Competition is a wonderful thing. It makes us want to strive to be better, and keeps us working hard.  But competition isn’t perfect; there’s always another option, and you can’t always tell right away what option is the best deal or the highest quality. It is easy to determine the quality when it comes to something inexpensive; if you don’t like a brand of motor oil or breakfast cereal, you can always buy something different next time. But what happens if you pick a bad electrician?  Failing to spot bad electrical contractors, could mean you’ll wind up paying way too much for your service. Paying too much might actually be the best-case scenario; shoddy electrical work done by “electricians” is a safety hazard, and one you might not even know about until it’s too late.

So how do you find quality electricians? As a Dallas electrician myself, I’ve learned over the years how to make sure the electrician you use is knowledgeable and high-quality:

Normally the only reason you would call for electrician services, is when something goes wrong… sometimes even horribly wrong. But, shouldn’t you be thinking about your electrical system and the electricity you’re using a little more often than that? Here at Electrical Gurus, we’re always happy to help when you need us most; but when it’s not an emergency, consider these ways in which you can save electricity and reduce your carbon footprint.

You may have recently done some upgrades to your lighting system, or perhaps, you’re thinking about it. That’s one of the best times to stop using incandescent bulbs and make the switch to CFL or LED lightbulb options.

We’re all guilty of it; leaving cell phones or laptops plugged in after they’ve finished charging. Once a battery hits 100 percent, they won’t be able to absorb any more energy. But that doesn’t stop the wall outlet from trying. Energy is slowly wasted this way. Additionally, appliances can be another culprit. If you only use an appliance occasionally, don’t leave it plugged in or else it will cost you money on your utility bill.

It’s easy to know that you should turn off lights when you leave a room. Remembering to do so can be a little trickier. But doing so can really add up. Additionally, after you’ve had a ceiling fan installed by your local electrician, remember to turn that off as well. Fans cool people, not the air in the room, so you would be wasting electricity allowing a fan to run in an empty room.

Using a warm white or RGB COB (chips-on-board) LED, these flood lights emit up to 1,000 lumens of illumination in a wide 120-degree beam pattern. The weatherproof LED fixtures have a low-profile die cast aluminum housing with an integral heat sink and a tempered glass lens. An adjustable mounting bracket is also included to direct illumination where it’s needed.

If you were gifted electronics for Christmas, it’s time to ensure their protection! The last thing you want is for your new computer, tablet, HD television, or gaming system to take on destructive surges, rendering it useless. Spare yourself the heartache of losing an expensive electronic gadget by using surge protectors.

Anything that has a plug is susceptible to surges. In fact, surges happen all the time, you just don’t know it. Not every surge has the capacity to fry your electronics and appliances right then, however, even small surges can shorten their lifespans.

Simply put, an electrical surge is a brief spike in the current, lasting less than a thousandth of a second. But don’t let its fleeting personality fool you, as a surge can be detrimental.

There are numerous reasons as to why you’re experiencing electrical surges. Large appliances such as a refrigerator, air conditioner, or even a space heater, when turned on, can cause a surge capable of damaging your electronics.