Saving on electricity is always the smart way to go, and you’ll find that you can keep monthly bills way down if you just do a few smart things to cut back on your electric power consumption:

Use Fans instead of AC – Winters in Texas may be warm, but the summers are comparable to sitting in the desert. You’ll find that using your AC is the only thing keeping you alive, so the thought of turning them down may be making you sweat. Turn down the AC a few degrees, and turn on some fans around the house. The breeze will cool off the home, and it will blow the cool air around nicely.

Switch Out Light Bulbs – One great way to save on electricity around your home is to use energy saving bulbs. An 18W power saver will produce as much light as a 60W regular bulb, but only use 18W. It will be a steep initial investment to replace all of the light bulbs – the power saver ones are costly – but it will cut your electric bill dramatically.

Use Power Strips – Your TV, DVD player, radio, Xbox, and other devices all use power when they’re turned off, as they’re in standby mode. You should consider plugging all of these devices into a power strip, and just turn off the power strip at night. It will cut down the amount of energy that’s used, and you’ll never know the difference.

Reduce Appliances — Do you really need a toaster, microwave, dishwasher, blender, food processor, juicer, two coffee machines, an espresso maker, and a coffee grinder? You probably need some of these appliances, but you can probably eliminate a few of the ones mentioned above. Use more gas-powered appliances, as gas is cheaper than electricity.

Replace Old Appliances – Did you know that older appliances tend to use a lot more electricity than newer ones? Newer appliances are made according to Energy Star regulations and standards, so they’ll be cheaper in terms of energy consumption. Replacing them will cost you a bit, but you’ll recoup your investment within a year or two.

Turn Down the Heater – If you are using an electric boiler to heat your water, chances are you’ve got it set too high. You probably want to enjoy a nice shower in scalding water, but most people have to turn on the cold water when they shower. If you want to save on electricity, turn down the heater until it’s just nicely hot instead of scalding. You won’t have to turn on the cold water to shower, and you’ll still be able to enjoy a nice hot shower!

Saving electricity isn’t just smart – it’s cost-effective and wallet-friendly as well!

The world is getting more connected, and machines are collecting massive amounts of data about consumer habits. In the energy sector, the rise of big data is poised to revolutionize the way utility companies provide electricity to homeowners. That's good news for you – the more information you have at hand, the more opportunities you’ll have to save money. Read on to find out how big data may affect you in the near future.

Machines Learning the Patterns

Analyzing the patterns inside the enormous amounts of information provided by big data is known as machine learning. By letting computers do the heavy lifting, analysts can discover trends and efficiencies that no one would ever think to look for. Ultimately, what we learn from data analysis will trickle down and impact your interactions with any appliance or device that is electrical. Work conducted by machines will show humans the best way to move forward.

IntelligentUtility.com recently listed seven ways that machine learning can affect the relationship between you and your utility provider:

In the meantime, if you need tips about how to save energy or need electrical work performed on your home, call a qualified electrician today.

Most electrical problems in your house will more often than not require an electrician to fix them, but sometimes, if you have some time on your hands and the right tools, there are certain things you may want to tackle yourself. In this post, we will look at replacing a junction box and fixing backstabbed wires.

Replacing a Junction Box Cover

Your existing junction box should already meet the required National Electrical codes of standards, but if you happen to find one in your home that is missing a cover, it is best to have it replaced immediately. Because the splices where wires are connected together are housed in a junction box, they could end up being inadvertently damaged and become a fire or shock hazard. If this has already happened, you may want to ask a qualified electrician for help.

Fixing this is as simple as using the original cover and some screws, or if it is lost or damaged, buying a new one for a few cents at your local hardware store and installing it with the accompanying screws.

Backstabbed Wires

Backstabbed wires occur when wires in newer switches and receptacles are pushed into the back. These are more likely to come loose than those that are held in place by screws. A wire that comes loose will most likely cause the terminal to stop working, but in some cases, it may even cause an electrical fire.

Carry out a check to see whether there are any switches with backstabbed wires. If you find any, release the wires and then attach them to the appropriate screw terminals on the switch. If you do not feel comfortable doing this yourself, your electrician should be able fix this for you pretty quickly.

Question:

I’m an electrical contractor in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In one of the earlier posts I’ve noticed that you offer a lifetime workmanship warranty. Could you explain to me how it works? As I am planning to implement something similar here. If you can share a copy of you warranty agreement – that would be ideal, but if you cannot I understand that. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Best, Fred Samson

Answer:

For over 30 years I have offered a Lifetime Guarantee on all my company’s work. Over the years, this has generated a lot of extra sales for our Los Angeles electrical contractor customers. The way our guarantee has been so successful for us is that we have a Lifetime Guarantee on all my company’s [B]work[/B], not the materials used.

We tell customers that we guarantee our own work for LIFE, but we can’t be responsible for materials that we didn’t build ourselves (light fixtures, smoke detectors, dimmers, circuit breakers, etc.). On materials, we back-up whatever the manufacturer’s warrantee is.

I’ll be happy to talk about this with you in more detail if you want. Feel free to call me during business hours M-F.

Good luck with your business.

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