to see if you have a Federal Pacific/Pioneer Electric Stab-Lok breaker panel installed.

The FPE Stab-Lok Breaker Panel was manufactured from the 1950s to the 1980s, remaining a popular installation choice well into the 2000s.

In every home or workplace, the electricity for the building is controlled and sent around via an electrical panel box. These electrical panel boxes feature breakers that can trip, effectively shutting off electricity in order to prevent risk of electrical fire.

While modern electrical panel boxes are very safe, FPE Stab-Lok panels have been found to fail safety requirement testing and therefore are considered a safety risk.

In our most recent blog post, we take a look at exactly what FPE Stab-Lok panels are, how to identify if your building has one, and why you should replace them.

FPE Stab-Lok electrical panels have been found to fail safety requirement testing and therefore are considered a safety risk. Here's what you need to know...

04/19/2022

Boost your plant growth during colder months with an electrically outfitted greenhouse and garden. Grocery prices aren’t getting lower anytime soon – that’s why utilizing a greenhouse and garden can be a worthwhile investment.

Does Your Greenhouse & Garden Need Electricity?

Just like most things home-related, the answer to this question depends entirely on what you need your greenhouse and garden to do.

Using electricity in a greenhouse can be helpful for tropical plants, as well as many kinds of temperate plants that need protection from the winter cold. Lighting and heating in greenhouses are also essential for rooting cuttings and germinating plants.

Before you decide to power your greenhouse and garden, ask yourself:

What do I want to use my greenhouse and garden for?
- Do I need to extend the growing season?
- Do my plants need to be kept frost-free?
- Does the operating cost outweigh the value of produce my plants will provide?
- While there are a variety of options to heat and light your greenhouse and garden, electricity is the best option. Unlike natural gas or liquid gas/oil, it’s versatile, easy to control, and allows you to use various types of equipment.

Why should you avoid using natural gas or liquid gas/oil?

- Gas and oil are combustible
- Creates high levels of gasses and condensation
- Higher loss in heat and energy
- Failure to remove toxic gasses can be harmful to you and your plants
- Costs more to install and maintain

With the price of gas, using electricity in your greenhouse and garden is the most cost-efficient route.

Read more on our blog https://www.kobaltsystems.ca/electrical-for-greenhouses-gardens/

04/17/2022

We hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend & Happy Easter! 🐇 🐥 🌷

03/23/2022

When to Replace or Upgrade Your Bathroom Fan

The bathroom is most likely the most humid room in your home. If your bathroom is poorly ventilated, all this warm steam can cause excess moisture buildup.

This extra moisture can cause:

-- Mold and mildew
-- Bad odours
-- Poor indoor air quality
-- Peeling paint or wallpaper
-- Lifting or splitting of laminated plywood vanities

In more extreme cases, this may cause structural damage by penetrating into your home’s drywall, attic insulation, and structural joists.

Besides removing odours, the main purpose of bathroom ventilation is to remove all that extra moisture from the bathroom before your furnishings and finishings suffer water damage.

But how do you know if your bathroom exhaust fan is really working properly?

The best way to tell if your bathroom fan is in need of servicing or replacement is the “toilet paper test”.

To do the toilet paper test:

-- Take 2 pieces of toilet paper
-- Turn on the fan and place the toilet paper against the fan cover
-- The fan should suck up the toilet paper and stay attached to the fan
-- If not, your bathroom exhaust fan isn’t working efficiently

Typically, your bathroom ventilation should be cleaned at least 1 or 2 times a year. If you keep up with routine cleaning and maintenance, the fan can last up to 10 years or more.

To learn more of the ins and outs of bathroom fans, check out our most recent blog post:

Is the fan in your bathroom doing its job? Just because you hear the fan making noise doesn't mean it's working. Here's how to tell if your bathroom fan is working properly....

02/24/2022

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲

Electric cars are becoming commonplace, and more homeowners are opting to have electric vehicle chargers installed at their homes.

According to Stats Canada and the Toronto Star, there’s an estimated 200,000 electric and hybrid vehicles on the road in Canada as of December 2021.

That number is only predicted to rise, as gas prices soar year over year and the BC Government offers tantalizing rebates for home EV charging stations as well as the purchase of a new electric battery powered vehicle, hybrid vehicle, or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

There’s also a rebate for replacing a highly polluting vehicle with a new or used electric vehicle. This means that a new electric or hybrid passenger vehicle could end up being a very sound financial investment!

In addition to the incentives offered by the BC Government, there’s also the Federal electric car rebate for Canada which offers point of sale rebates of up to $5000 for a purchased or leased electric vehicle. The CleanBC rebate program is also offering a $350 rebate on the installation of eligible Level 2 EV charger models.

𝗗𝗼 𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗩𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲?

EV chargers are being added across the country and the infrastructure is changing, especially as the Canadian Government offers incentives to large corporations like 7-Eleven to have EV chargers installed. However, there are still not enough EV chargers to ensure that you can head out in your electric vehicle and know for sure that you’ll be able to find an electric vehicle charger on your way.

What’s more, you’ll need to figure out which one of several apps to use to charge your car.

The speed and charge time can also vary with different EV charging stations. If you haven’t planned your trip to a T, you could very well be stuck 4-6 hours waiting for your vehicle to charge at a level 2 charger. What if there’s a line and you want to be able to drive to another station, but don’t have enough juice to make it?

You’re stuck waiting, potentially a very long time.
..Not so convenient.

Until hyper speed electric vehicle chargers become widely available, fully charging is a bit of an event. Some Level 2 and 3 charging stations are also charging for use now.

Why pay a third party for electricity when you can charge your car at home, on your terms? It’s much simpler than you may think.

Plugging your EV in at home is just like when you plug your smartphone in before you go to bed, only on a larger scale.

You plug your phone in, knowing that it’ll be fully charged and ready for another busy day tomorrow. The same goes for your vehicle. You can keep a basic daily charging schedule, plugging it in when you get home from work.

You'll never have to worry about running out of gas or having to scout out a charging station when your battery level drops lower than you’d planned.

Of course, since your battery charges while you’re at home living your life, you’re not stuck waiting in a public space for your vehicle to be ready to drive again. Also, most electric vehicles have a proprietary app that let you monitor battery usage from your smartphone.

We have a lot to tell you about EV chargers for your home and why you're going to want one. Check out our blog post here: https://www.kobaltsystems.ca/electric-vehicle-chargers-for-homes/