With winter descending full force, residents of northern states are bracing for the potential of major blizzards. Of course, other extreme weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes and floods can strike throughout the year, putting life and property. Wise homeowners make sure they prepare in advance so their homes have a better chance of surviving disaster. The good news is that many of the steps that help disaster-proof a home also serve to make it more energy efficient.

Do what you can to help your home and belongings make it through the next big storm:

Use Surge Protectors: You spent a lot of money on your electronics, so why leave them vulnerable to a sudden power surge due to a lightning strike or disruption in the power grid? If you have advance notice that a storm is coming, you should unplug unnecessary devices, but sometimes disasters arrive without warning, so make sure everything goes through a surge protector, or better yet, an uninterruptible power supply.

Solar is Your Friend: One unfortunate result of extreme weather can be power outages that last for days, even if your house doesn't suffer a direct strike. Be prepared with solar panels so you can get by before the power comes back. Note that most home solar setups are tied into the power grid and therefore won't power your house independently if the rest of the electricity is out, but some systems do allow you to charge a battery directly so you can keep the lights on. Another option is to keep a generator on hand for emergencies. They aren't as eco-friendly as solar power but don't rely on the sunlight for fuel so tend to be more reliable.

Walls Matter: The latest in building wind-proof houses is using insulated concrete forms, or ICFs, to make a mold for quick and easy concrete construction. Not only are concrete walls far stronger than wood, making them more likely to survive extreme winds, they are much more fire resistant than standard construction as well. What's more, concrete usually costs a bit more than wood framing, but over the life of your house you should see big energy savings. The superior insulation provided by the concrete walls and foam molds means you spend less for heating and air conditioning. Estimates range from a few hundreds dollars per year in savings to as much as an 80 percent reduction in heating costs. You can also find cheaper insurance rates for concrete houses than for wood.

Let the Experts Help: Have a trusted professional inspect your house to make sure that your roof and foundation are in good shape and your HVAC and electrical equipment is all functioning correctly. You can resolve any issues in advance to increase your chances of weathering a bad storm, and if disaster never does strike you still know you made a good investment. Call local Mister Sparky for a check of your electrical system and any necessary repairs as a part of your disaster preparedness plan.

There’s a lot of scary information floating around when a discussion regarding electricity is at hand. Some of it is very valid, and some might be considered a bit of an exaggeration. But one area we really like to nail home is the dangers of a power surge. These are frighteningly common, and present very real danger to both you, and to your electronics. Protect yourselves (and your investments!) by learning how to prevent surges, and how to mitigate the possible threat they pose. 

Generally speaking, power is always “surging” to a minor degree. Every time a machine kicks on, or you flip a switch, the course and amount of power in your home fluctuates slightly. But more specifically, what we call a power surge is a dramatic and large spike in the current of your home.

This spike is exceedingly brief (somewhere in the neighborhood of a thousandth of a second), but can carry some real risk. More often it carries a risk to your possessions than your person, but you put a lot of money into your investments. Protect them!

Protecting your home from surges is actually pretty simple. It just takes a little preparation, a minor investment and a little bit of your (or our!) time:

You probably noted how adamant we were about that last one. So what’s the big deal? We could note a bunch of anecdotes about how a friend of a friend regretted not getting one, but let’s stick to the facts. Like we said, surges happen all of the time. Most of these are caused just by the general goings-on of a household. Whole home surge protection is hands down the number one most effective method of keeping you and your home safe.

Without getting too technical, a whole home electrical surge protection system policies and assists in maintaining proper, safe currents in your home. Do you have to have one in your home? Not really, they aren’t code yet. Should you get one? Absolutely. Surges can cost you huge money, and whole home protection is a very cost-efficient safety measure.

Want to learn more about how the expert electricians at Kolb can help you and your home stay safe? Contact our team today!

For decades, ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) have saved thousands of lives and have helped significantly reduce the number of home electrocutions by about fifty percent. Many homes and business on Kauai do not have proper electrical protection in outdoor or wet locations. With our wind and heavy rain, you need to make sure that you are guarded from the hazard of a shock.

GFCIs are electrical safety devices that trip electrical circuits when they detect ground faults or leakage currents. A person who becomes part of a path for leakage current will be severely shocked or electrocuted. These outlets prevent deadly shock by quickly shutting off power to the circuit if the electricity flowing into the circuit differs by even a slight amount from that returning.

A GFCI should be used in any indoor or outdoor area where water may come into contact with electrical products. The 2008 edition of the National Electrical Code currently requires that GFCIs be used in all kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and outdoors. GFCIs should be tested once a month to confirm that they are working properly.

How to Test Your GFCI:

GFCIs should be tested often to make sure they are working properly. To test your GFCI:

If the light does not turn off when the test button is pushed, then the GFCI may have been incorrectly wired or damaged and it no longer offers shock the protection it was designed for.

Contact us at Blue Sky Electric to check the GFCI and correct the problem:

Call 808-647-0599

By: Emilie Sims

Electrical outlets are found in nearly every room of the home, which represents a constant risk if you have small children. According to the National Fire Protection Agency, approximately 2,400 children each year suffer severe shocks and burns from inserting objects into the slots of electrical outlets. Additionally, there are an estimated six to 12 child fatalities each year related to this. Prevent this from happening to your family by childproofing the electrical outlets in each room of your home.

Also known as safe plates, these are additional covers that sit on top of your existing outlet and are held in place by a screw. There is a spring-loaded plastic cover that prevents your child from poking anything inside of the outlet.

Installing tamper resistant receptacles (TRRs) around the home provides a permanent solution to help reduce the risk of childhood shock and injury. TRRs, which look like ordinary outlets, are designed with small, spring-loaded receptacle plates that close off the slots, but open when equal pressure is applied to both sides. This design prevents children from inserting fingers or other foreign objects into the slots, and reduces risk of electrical shock or injury.

There are also several types of childproof electrical outlets that you can choose to install that will provide a permanent way to reduce risk of child injury.

This tamper-resistant outlet contains both a switch and an outlet to plug in devices. The dual mechanical shutter system blocks the insertion of objects into the outlet, increasing your child’s safety.

A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet can be identified by the “test” and “reset” buttons located on the receptacle. A GFCI outlet helps protect you from electrical hazards by shutting off the electricity circuit when it detects an imbalance. The National Electrical Code requires these outlets to be installed in water susceptible areas, such as the kitchen and bathroom. Test these outlets once a month to ensure they are working properly.

These receptacles look similar to standard ones, but the two outlets have the ability to spin 360 degrees. These outlets also allow you to use two large plugs at once.

Visit the Electrical Safety Foundation International and the National Fire Protection Association for more information on keeping your family safe around electrical outlets.