Every summer, more and more homes experience outages in their electric systems. As a top Dallas Electrician, my electricians and I see the effects of these outages every day. They can be devastating, and cause a lot of damage.  In fact, the insurance industry pays out over $1 billion in damages annually in claims caused by outages and power surge damage. Most outages are caused by the weather, but there are different kinds of weather can cause an outage. This even includes weather that doesn’t produce lighting damage like the massive ice storms we saw during Super Bowl week this year that left hundreds of thousands without power (and, more importantly, without heat!) during one of the worst winter storms in years. Summer storms can produce devastating tornadoes that can knock out power for miles around the area they touch down in, and many hurricanes begin to build in the summer and early fall, causing catastrophic results even outside of the disaster zone. Hurricane Ike left over two million people without power when it hit southeast Texas in 2008, and not all of them were in the impact zone.

Not every outage comes from something as dramatic as a hurricane or tornado.  A lightning strike, even as far as half a mile away, can potentially cause damage to your delicate electrical equipment and appliances. Often, large-scale outages can occur when lightning strikes a transformer.

Outages don’t just occur because of bad weather:  many outages are caused by power equipment switching to accommodate the heavy load people put on the power grid.  Our power grid is already having trouble with its current load, and the problem only grows as more and more people use more and more electricity.  Summer in Dallas and Fort Worth is the perfect examples.  It’s when people are running their air conditioners constantly. This puts an incredible load on local and state power grids.  This leads to government agencies putting out warnings almost every summer about potential power outages, threatening brownouts and blackouts unless people conserve energy.

These outages aren’t damaging in themselves, but they leave open the possibility for electrical power surge damage.  You’ve probably noticed that when the power comes back on after an outage, it often flickers on and off quickly as the power grid attempts to get the electricity flowing back into your lines.  This stop-and-start action creates surges that can easily damage unprotected electronics or appliances.  Having a nice TV damaged like this is a very expensive hassle, and you can imagine how much more expensive and uncomfortable it could be if the surge takes out your air conditioner and refrigerator!

So, what can you do to keep power outages and power surges from affecting you?

Some of these options can even help you save money on your electric bill without the hassle of gas, fumes, or noise pollution.

You look up. Movement. What is this? It looks like your fluorescent lights have come alive! They’re swirling and spiraling, like each one has an angry snake inside. This is no good. The light level in your room isn’t even. The fixtures flicker, annoyingly, and your eyes start to feel overworked and tired.

Over the years standards for building homes have improved to offer more safety and reliability. Unfortunately, there are still homes out there with old electrical wiring in them that could cause electrical hazards. These old wiring types (knob and tub wiring) should be replaced as they can result in extensive damage to your home over time if not properly taken care of. Know what to look for in your home and upgrade your wiring.

There are several common signs that can indicate your home’s wiring may be old and out-dated. If you notice these issues occurring in your home, it may be time to contact an electrician and have a home electrical inspection. Common signs are:

Knob and wiring tubing can be found in homes built around 50 years ago. If properly maintained, knob and wire tubing can be safely used in your home. But often over the years the wiring can begin to crack and break down leading to exposed wires. Because of the age of the wiring it often will not reach current code and can prevent your home from being insured in some cases. Overtime knob and wire tubing can heat up and requires sufficient air space around the wiring. Any contact with insulation or wood can result in a fire.

In some cases you could experience some of the issues listed above and you don’t have knob and wire tubing. In many cases, when a home was originally built it was brought up to correct standards and has potential hazards all over. If you are unsure of the status of your home’s electrical wiring or you are experiencing some of the signs listed above, we highly recommend that you have you’re home inspected. An electrical inspection can catch potential hazards and also lead to better electrical efficiency.

To schedule a home inspection, contact your local Expert Electric at 604-681-8338.

Solar power is something any home can take advantage of. You don’t have to live in the boonies to use solar power to offset your electric bill. The process of installing solar panels is relatively easy and can be taken care of by a Pasadena electrician like those at The Electric Connection. Solar energy is free and is most certainly the way of the future. Imagine cutting your electric bill in half or more by relying on the sun.

The panels are typically installed on the roof of your home. The initial cost of the solar panels will vary depending on how many you choose to have and the various sizes. There are lease options that have proven to be very good options for homeowners who are not quite ready to make the rather sizable initial investment to buy their own solar power equipment. Call it a test run of sorts as you learn to rely on solar energy.

Many people don’t realize that they can use solar power to run their homes even if they live in the suburbs. Most covenants will allow for the panels to be installed. Your home will stay connected to the main power grid so there is no fear of “running out of power.” In fact, if your solar power system happens to generate more electricity than you can use, you can sell it back to your electric company in most cases. How many people can say their power company pays them a monthly fee?

Because the solar panels will need to be connected to your home’s electric panel, you will need to hire an electrician. Pasadena homeowners will see the cost-savings of using solar power within the first month. As you grow more accustomed to maximizing the solar energy, those savings will increase over time. If you would like to learn more about adding solar panels to your home, give The Electric Connection a call today.