Tips for Saving Electricity in Your Home

Rochester electricians know that with electricity prices skyrocketing and more concerns about green living, more and more homeowners are looking for ways to save on their electricity bills. While you may be tempted to dismantle and remove all electrical items from your home, there really is a more sensible way to approach it! When combined, these small tips can help you save big money on your monthly electric bill.

Your Oven

While your oven is a vital part of your kitchen, it can really use up a lot of energy. However, with a few simple tips, you can cut down the amount of electricity your oven uses while it is on. First, skip the oven preheat if you are roasting. Because roasting takes a great deal of time, preheating will not have a huge impact in the cooking time. Also, avoid keeping the oven door open while it is on. Every time you open your oven, the temperature drops dramatically and your oven must work harder to return to its set temperature.

Your Lights

Light bulbs account for a big part of your electricity bill. First, remove old, inefficient light bulbs and replace them with new CFL bulbs. Replace halogen lights with LED lights. Turn all lights off when they are not needed. You can also place lamps in the corners of the room. This provides reflection off of two walls, making the lighting more efficient.

Your Refrigerator and Freezer

Just like your oven, you need your refrigerator. Sadly, however, refrigerators can also use a tremendous amount of electricity. First, you should always avoid keeping the door open. This increases the temperature, requiring your refrigerator to work harder. You can also defrost freezer food in the refrigerator. This helps to naturally bring the temperature of your refrigerator down. Another tip that many people are unaware of is to vacuum the coils of your refrigerator. Built-up dust can actually force your refrigerator to work harder to stay at the desired temperature.

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April 25th, 2011 | Tags: , , | No Comments »

Basic Safety Tips that Every Child Should Know

When it comes to school, home, and mom and dad’s workplace, there are some very crucial, basic safety tips that every child should know. Relaying to your child the importance of basic electrical safety can make a huge difference in your family’s safety. In fact, it may even save a life.

No, we’re not being dramatic here. Countless children are seriously injured and even killed each year due to the lack of basic electrical safety knowledge. Electricity is no game, and your kids need to know to take it seriously whether they are at home, school, or at a friend’s house.

Make sure your child keeps all of these tips in mind:

1. Don’t hook outlet strips together, which can cause power outages and fires.

2. Don’t plug in too many appliances in one room. Coffee makers, toasters, and other appliances can crowd and overload room circuits, so keep them to a minimum. And don’t forget to turn them off!

3. Electrical panels should never be covered with paper or other flammable materials.

4. Keep your distance from electrical panels. Three feet is the safe standard distance.

In the classroom:

1. Air freshener plug-ins are prohibited and there should never ever be any open flames with open candles.

2. Cords and cables should be secured to prevent tripping hazards by using duct tape to tape them to the walls.

3. Keep drinks away from computers and other electrical equipment, and don’t ever touch electrical equipment when your hands are wet.

These are only a few of the many basic electrical safety tips that every child should know. Share these with your child and take a proactive step to ensure their safety for years to come. For more information, be sure to visit the kids’ corner page for more tips and fun videos for your child’s electrical safety education.

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April 19th, 2011 | Tags: | No Comments »

Common Household Power Problems

Many common household power problems can pose potential safety risks, but they are also just downright annoying. Whether you live alone, are married, or have kids, you rely on your electricity to get you through your nights and days. Over time, it’s easy to take something as simple as a light switch for granted.

When your power isn’t working the way it should, you lose valuable time, and there is only so much you can do about it yourself. Unless you are a professional electrician, your knowledge and expertise is is going to be severely limited when it comes to getting everything back in order.

Below are a few of the many common household power problems you may encounter that a professional electrician can help you with. A professional will use specialized tools, such as an infra-red electrical fault sensor, which can tap into your walls to find the problem before they begin. This gives them a picture of your electrical problems before they even access your wires or open anything up.

Dysfunctional Lights and Outlets

If you have lights or certain electrical outlets in your home that do not work, don’t bother pulling them apart yourself. Enlist the help of a qualified electrician who can come in and safely fix the problem.

Breaker or Fuse Problems

Many home owners experience ongoing breaker or fuse problems. If you have a breaker or fuse that keeps tripping, it’s time to consult a professional.

Dimming Issues

We’ve all experienced power jumps during storms, but if your entire home dims or brightens when you turn specific appliances on, a professional electrician can help fix this problem.

Dimming and brightening issues, along with outlet and breaker problems, are only a few of the many common household power problems that many homeowners face. If any of this sounds familiar, give us a call today and put an end to these disturbances.

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April 11th, 2011 | Tags: , , | No Comments »

Thinking About Adding a Whole House Fan to Your Home?

Whether you live alone or you have a family of five, you know just how expensive it can be to keep your house or apartment cool. When those warmer months swing around, you’re cranking the air conditioner up every day, and you don’t realize just how much money you’re spending until you receive your electric bill the next month.

Cost is undoubtedly the first reason you should consider adding a whole house fan to your home if you haven’t already, but there are other advantages as well. Before you learn the other benefits of adding a whole house fan to your home, you may be wondering, “What exactly is a whole house fan, anyway?” Good question.

What Does a Whole House Fan Do?

A whole house fan is a type of exhaust system that is designed to help pull any hot air out of the home, which helps to lower the temperature and cool the rooms. Although a whole house fan often ventilates air into an attic space, it is not to be confused with an attic fan.

Unlike an attic fan, a whole house fan removes a larger amount of hot air and in result performs a cooling effect on the house. An attic fan is not designed to cool the house, but instead removes only some of the hot air. A whole house fan is installed between your living space and the attic and draws cool air in during certain times of the day. It then pulls the hot air out through the attic roof vents.

Advantages

Aside from cost, whole house fans have other advantages, too. For example, they can help lower your home’s temperature very rapidly, often quicker than an air conditioner can. They are also very energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

Additionally, many of the newer designs are very quiet and they are perfect for temperate days when you want to enhance the cool, fresh air in your home and expel the heat. These benefits make adding whole house fans an eco-friendly way to go green and save some money at the same time.

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April 4th, 2011 | Tags: , , | No Comments »