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What is smart technology? Is the world heading that way and why? Buckle your seatbelts were going to be discussing the crazy world of smart technology. Now when we say smart tech there are usually two reactions, the first being overwhelming excitement for in-use products and the future potential or a strong wave of dread. But why do people have either reaction? Uncertainty. Another big factor is, without saying, the wide range of dystopian, technologically advanced worlds that we see in films, shows, books and games. We have developed a flight or fight response by consuming these. What is smart tech? Smart Tech comes in many forms, from the phone in your hand to your ring doorbell we all have at least one piece of this tech. Some love it, some hate it but we all use it. In a nutshell, smart tech is a technology which uses big data analysis, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to provide cognitive awareness to objects which were in the past considered inanimate. What are the benefits? Not only does this tech add simplicity to your life it also saves you money, and who doesn't like some extra pounds in their pocket? Most importantly it helps conserve energy. Helping the planet and your bank account by: Reducing electricity bills, Reducing water bills, Making your home more durable, It also improves your mental well-being due to a sense of accomplishment from doing your bit for the environment and from saving money. Especially with the cost of living crisis. “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” ― Albert Einstein Going Green Why is going green so important? The big Global Warming, we've all heard of it but what exactly is it and what can we do to stop it? Global Warming is the long-term heating of the earth's surface caused by human activity. The best way to counteract the effects of global warming is to go green. But what exactly is that? Going green is simply being mindful of your impact on the earth and the ecological balance to preserve the planet, its natural resources, and its ecosystems. By making your home more energy efficient you can make a huge positive impact on the environment, on your mental well-being and on your bank account. Smart Homes But how do smart products help? The reason why smart products are so useful in combating climate change is energy conservation and seeing your usage, therefore, meaning you will be more likely to use less. Smart lighting can make a great impact on your home's energy expenditure and carbon footprint. Lighting is so important as 17% of a home's carbon footprint is caused by lighting. With smart lighting, you can control your lights via an app. Smart plugs also allow you to set timers so you are never using more electricity than necessary. Where can I get smart home products? At 7 Core we stock a wide range of smart products. The leading supplier of smart products that we supply is Link2Home. We stock smart plugs, smart thermostats, smart lighting, and smart doorbells just to name a few. We also stock smart car chargers for both commercial and residential use. As well as the great products above we will also take care of all your solar needs, stocking solar panels to suit your home. Whatever your requirements we have you covered.

A lot of people get confused over IP ratings, even those that have been in the industry for YEARS but they are so important. The last thing you want is to try to light up your pond and accidentally end up making a quick and easy way to boil thousands of pounds worth of koi carp! (especially when you can’t do the chips at the same time). So, breaking IP Waterproof ratings down bit by bit, IP simply explains what the regulation is (boring I know), ingress protection. Right, now the easy bit is done with, the next part is understanding the two digits. The first digit indicates what size solid object you can prod into the product. In the regulations it's done from 0-6 with an inclusion of an “X”, The X mark simply means that the person that made the product doesn’t believe this part of the regulation is relative and hasn’t tested it (move it along guys nothing to see here). 0-6 have pretty specific guidelines with 0,1,3 rarely being seen so to not bore everyone we will move on to the commonly used bad boys 2 - protects against solid objects no greater than 12.5mm 4 - protects against solid objects no greater than 1.0mm 5 – protects from dust 6 – yeah, no dust is getting in this bad boy, fully dust-tight. So pretty simple. Now on to the tricky part, the second digit tells you how much water can get into the product which in the world of electrical goods is pretty significant. It’s a similar format to the first digit in that it has a rating that goes from 0-8 with an “X” for not tested but to really throw a spanner in the works there’s a 9K (no this isn’t a crazy high-resolution TV were talking about). Again there’s a few that don’t really get used but the full range is still important in this part. 0 – not protected, this product might as well be a goldfish bowl 1 – protects against water coming vertically at it but still not really intended for water 2 – a bit of tilt (15 degrees) it won’t take on water 3 – can take a hit of water with a big tilt (60 degrees) 4 – it can take water from all sides but not a lot! 5 – now were talking, this bad boy can take a hit from the water jets, Karcher here I come 6 – it's braced for the high seas! And no water from the Karchers getting in here 7 – now we're talking serious protection, at 7 are going down as low as a 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. 8 – this product is sleeping with the fishes! 8 means fully submersible usually up to about 3 meters 9K – now were talking specialist high powered jets at close range So now you know what IP rating is best for you to be able to fire your jets at! (no not the aeroplanes)

Regularly we hear people ask the question, which home automation system should I use? Well, in an ever-expanding market this is a hard question to answer but here are 3 helpful tips for making sure you’re heading down the right path. 1 – Are you starting from fresh or are you swapping out your old switches and sockets? The way you install the system will define its limitations, many of the retrofit systems will require some additional rewiring but nothing too taxing (like the Octo system); whereas starting from fresh means rewiring the whole house, but rewiring does mean THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER. With the rewired systems you can switch the lights on with a single word or close the curtains with a tap of a mobile phone and never have to worry about Fred next door peeping in your living room again when you’re lying about watching your favourite episode of EastEnders. Looking at the retrofit systems such as Octo these are super quick and easy to install with amazing connectivity but you can’t attach any motors or link it to a system like Alexa. 2 - What do you want the system to control? The systems you install from fresh can encompass a lot of different functions but do have a few limitations (you will still have to get up to blend margaritas). The retrofit systems on the other hand whilst easy to install and very easy to control come with quite a lot of restriction; take the Clicksmart system from Scolmore; It can be designed to work most if not all on/off, dim or movement functions across a whopping 40 easy to install modules all from a smartphone. But to be able to get more units across more than 30 meters you’ll have to start investing in additional smart boxes and extenders which all of a sudden start to weigh on the old purse strings. 3- What’s your budget? So having read up to this point you’re probably sitting there and going, well I might as well start from fresh, I might have to pay a bit extra for installation but even the retrofit needs some wiring and starting from fresh I can do almost anything, I could even set up a home automated nerf gun to stop Fred’s damn cat from leaving its “mark” on the front lawn!!….yes you could, starting from a measly £10,000 before installation or programming (back to spraying the cat with the hose). Whereas it’s somewhat restricted counterparts such as the Click smart or Octo system can be bought and installed through an entire house from as little as a grand, they can also be programmed by most tech-savvy users. I hope these little tips help in your journey to finding the right home automation system for you, but if you’re still left with more questions than most of the general population after watching Inception, then drop an email to one of the team at 7 Core Electrical.

7 CORE BRANCHES Lincoln Worksop St Neots Skegness Melton Sleaford Lincoln Branch LINCOLN BRANCH Lincoln branch information Opening Times Monday: - Thursday: 7.00am to 5.00pm Friday: 7.00am to 5.00pm Saturday: Closed Sunday: Closed Bank Holidays: Closed Tel: 01522 534 235 Worksop Branch WORKSOP BRANCH Worksop branch information Opening Times Monday: - Thursday: 7.00am to 5.00pm Friday: 7.00am to 5.00pm Saturday: Closed Sunday: Closed Bank Holidays: Closed Tel: 01909 532 654 St Neots Branch ST NEOTS BRANCH St Neots branch information Opening Times Monday: - Thursday: 7.30am to 5.00pm Friday: 7.30am to 5.00pm Saturday: Closed Sunday: Closed Bank Holidays: Closed Tel: 01480 215 646 Skegness Branch SKEGNESS BRANCH Skegness branch information Opening Times Monday - Thursday: 8.00am to 5.00pm Friday: 8.00am to 5.00pm Saturday: Closed Sunday: Closed Bank Holidays: Closed Tel: 01754 760 906 Melton Branch MELTON BRANCH Melton branch information Opening Times Monday - Thursday: 7.30am to 5.00pm Friday: 7.30am to 5.00pm Saturday: Closed Sunday: Closed Bank Holidays: Closed Tel : 01664 565 927 Sleaford Branch SLEAFORD BRANCH Sleaford branch information Opening Times Monday - Thursday: 7.30am to 5.00pm Friday: 7.30am to 5.00pm Saturday: Closed Sunday: Closed Bank Holidays: Closed Tel : 01529 701 347

GIVEAWAYS AND EVENTS Here at 7 Core, we regularly hold exciting events and giveaways to give back to you lovely people! There's always something going on at our branches. ​ Check out what's been going on recently Supplier Enquiry Let's get involved! EVENTS Breakfast Mornings During August we have some exciting breakfast mornings booked in. Make sure to pop in and grab yourself a FREE butty. Tuesday 1st - Deligo, Tuesday 8th - Hispec, Tuesday 15th - Ohme, Tuesday 22nd - Termination Technology, Here at 7 Core we do one month on one month off, every breakfast morning month will then be followed by a Pie Friday month. LINCOLN Possible Giveaways FREE breakfast bap Possible Deals Events GIVEAWAYS Winner Winner Wago Spinner Simply purchase a qualifying pack of WAGO 221 or 2773 series connectors between 1st June and 30th November 2023 to be eligible to win one of the prizes listed below. Over 15,000 Prizes to be won Velocity Rogue 5.0 Bag A Night Away for Two DeWalt 18v Brushless Combi Drill WAGO Wire Stripper Customised WAGO Polo £10 Mitchells & Butler Dining Out Card £10 Just Eat e-code £5 Costa Coffee e-code £3 Greggs e-code No Win See More SUPPLIER ENQUIRIES Are you a Supplier wanting to get involved in a giveaway or event? Contact our head of marketing and let's brainstorm together. We'll take care of the nitty-gritty you just sit there looking pretty and provide some amazing prizes, whilst experiencing a spike in orders, added exposure and a spot on our website, it's as easy as that! Have a snoop at our previous events below and see where your brand could have a spot on our site! Lets do this! Suppier Enquiry PREVIOUS EVENTS USB-C Range We have teamed up with Scolmore group to bring you amazing prizes for you to win throughout September. All you have to do to enter is buy any USB-C socket and each one you purchase bags you an entry. SEPTEMBER Prizes COMPETITION CLOSED We have paired the branches and will have a winner from the 3 groups. Lincoln & Skegness, Worksop & Melton, St Neots & Sleaford, The winner will receive a Scolmore branded mini fridge! The lucky winner of the overall draw will win a £250 Red Letter Day voucher! Every USB-C in ANY colour permits you ONE entry. Entries are NOT limited. Only applicable on purchases dated 01/09/2022 - 30/09/2022.

News Make sure youre kept up to date with all the electrical news and guides. This page is updated regularly with everything you need to know. ​ Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022