As of 1 January 2017, the state government has released new legislation for smoke alarms. For those living in an existing home, you have a maximum of 10 years to get your Fire Prevention system up to the new standards. However, those looking to sell or lease out their properties, you will be required to adhere to the new legislation within a maximum of 5 years.

When you sleep, your sense of smell also sleeps. If a fire starts, toxic fumes can overcome you. Photoelectric smoke alarms see smoke and will alert you early, so you can escape.

With interconnected alarms, you will be alerted no matter where you are, or where the fire starts.
New legislation specifies the type, positioning, and interconnectedness of alarms, which are critical factors for an early warning and quick escape.

To give your family the best chance of surviving a house fire, QFES recommends updating your smoke alarms to match the new legislation as soon as you can. In the meantime, make sure all your alarms are working and properly maintained. A well-practised fire escape plan will also ensure a quick escape.

About Photoelectric Alarms

Photoelectric smoke alarms, also known as optical or photo-optical, detect visible particles of combustion.

They respond to a wide range of fires, but are particularly responsive to smouldering fires and the dense smoke given off by foam-filled furnishings or overheated PVC wiring.

Advantages

• Good for smouldering fire and dense smoke
• Not as prone to cooking nuisance alarms
• Contain no radioactive material
• Suitable for general use.

Your protection against fire increases with the quality and type of smoke alarm that is installed. Research indicates that photoelectric smoke alarms are generally more effective across a wider range of fires experienced in homes.

How do I keep my Smoke Alarm working?

A hardwired smoke alarm is connected to a home’s 240v mains power supply and has a battery back-up.

If cooking smoke sets off the alarm, do not disable it. Turn on the range fan, open a window or wave a towel near the alarm until the alarm stops beeping; or use the hush button (if fitted). Consider relocating the smoke alarm.

Once a month check by pressing the test button. If you cannot reach the button easily, use a broom handle.
Dust and debris can interfere with alarm functioning, so vacuum over and around your smoke alarm regularly.

Replace the backup battery on 240v alarms:

• rechargeable batteries – refer to manufacturer instructions
• non-rechargeable – replace annually.

Most alarms emit a short ‘BEEP’ sound when the batteries are low. This is your reminder to replace the battery.

Smoke alarms must never be painted.

When do I replace my Smoke Alarms?

All types of smoke alarms have a limited life-span (10 years under normal conditions of use). They should be replaced prior to the expiry date on the manufacturer’s warranty.

For smoke alarms with 10-year batteries that are non-removable, the entire smoke alarm must be replaced after 10 years.
All smoke alarms should be date stamped at the time it was manufactured – usually on the back.

Small numbers of smoke alarms can be safely disposed of in household rubbish. Contact your local council for more information.

Specialty alarms are also available, including:

• alarms for deaf and hearing-impaired people; or
• alarms with emergency lights, heat sensors.

Locations for installing Smoke Alarms

Where practicable smoke alarms must be placed on the ceiling. Smoke alarms must not be placed:

• within 300mm of a corner of a ceiling and a wall;
• within 300mm of a light fitting;
• within 400mm of an air-conditioning vent;
• within 400mm of the blades of a ceiling fan.

There are special requirements for stairways, sloping ceilings, and ceilings with exposed beams. Specific requirements will be explained in the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008.

Existing Homes

From 1 January 2017

When replacing smoke alarms, they must be of a photoelectric type which complies with Australian Standard (AS) 3786-2014.

Replacing smoke alarms
Existing smoke alarms manufactured more than ten years ago must be replaced. (Note: Smoke alarms should have the date of manufacture stamped on them.)

Smoke alarms that do not operate when tested must be replaced immediately.

Existing hardwired smoke alarms that need replacement must be replaced with a hardwired smoke alarm.

From 1 January 2027

Smoke alarms in all dwellings must:

• be photoelectric (AS 3786-2014); and
• not also contain an ionisation sensor; and
• be less than 10 years old; and
• operate when tested; and
• be interconnected with every other smoke alarm in the dwelling so all activate together.

Smoke alarms must be installed on each storey:

• in each bedroom; and
• in hallways which connect bedrooms and the rest of the dwelling; or
• if there is no hallway, between the bedrooms and other parts of the storey; and
• if there are no bedrooms on a storey at least one smoke alarm must be installed in the most likely path of travel to exit the dwelling.

Smoke alarms must be either hardwired or powered by a nonremovable 10-year battery.

Leased or Sold Homes

From 1 January 2017

Same requirements as for existing dwellings PLUS

Existing landlord’s and tenant’s obligations regarding the installation and testing of smoke alarms continue.

Property sellers must continue to lodge a Form 24 with the Queensland Land Registry Office stating the requirements of the smoke alarm legislation have been met.

From 1 January 2027

Smoke alarms in all dwellings must:

• be photoelectric (AS 3786-2014); and
• not also contain an ionisation sensor; and
• be less than 10 years old; and
• operate when tested; and
• be interconnected with every other smoke alarm in the dwelling so all activate together.

Smoke alarms must be installed on each storey:

• in each bedroom; and
• in hallways which connect bedrooms and the rest of the dwelling; or
• if there is no hallway, between the bedrooms and other parts of the storey; and
• if there are no bedrooms on a storey at least one smoke alarm must be installed in the most likely path of travel to exit the dwelling.

Smoke alarms must be either hardwired or powered by a nonremovable 10-year battery.

New Homes or Renovations

From 1 January 2017

The development approval process for new dwellings and substantial renovations (over 50% home renovated) will ensure that building approvals received on or after this date will bring dwellings into compliance with the new laws.

Smoke alarms in all dwellings must:

• be photoelectric (AS 3786-2014); and
• not also contain an ionisation sensor; and
• be less than 10 years old; and
• operate when tested; and
• be interconnected with every other smoke alarm in the dwelling so all activate together.

Smoke alarms must be installed on each storey:

• in each bedroom; and
• in hallways which connect bedrooms and the rest of the dwelling; or
• if there is no hallway, between the bedrooms and other parts of the storey; and
• if there are no bedrooms on a storey at least one smoke alarm must be installed in the most likely path of travel to exit the dwelling.

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Don’t pay for extra set-top boxes – we have the solution!

HDMI Splitters are a great way to split a TV picture and audio to multiple televisions throughout your home. An example would be playing a DVD from your Blu-ray player in your lounge room, and then being able to watch the DVD on the Patio and/or Bedroom TV at the same time. You can do this for any Console with HDMI output as well as those with Video or Component outputs. It’s a great way to watch Foxtel, Netflix, FetchTV or Movies anywhere in the home without having to setup multiple consoles and set top boxes. We can also install Infra-red Transmitters to send the Remote Control frequencies back to the Console – so you can take your remote to whichever TV you desire.

The options are endless with how to control and transmit your video/audio to foreign monitors. So why not call today and find out more. We can run just about any picture, audio, signal, frequency, etc via Coaxial RG6 cable and/or Cat5e/Cat6 cables. We also specialise in Internet for Smart TVs (Cabled or Wireless) as well as Wall Mounting systems – for me information give one of our friendly staff a phone call today!

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Home Automation is a system that can be designed for the purpose of lighting control, appliance control, temperature control, surveillance, and security. It can be controlled on-site or remotely through portable devices. There are many different options with smart homes and some of the more common lighting and surveillance systems are now becoming very competitive on price. Why not get an estimate on the cost of automating your home? Contact us for options and advice.

Energy Saving and Monitors

Smart Home Automation can be used in a variety of different ways. Depending on how we set up your home will factor how much energy you can save. Using sensors is a great way to automatically shut off appliances/lights that aren’t being used. To maximise your energy savings why not monitor exactly what you use? We can install meters to monitor how much; Electricity, Water, Rain Water, Hot Water, Gas and individual Appliance is being consumed. You can even access the data wirelessly from any device.

Lighting Control and Automation

Control your entire homes lighting, colours, dimming functions and more. Set your lights to automatically turn on as the sun goes down, and to dim according to how much natural lights within your home to maintain your optimum level of light. Access and control these lights through conventional switches, automatic multi-sensors, timeclocks, wireless/remote access or even a LED central control monitor.

Desired Temperature All Year Round

Let Home Automation take control of your Air Conditioning using a variety of thermostats and sensors. You can now remotely access the temperature for each room eg. Set time clocks to cool/heat specific areas in your home before bed or waking up. You also have the opportunity to select your optimal room temp and instead of running your air con system on constant at this temperature, we can make the system only turn on and off automatically to keep the room at your desired temp.

Play Your Music Anywhere, Anytime

Play personal or online music through any speaker in your home. Control the audio wirelessly or through user interface panels. Pick different music to play in different rooms. Set Spotify to come on at 6:00am as an alarm on weekdays. Use it to cater for functions and set moods in different parts of the house at your command.

Peace of Mind that your Home is Secure

Secure your home at the touch of a button. Have a “Bedtime” switch at your bed that locks all windows, doors, sets the alarm and turns off all lights and appliances you’ve left on by mistake (TVs, ovens, cooktops, washing machine, etc). You can even open/close windows, doors, blinds, gates etc.

Access Control From Your Device

Remotely unlock the door for a friend to come feed your pets or unlock the door before you grab a load of groceries from the car. Do it remotely through your smartphone or make use of a swipe card, key code or fingerprint scanner. Don’t worry about losing your keys or risk leaving a spare key outside (we all think we have a GREAT hiding spot don’t we).

Worldwide User Login Control

We’re all talking about the “Internet of Things” but it’s actually the “Internet of Everything”. All of our devices, appliances and systems in the home are now being released with either wired (Ethernet) or wireless (WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G etc.) connectivity. This means we can ‘log in’ to our homes from around the globe to monitor, control and adapt our home functionality. Don’t get left behind. All the cool kids are doing it!

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Below is a flow chart designed to assist you in rectifying your own faults when trouble strikes. Most of the time the fault is caused by an appliance. Why should you pay for an electrician when we follow these exact same steps in the early stages of fault-finding? If these steps don’t help you find the faulty appliance/electronic, then call Sage Energy. Or if you have any questions regarding switchboard faults, do not hesitate to call.

Step 1

Find your Switchboard (Fusebox) and access whether it has Fuses or Circuit breakers. Some older home will still have fuses. If yours does, call Sage Energy for a simple solution.

Step 2

Turn everything OFF and then, one at a time, turn everything back on in this exact order:

• Main Switch ON
• Safety Switches ON
• Circuit Breakers ON

Step 3

If one of your Safety Switches instantly trips you could have a faulty RCD Safety Switch. Call Sage Energy.

If one of your Circuit Breakers instantly trips the RCD Safety Switch then that is the circuit that has a fault on it. Turn it OFF and proceed to turn everything else back ON.

Step 4

If the Circuit Breaker was a Light circuit, read Step 7 next. If it was a Power circuit then you must unplug everything on that circuit. If in doubt, unplug everything inside and outside the home. Not just the outlets you can get to, everything.

Step 5

If the Circuit Breaker was a Light circuit, read Step 7 next. If it was a Power circuit then you must unplug everything on that circuit. If in doubt, unplug everything inside and outside the home. Not just the outlets you can get to, everything.

Step 6

If The Safety Switch remains ON, go back and plug everything back in and switch ON, one at a time. The faulty appliance will trip the circuit as you plug it in. Leave it unplugged and turn the circuit back ON.

Step 7

We can adapt this method to Light circuit faults too. Instead of unplugging your power points, simply turn OFF all lights/fans/dimmers and try to reset the tripped Safety Switch. If successful then turn ON all fans and lights, one at a time, until you find your fault. This method is less likely to work for lights so if you cannnot reset your Safety Switch call Sage Energy. We’ll know what to do.

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