Finding affordable electrical service for a large-scale remodeling job isn’t always easy. Remodeling of older homes and structures often requires a great deal of work, including the removal of wiring and replacement with code-approved new systems. Yet, with the help of the right professional, it is possible to get the updated electrical system a home needs without the frustrations and costs that tend to go with the process.

Every home is different. If your home is older, the amount of work necessary to completely upgrade the electrical system can be significant. Older homes, such as those more than 40 years of age, tend to be at the highest risk for needing significant remodels. However, most homes don’t require such complete tear-outs and may be more affordable to repair.

Many factors play a role in how much you’ll pay for electrical services for remodeling homes. These may include:

In recent years, LED performance has caused an abundance of hype in the lighting technology market. What’s all the fuss about LED bulbs? Turns out there’s quite a bit to rave about…

The history of LED light bulbs Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are among the most rapidly advancing lighting technologies available today. Highly efficient, long lasting, and environmentally friendly, LED bulbs, like other forms of lighting technology, have progressed thanks to the work of multiple inventors….

LEDs – the future of lighting technology. Compared to the older lighting technology of incandescents and fluorescents, LEDs offer an array of advantages. Highly efficient, today’s LED bulbs are 100 percent efficient at turning energy into light, up to 50 percent more efficient than compact fluorescents (CFLs), and up to 85 percent more efficient than traditional incandescents. They also last 2-5 times longer than CFLs and 25 times longer than incandescents, reducing the need for frequent bulb replacement and excess landfill waste. Highly versatile, LED bulbs don’t flicker, are not affected by extreme temperatures, are dimmable, produce a high quality of light, and don’t emit UV light or contain hazardous materials such as mercury. What are LED bulbs made of? How do they work? Today’s LED bulbs feature solid-state lighting technology (SSL), emitting light from solid matter (a semiconductor), versus the vacuum in an incandescent or the gas in a CFL. Using a semiconductor made of a positively and negatively charged component, an LED produces light by moving electrons around its structure – a positive layer with holes for electrons and negative layer where free electrons can float. When electricity is used to move the electrons, they emit light as they flow into the positively charged holes. How common are LED bulbs?

Don’t throw away your hard earned money to the lighting costs associated with outdated incandescents. Contact Mr. Electric® for all of your LED bulb replacement needs. Start saving today with the help of Mr. Electric and the latest in lighting technology. 

Many modern American homes were constructed significantly before many modern Americans were born. We have homes that have been around since the Victorian Era and before, with all that that implies. Many houses are rife with out of date, unsafe electrical wiring, insufficient or toxic insulation, or other structural problems best corrected for the health and safety of anyone currently living there. Flicking on and off the light switches is nowhere near sufficient as a way to test the efficacy of any home’s electrical wiring. The intricacies of electricity extend further than simple functionality.

Before the 1940s, electricity was often done in a knob and tube wiring style that is currently vastly out of date. People should not assume that previous tenants or homeowners updated their electricity systems without inspections, since repairing knob and tube wiring was very expensive years ago. Knob and tube wiring is unsafe and prone to problems, but it is also highly inconvenient. Home inspections and getting your home wiring checked can save families significant time, money, and heartache in the long run. People that live in houses constructed around or before the 1940s, and especially between 1880 and 1940, are strongly encouraged to get their homes inspected. Licensed electricians can tell you if the wiring in your home poses an increased risk of fire or electrocution on a large scale, or inefficiency and proneness to blackouts on a small scale.

Knob and tubing wiring was never fitted with a grounding conductor for safety back in the pre-War period. Knob and tubing wiring used to have advantages in terms of cost, but today, the price of labor tends to outstrip the cost of material. Many knob and tubing wiring systems do not have enough branch circuits to suit the needs of a typical modern household, and will strain to supply the necessary electrical load. The amount and intensity of electrical equipment required by an Information Age resident substantially outstrips anything the people of the 1940s could have expected. Knob and tubing wiring left over from decades previously may well have been damaged further by renovations over the years, wear and tear, and various household pests, which only increases the risk of problems.

There are very few situations where a knob and tubing wiring system is legally installed today, according to building codes. Insurance companies are increasingly denying coverage to homes that have not upgraded their wiring from knob and tube wiring to a more modern power cables system. Updating your home’s wiring can add a substantial amount of money to your resale value, so families will increase the value and safety of their homes by updating them to meet modern electricity specifications.