The electrical system of a home is often a greatly underrated, underappreciated, and under cared for part of any home. As long as it’s working, why worry? However, your electrical system can very easily cause big problems if it hasn’t been cared for. Buying a home is a big investment, and you shouldn’t leave anything to chance. Depending on what your home inspection says when you get it back, it’s never a bad idea to ask for a licensed electrician to come out and do an electrical system inspection prior to committing to the purchase so that you know exactly what you’re getting. Consider the following reasons you definitely want to ask for an electrical system inspection before committing to a home purchase in Longview.

It’s important to have a circuit breaker panel inspected regularly, including when you’re looking to buy a home. The circuit breaker panel is a critical safety feature for any home electrical system. Your electrician will check to make sure it’s in working order, that there are no recalls on it, and that there is plenty of power in order to power all the appliances and more. Making sure this critical element of the home is working properly is the most important part of an electrical system inspection.

When you have an electrical inspection completed on a prospective home to buy, you’ll get a good sense of what the current state of the electrical system looks like. This will give you a good idea if you will have to invest in the electrical system in the future and when that may need to happen.

Your electrician can help you figure out if you’re making a good investment from that side of the home buying experience. Electrical problems can quickly add up to large sums of money if you end up having to replace much of the wiring, outlets, and lighting fixtures in order to improve the house and reduce any chance of an electrical fire. Understanding what the electrical risks are will help you know if the house will be worth the money or not.

Often times, when you buy an older home, you may be considering adding a dishwasher, upgrading the washer and dryer, or opting to either add or upgrade the air conditioning system. These are all great ideas to add value to your home, however, an upgrade can quickly turn into a much larger project when you need to install a new electric panel or upgrade the wiring because it can’t currently support your home improvement projects.

It isn’t hard to install new electrical outlets, but it’s important to prep your home accordingly. To avoid any strange scenarios, check out the three tips below:

Before adding a new outlet, you’ll need to make sure your breaker panel is turned off. Double-check that your breaker is turned off with a voltage tester. If you don’t have a voltage tester, plug in a lap to the nearest-available socket. Additionally, it’s a good idea to test the new socket directly by plugging the excess length into an electrical application.

Understandably, you may find it difficult to jab through drywall when making room for an outlet. Instead of cutting with a saw, consider using a flat head screwdriver. It’s cheaper, more adaptable and can easily carve through drywall. If you do settle for a saw, make sure you’re not sawing too aggressively. Aggressive sawing can tear a drywall surface’s paper backside—which will reduce the wall’s structural integrity. If your screwdriver-made hole is too small, you can make it bigger with a utility knife.

If you’re working with fabric-insulated wiring, it’ll be a good idea to contact your electrician. Your electrician can recommend various safe connections, making sure you’re not engaging unsafe projects without a grounding wire. Without a grounding wire, it can be difficult to tell which wires are neutral and hot.

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.

ballast-compatible LED T8 tube for office lighting, school lighting, hospital lighting, basement lighting, and more. The energy-efficient F32T8 tube light can be used in direct-wire fixtures or to replace T8 tubes in fluorescent fixtures without removing ballasts. Designed to last 50,000 hours—5 times longer than fluorescent tubes—the LED T8 tube reduces costly repairs, disposal fees, and the need for replacements. This energy-efficient LED light uses just 18 watts of power and is comparable to a 32-watt fluorescent tube light.

Are you looking for energy saving tips to help your business reduce annual energy costs? Businesses consume far more lighting energy than homes, so if you’re looking for a simple and cost-effective place to start, addressing your business’s lighting solutions offers ample opportunity.

“Out with the old” should be your mantra here. Incandescent light bulbs are far from efficient, emitting 90 percent of energy as heat – not light.

The curly cousin of long-tube fluorescents, CFLs can be used in place of incandescents in standard light sockets. They contain mercury and should be handled with care; however, they use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than incandescents.

Lasting 25 times longer than incandescents and using 75-80 percent less energy, LED lighting options have recently come down significantly in price. To get the most bang for your energy buck, LEDs are a top choice.

High intensity discharge lights are extremely efficient at producing large quantities of very bright light and are an excellent choice for warehouse and commercial settings. Be sure to talk to an electrician to get the best color spectrum to suit your needs.

Using 1/5 to 1/3 the energy as incandescents and lasting 10 times longer, these fluorescents offer flexibility in various commercial settings.

Twice as efficient as incandescents, halogens produce a very bright white light that is well-suited for outdoor applications such as security and stadium lighting.

Light dimmers and timers deliver just the right amount of light just when you need it, reducing energy use and costs. They also improve security while you are away and can enhance the functionality and ambiance of your business.

The future of lighting, we’re not talking battery-operated, but fully automated lighting powered by remote control and smart device applications. The technology of this solution offers you the capability to monitor usage and costs, with the added convenience of on-site and remote functionality.

Mr. Electric® will perform a complimentary evaluation of your current setup, analyzing for efficiency and function and offering lighting options that can lower your operating costs significantly.

Designed to your specifications, our experts can design custom lighting solutions that perform well and look great – all while keeping energy costs under control.

Security, landscaping, parking, retail – you name it! Whatever your lighting needs, Mr. Electric will spotlight your perfect solution.

Schedule a commercial electric energy audit today. A commercial energy audit can offer even more energy savings tips for the benefit of your bottom line. Mr. Electric can:

Don’t let excess energy costs drag your business down, get the energy saving tips you need with the help of Mr. Electric today!