We’re not saying anything new by talking about how awesome our kids can be. No parent would doubt for even a minute that theirs is one of the biggest parts of their lives. They also wouldn’t doubt that kids are inquisitive, often to a fault. And with a home full of electronics, outlets, and appliances, it can be hard to feel like your kids are as safe as you want them to be.

Looking for the best ways to babyproof for your child or newcomer? The experts at Hoffman Electrical are here to help! Safety is our absolute top priority, and we want to ensure our clients get all of the best info possible to keep their Tampa home and family safe.

Of all of the dangers of electricity involving kids, outlets are probably the scariest, and for good reason. They’re right down there at a kid’s eye level, and they see us using them all of the time, so of course they’re going to be curious.

When is it Time to Upgrade Your Electrical Work?

You can't see the electrical wiring in your home, but it’s integral to your day-to-day life. The electrical work behind your walls is responsible for lighting your home, powering your microwave and electric stove, running the air conditioning and so much more. So while your electrical work might be out of sight and out of mind, you'll definitely notice if something goes wrong. That's why you should prevent electrical problems before they start by evaluating your wiring and planning upgrades if your system turns out to be damaged, out-of-date, dangerous or otherwise not up to the standard required for modern homes.

Update Outdated or Dangerous Wiring

There are a number of reasons why your electrical work could be in need of an update. One of the most important, and potentially most expensive, is if you have an outdated wiring system running through your home. Homes built in the 1970s or earlier could have aluminum wiring, or even worse, knob and tube wiring – neither of which was designed to carry the amount of electricity necessary for today's households. If you have one of these systems in your home, you might be able to increase your home’s electrical capacity and improve its safety by replacing that infrastructure with modern copper wiring.

Even if you have a modern wiring system, problems like corrosion or damaged wiring may be undetected and worsening. That's a serious hazard hidden in your walls that you might not know about until it's too late. There could also be other dangers in your electrical work, like shoddy connections in your circuit box, too many outlets on a circuit, or a lack of proper grounding.

Look for Expert Guidance

If your electrical work seems like it's performing fine for now, that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to check it out. First and foremost, old wiring puts you at increased risk of an electric fire, which is a risk to both your property and your life. Furthermore, many home insurance agencies won't issue you coverage, or will charge increased premiums, if there is outdated electrical work. Old wiring also may not be up to your municipality's current local building code. Although existing homes are generally grandfathered into compliance if they don't meet new standards, you may be required to make updates to bring the system up to code if you perform any electrical work on your home in the future.

Properly evaluating the safety of a home electrical system is beyond the ability of most homeowners, let alone performing major upgrades like rewiring the home. If you have any doubts about the age or status of your home electrical work, call a qualified electrician today to advise you and make any necessary updates or repairs.

One of the limitations of some grid-tied photovoltaic systems is that the owner will only benefit as long as there is sunlight while the grid is functioning. Otherwise, if there is an outage, they may not even use the energy they are generating from the rooftop. During such times when the grid is disconnected, the owner can neither use the rooftop solar nor export the energy to the grid.

Owners of PV systems without backup functionalities can upgrade by adding AC coupling. This enables them to store energy and use it anytime, including during emergencies and grid outages. The AC coupling converts a simple grid-tied system into a Grid/hybrid or grid interactive system. This provides grid-ties savings whenever the grid is up and running, and off-grid independence, as well as security when there is a utility outage.

The main components of AC coupling include an energy storage system, a grid-interactive inverter/charger, a coupling device and the second panel with additional wiring for the critical loads to supply during outages.

Battery storage enables better power management by providing a number of benefits which include: