Tuesday, February 19, 2019

McDonald's app location not working.

I noticed a couple of times recently when using the McDonald's app, the app didn't know the current location. The McDonald's app was remembering a location from earlier or another time.

I've seen this happen a number of times with different apps and web pages, and the quickest solution I've found is to open Google maps. Once Google maps finds your location, open the app and the app or web page will use your current location as found by Google maps.

The  McDonald's app is good if you want to see the prices of your local McDonald's, since prices can change between McDonald's stores, and also to check if the special offers are available, but if you just want to quickly find the nearest McDonald's store, then I've created the Mapz site.

Using the Mapz site (www.Mapz.com.au) on a mobile phone you can quickly find the nearest 10 McDonald's stores. Great for when you're driving and looking for the nearest McDonald's that will be on your way.

Kelvin Eldridge

Friday, February 15, 2019

Petrol Price Alert: Melbourne petrol prices increasing to 143.9 cents per litre for unleaded.

Last night I noticed the first Woolworths petrol station in Coburg to increase their unleaded price to 143.9. I send out petrol price alerts once I see a couple more petrol stations increase their prices. It's unusual for a petrol station to increase their price and then drop again, but I have seen it happen, so I usually wait for a couple to increase prices.

Today a few more petrol stations have increased their unleaded petrol to 143.9 so it looks like the petrol price hike has started. Shop around whilst you're driving and use the apps. There's prices around 110 mark, but 114-115 is more usual.

If you're using the 7 Eleven Fuel app over the weekend if you're driving through an area with lower prices it may be a good time perhaps Sunday to lock in cheaper prices for another week.

Today I filled up for 115.9 at the local Shell/Coles Express. I rarely fill up at this petrol station as the prices usually aren't competitive. With the discount docket it matched the local Woolworths petrol stations and since it was closer, it made sense to fill up. Any petrol stations I'm going past today are around 117. There's cheaper petrol in Balwyn but the reality is the cost of petrol and using the car doesn't often warrant driving out of your way to get cheaper petrol. If you're going that way then great, but otherwise, usually not worth the additional cost.

Kelvin Eldridge
Petrol Prices Melbourne

Tuesday, February 05, 2019

Bunnings Nylex Mist Base Sprinkler doesn't produce mist.

I was looking for something to make very fine mist on those sweltering Melbourne days. A fine mist can cool you down without getting you soaked. When I saw on Bunnings online the Nylex Mist Base Sprinkler, I thought I'd have to give this one a try.

The Nylex Mist Base Sprinkler as a way to produce mist is a disappointment. It really is a sprinkler, yes perhaps it produces slightly less spray than a regular sprinkler, but certainly not mist. Perhaps the product should be renamed a fine sprinkler because naming it a mist sprinkler certainly lead me to believe it would produce mist.

If you're looking for a sprinkler to produce mist, give this one a miss.

Kelvin Eldridge

Monday, February 04, 2019

What is the cost to run the air conditioner?

Melbourne recently sweltered with high temperatures in the 40s. Often in the high temperatures we head out for the day to the shopping centre, the movies, or the beach. But this time we decided to stay home and turn on the air conditioner.

The question I had is just how much did this cost.

The air conditioner was on from around 10 am on the morning of the 25th of January 2018, until after  7pm at night. At 10 am the temperature was around 37 degrees and peaked around 2 pm at 44 degrees. Certainly exceptional weather.

The following graph shows our electricity usage on the 25th of January 2019.

Our electricity usage for the day was 39 kWh at a cost of $8.68. Our normal average daily electricity use is around 5 kWh.

On an hourly basis our energy usage is often under 0.2 kWh per hour. With the air condition on usage was between 3.1 and 3.3 kWh per hour. The air conditioner thus uses around 3 kWh per hour of electricity.

In terms of usage, if we assume our average usage of around 5 kWh per day, we used around 34 kWh or extra electricity over the 9-10 hours. In terms of cost, if we assume 34 kWh or the 39 kWh was due to the air conditioner, the cost was around $7.56 to keep cool for the day or around 75 cents per hour.

The following graph shows our electricity usage for the month of January. Even though there were other hot days, we often try to keep our usage of the air conditioner low if we can.

For some time I'd wondered how much the extra electricity would cost compare to going out. Going out is OK, but often you end up buying things, or eating out. Staying home and paying for the extra electricity really isn't a bad option. It's probably the most cost effective option.

I hope you find this information as useful as I have.

Kelvin Eldridge