Across the country this week students strapped on their backpacks and headed out for an exciting new year of school. But in the midst of that back-to-school glee, one word still strikes fear in both parents and students … Homework. What if there was a way to make the homework battle less stressful, dare I say enjoyable? Today I’m sharing five dread-busting homework stations with creative lighting that may actually make your student want to do homework.

Pay as you go electricity plans allow consumers to pay for their electricity in advance. The plan, which uses prepayment meters, helps consumers to monitor and control the way they use electricity. This saves on energy costs.

Keypad based prepaid meters: This meter has a keypad to input the electricity token number. Consumers purchase the credit using a variety of methods. These include visiting the agent, paying through banks or mobile payments in some countries.

Key meter: Consumer uses an electronic key loaded with the tariff information and credit.

One way card system: Uses a disposable card. The user purchases power with a reloadable debit card. The loaded card is then passed near the meter, which has an in-built card reader.

Two-way card systems: Uses a smart card and the meters have a real-time, two-way communication capability. It is one of the most secure, but more complex and expensive methods to implement.

These allow consumers to interact with their meters and query balances using their mobile phones by sending an SMS to a monitoring system. In addition, the user is able to track electricity use by the hour, day, month or annually using the phone or online access.

These smart prepaid meters offer easier top up options. They include online payments or by text, as well as scheduled and auto top-ups.

When using a prepaid meter, the customer must keep track of the remaining credits and replenish to avoid disconnection.

Ensure there is enough credit when going away for long periods. The meter will continue collecting the standing charges even when on no load. Consumers should ensure they have enough credit to last until they return.

Some crooks will take advantage of the consumer’s lack of knowledge and offer them cheaper credits than those bought directly from the utility company. For example, they will sell their credits at half price. This is more common with Key Prepaid Meters and the crooks will usually have master Keys, which they use to top off the consumer’s meter.

If the energy company finds out, the consumer ends up paying twice for their electricity; first to the crook, and then to the energy company.

To avoid falling victim:

When you leave your house to go to work or out with friends, there’s always that worry in the back of your head of leaving your door or windows unlocked. Maybe you forgot to turn a few lights on or off when you left or perhaps you left your straightener on and forgot about it. Thanks to the technological advancements with smartphones, you can easily control devices in your home with just a touch of a button or a swipe of the finger. If you are worried about doors being left unlocked or lights not turning off, all you have to do is check the settings for your home via your smartphone. Put your worries at ease with installing smart controls to automate your home.

If you are not sure about installing smart controls for home automation, check out these benefits they can provide:

Security Camera Access

We love our pets and we hate leaving them by themselves when we have to leave. Having home automation updates installed will give you access to camera feeds for your home. If you are worried about your pets, kids or house being broken into, you can check the status of your home through your smartphone. Security cameras can protect your family by recording clips when detecting movement or at specific times of the day or night.

Easy Temperature Adjustment

It’s easy to forget to adjust your thermostat before leaving for work. When you come back home, it can be too hot or too cold and you end up waiting for the temperature to adjust in an uncomfortable home.  With a home automation system, you can adjust the thermostat a few hours before heading home. This also saves on money and energy and gives you a nice welcome after returning from a hard day’s work.

Provides Security with Automated Door Locks

This is one of the greatest benefits of an automated home system. Automated door locks help keep your home safe while you are not there. If you forgot to lock your doors while you headed to work, you can have the convenience of locking them via your smartphone. This is also a great benefit if your kids are home alone. Making sure the doors are locked while you are away is an added comfort for them and gives you peace of mind.

Saves You Money

A home automation system can help save you money in the long run. You will see your monthly utility bill decrease as a result of having control over household appliances left on in your family’s absence. The convenience of an automated home system can give you complete control and help you cut back on unnecessary costs as well as benefit the environment around you.

There are many benefits to having an automated home system installed. All of these benefits include two common factors: safety and security. You get peace of mind knowing that you can check on your home and family from the convenience of a smartphone. An automated home system lets you be in control of your home and saves you money on utility bills as well.

Our Top 3 Home Security Cameras

Have you ever turned on a light only to have it not work? Sure, we all have. Our first response is to turn off the switch and replace the bulb. But, what if the light still doesn’t work? Or what if the brand new bulb blows out as soon as you turn it on? This is a problem that may be one of your first signs of electrical trouble. Prior to the light going out for good, did it seem to be flickering? Outlets that have black marks around one of the prong holes or black anywhere around the outlet are definitely a cause for alarm.

Do not wait to see if the problem fixes itself, call an electrician. Beverly Hills homeowners can call The Electric Connection for an electrical inspection. It is always a good idea to have a complete electrical safety inspection to determine if the problem is isolated to one area or a major problem throughout the home. It could simply be an outlet with a loose wire or a faulty light fixture. In either event, the professional can take care of these quick fixes for you.

In more serious cases, especially in older homes, a complete wiring replacement may be needed. This is definitely a job for an electrician. Beverly Hills homeowners do not want to take any chances with their family’s safety.

Faulty wiring is a leading cause of home fires. You can help protect your investment as well as your family and all of those irreplaceable items in your home by getting a qualified electrician to do some troubleshooting. Identifying problem areas before they become a major catastrophe can save you a great deal of trouble, grief and money.

Not to mention, isn’t the peace of mind knowing your home is safe worth the call? Give the Electric Connection a call today and set  your mind at ease.