Where we live, power outages are all too common, and it’s not a problem you should have to just wait out. Many people in our neighborhood have portable generators to keep some parts of the home powered on during a short outage.

However, a portable generator is tedious to refill and hook up. Nothing beats the peace of mind, efficiency, and ease-of-use that comes with owning a whole-house generator. Here’s what you should know about this type of system.

Many homeowners still have portable generators, or else they have generators designed for use with several appliances and systems at once, but without an automatic transfer switch. It’s possible to upgrade many generators to have a transfer switch, and they come standard with an automatic standby generator.

The transfer switch monitors the power in your home. When your home no longer has an electrical current running into it, the transfer switch kicks in within seconds.

Some generators run on diesel or propane, which means you need to refill it from time to time. It could stop working unexpectedly, and the tank for these generators is quite bulky. We always recommend natural gas automatic standby generators, which use the gas lines already on your property.

Finally, you should keep in mind that your generator will not work perfectly forever. Luckily, today’s generators have self-testing features that alert you to problems before you need backup power. Still, it’s important to have regular maintenance to prevent your automatic standby generator from breaking down suddenly in the middle of a winter storm.

Call qualified technicians for routine generator maintenance on a regular schedule. You can work out a plan with your technician to make sure that everything runs as smoothly as possible, even after the lights go out.

If you're ready to take the plunge and purchase a state-of-the-art home theater system, you have more to consider than just the equipment you intend to purchase. Even if all of your components are top-of-the-line, you won't get the most bang for your buck without professional design and installation.

To make sure you get the home theater of your dreams, it's important to consult an electrician early on in the process. A quick electrical inspection of your desired theater space will help you understand what kinds of electrical upgrades you might need to set up a media center that is functional, safe and that provides the highest quality viewing experience.

Handle the Load

A big-screen TV by itself won't strain the electrical system in a modern home. But factor in a disc player, set top box, stereo receiver and multiple speakers, and you might be talking about a serious electrical load. A licensed electrician can easily test your system to ensure it's ready to power your dream theater. If upgrades are necessary, you can take confidence that new wiring or circuits will be installed by a qualified professional.

Hide the Cords

Wireless speakers and other multimedia components might seem like an attractive option because you want a streamlined look, but you'll often sacrifice a great deal of quality by cutting the cord. Instead, let an electrician make a plan for hiding all of your home theater's power cords away so that the room looks great and there's no risk of tripping in a darkened room. Without tearing up your decor, a professional installer can run cables within your walls and install new outlets to avoid that snarl of wires.

Protect Your Investment

You probably already use a surge protector to safeguard your home computer against the threat of power surges. But your home theater equipment is just as vulnerable, and a single lightning strike can turn thousands of dollars in equipment into trash. While you can protect your home entertainment technology using surge protection adapters, the best solution is to install a whole-home surge protection system. There's no need for clunky power strips, and your entire home's electronics and appliances will be safeguarded.

Unless you have extensive electrical experience, don't go it alone when setting up your home theater. Make sure your design is smart, safe and spectacular by enlisting the talents of a licensed local electrician.

Natural gas is infused with the sulfuric odor of rotten eggs in order to alert homeowners of a leak in their residences. You can smell smoke, and can see it as well. Carbon monoxide, though, is not nearly as accommodating as these other substances. You will not see carbon monoxide leaking into your home, as it is entirely invisible to the human eye. You won’t smell it either, as it has no scent, and you can forget about tasting it, as it is tasteless as well. As you can tell, the detection of carbon monoxide is not something that you can rely on your own body and senses for.

The only way in which to truly protect yourself from the dangers of carbon monoxide exposure is to use a carbon monoxide detector in your home. We are happy to install and service yours for you to guarantee that it is operating properly. You should also be aware of the warning signs of CO exposure, though. They resemble flu symptoms, with headaches, nausea, and body pains being common. Longer exposure may result in dizziness and trouble breathing. Eventually, CO exposure can result in death. Don’t take any risks with carbon monoxide in your home. Work with a member of our staff today.

The electrical enclosures may be one of the simplest electrical components but it is important that you design it properly. While it may be a simple component to specify, the extensive choices available in the market might overwhelm or confuse you. The most obvious choice might not always be the best in terms of reliability and long-term profitability. At the same time there may be under-rated choices that might turn out be great buys.

Let’s see how to approach enclosure design.

Critical Design Aspects to Keep in Mind

• Material Selection

Plastic or metal are the most popular choices. These groups can be further categorized into polycarbonate, ABS, aluminumpolystyrene, steel or cast iron. Select the material that can withstand the surrounding conditions of the location it will be installed in. Understand your needs and make a decision accordingly.

• Internal Design & Size of Enclosure

Consider the internal design of the enclosure. The design must meet with your requirements. Note the internal and external dimensions to make better use of the space inside, for housing your component. It is also important to take mounting options into account.

• Choosing the Right Metal

Popular choices include: