Electricity gives us light, warmth and many of the conveniences of modern life. It powers industry, our homes, our schools and our offices, yet most of us take it for granted. Do you know where your electricity comes from or how it reaches you to provide the energy you depend on? It's Grid Week, and the Department of Energy's Understanding the Grid infographic gives a bite-size education on how electricity is generated, transmitted and distributed to our homes and businesses.

If you’re tired of shelling out a crazy amount to the energy company each and every month, then maybe it’s time to look at how your household is consuming power and improve the efficiency of your usage. To help with that, our Top Rated Local® Des Moines electricians have committed to taking calls and appointments specifically for improved energy efficiency.

If your energy bill is high, then there is a really great chance that your break-even point will be very low. In case you’re not one of the many financial experts that call Des Moines home, a break-even point is essentially just an investment term that is used to calculate the potential risk of a course of action compared to its likely reward; this means that the break-even point for your investment in optimization will be achieved through reduced monthly energy costs + any local or federal subsidies the improvements qualify you for – the costs of installation or upgrading. Costs, in this case, can be both financial and temporal, meaning that your savings need to rack up quickly to account for the time and money you’ll invest up front. The good news is this: Many new homes (built in the last 5 years) can be drastically upgraded and optimized, and just about all below that line (older than 5 years) will see an even more dramatic improvement.

When power reaches your home, it inevitably is routed to and through an electrical panel; this panel determines much of your home’s energy efficiency before anything is even turned on. From the electrical panel to the wiring and outlets themselves, the amount of upgrades and optimizations that can be done for a comparable cost to the original outdated panel that dramatically reduce energy waste are dizzying. From the smallest changes, such as installing energy-efficient lighting or new outlets, to full-scale electrical overhauls, the potential for savings are really multiplicative.

Our electricians come into the picture by offering the tools and experience necessary to quickly and effectively route out outdated and inefficient systems and find the optimal solution for improving your home’s flow of energy. In as little as a few minutes, our electricians can make pointed suggestions that can and will save you substantially on your energy bills or find nothing noteworthy enough to justify the cost based upon the break-even point. At Electrical Gurus, we believe in offering this service to optimize your systems to make them safer and save you money, not add on an unnecessary expense.

Get in touch with the master electricians at Electrical Gurus for an expert opinion on what can be done to reduce your home’s energy costs. We are proud to serve the entire Des Moines area with both residential and commercial electrician services; contact us today to put those skill to work for you!

The refrigerator may arguably be the most critical appliance in your home. We rely on them all day, every day to preserve foods and keep them fresh. And they aren’t exactly the quietest appliances out there, either, usually emitting a tonal drone when in operation. But occasionally that standard hum may become a rattle, or worse. Having trouble with a noisy fridge? If so, our electricians in Upper Marlboro might be able to help.

First thing first: is your refrigerator on a dedicated circuit? If not, noises are the least of your problems. Need help installing and wiring a new appliance for your home? Contact the team at Kolb Electric! We can bring you the service and quality care you deserve, and our electricians in Upper Marlboro are unmatched in skill and knowledge!

There are scant few things that can actually contribute to an unusually noisy refrigerator, which is technically a good thing, since troubleshooting the problem doesn’t tend to take too long. You could be dealing with:

Fun (Not Actually Fun) With Refrigerator Fans

The majority of undue fridge noise comes as a result of a dirty or damaged fan. There are a few fans that could be at fault here, somewhat depending on the type of refrigerator you have. If your issue is indeed a fan, it could be the:

Strange Sounds at the Base of Your Refrigerator

A consistent rattling noise coming from somewhere near the bottom outside of your refrigerator is almost certainly a loose drain pan. This is a really obnoxious noise, but actually a very simple fix, since it usually only needs a quick tightening using the appropriate tool (screwdriver, hex key).

A Troublesome Refrigerator Compressor

Your compressor can be found on the back of your refrigerator. It is almost always a big black metal fixture; looks sort of like a funky space helmet. But if the sound is your compressor, you’re in for some fairly bad news, since it’ll need to be replaced. In some situations, it’s a better idea to just replace the refrigerator in total.

Looking for an electrician in Upper Marlboro that can bring you superior service to meet your electrical appliance installation needs? If so, you can count on our electricians in Upper Marlboro! Our team has been proudly serving up the best in service for decades, and we’re just a quick click away!

It's no mirage – energy efficiency is gaining traction. Whether people are concerned about contributing to climate change by burning fossil fuels or saving money on their utility bills, there is rising demand for homes that can do more with less. Home builders are paying attention, and the new house of today is demonstrating different priorities from the residential construction of the past few decades. Among the ways that efficiency trends are playing out are an increase in low-maintenance yards, modern lighting and multi-generational living.

A Watershed Year for Efficiency

People really are paying more attention to their energy consumption these days. A study by Johnson Controls found that interest in energy efficiency had risen across North America by 116 percent between 2010 and 2014. The report called 2014 a “watershed year for energy efficiency” and that “strong improvements in key indicators signal major commitments to energy efficiency, high performance buildings, distributed energy systems and smart building technologies.”

Contractors are taking note of the heightened focus on efficiency and are adjusting their building components accordingly. "Being more energy efficient is extremely important to our home buyers,” Anthony Natale, co-founder and president of Grenadier Homes in Texas, said in a press release. “They're fiscally and environmentally responsible – savvy, sophisticated buyers who want to save money on utility costs while helping to save the planet for their children, grandchildren and beyond."

Keep an Eye on Water and Electricity

One aspect that Natale highlights is a move toward low-maintenance yards that need little in the way of irrigation or other care. A key component of these yards is using native plants, which are accustomed to the local climate and don't need much help to thrive. Another strategy is to integrate rain collection systems so you have water on hand when you need it without breaking out the hose. Also, efficiency-minded homeowners design landscaping in a way that reduces runoff and takes advantage of plants' natural preferences for shady or sunny areas.

In addition to conserving water, homeowners are also reducing their electric bills with LED lighting technology. LED lights last up to 25 times as long and only use 25 percent as much electricity as those old-timey incandescent bulbs. Initially, some consumers shied away from LEDs because of their high initial cost and limited utility, but technological advances mean that you can now find affordable LED solutions to just about any lighting setup you can think of.

Sharing Space with Grandma and Grandpa

One more recent trend in efficiency is a bit more surprising – a rise in multi-generational households. A 2014 study by the National Association of Realtors Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends found that households that included some combination of parents, adult children, adult siblings and grandparents comprised 14 percent of sales.

The savings are clear – fewer homes means less redundancy in heating, cooling, lighting and other energy-consuming necessities. New homes built to take advantage of this trend can offer separate entrances and suite-like setups in different areas of the house so residents can maintain their privacy while still sharing the structure.

If you want to cut back on your own energy usage but aren't prepared to invite grandma and grandpa home just yet, have a home services professional conduct an energy audit and create a tailored efficiency plan that's right for you.