Whether you love the winter season or you aren’t a fan, there’s one thing that can’t be denied—winter is downright expensive. With your heating system roaring, the holidays coming up, and longer nights, you can find yourself neck deep in utility costs in a real hurry. Looking for easy, effective ways to reduce your energy costs this season? If so, the experts at Hoffman Electrical have you covered!

Our certified electricians have been proudly serving Tampa and the surrounding areas for decades. When it comes to quality service and products, we’re just hard to beat! And above all else, our experts are here to help. Sometimes that means electrical repair and installation, and sometimes that means just some good old fashioned useful tips.

Cold weather and winter storms are often to blame for power outages. It seems like when you need your heater the most, it will be rendered useless by a power outage. The power may go out for a number of different reasons. An accident, a severe storm or mechanical failure are all possibilities. You never know what may happen. A Pasadena electrician has some tips for you to keep handy just in case the power goes out this winter. If you have any more questions, you can always call The Electric Connection.

• Unplug your small appliances, computers, Smart televisions, gaming systems and any other items that have sensitive electrical components. Leaving items plugged in could damage them when the power comes back on. A small power surge can fry the electrical components. You can reduce or eliminate this risk by having a whole home surge protector installed by an electrician. Pasadena residents can save themselves a great deal of money on damaged appliances with one of these inexpensive tools.

• Call the power company hotline to determine how long the outage is expected to last.

• Shut the doors to any rooms you are not using to keep the heat in one area. Put on extra layers of clothing to stay warm.

• Pull out flashlights and candles if the power outage happens in the evening. Emergency candles are different than the typical decorative candles and will put out more light.

• Instruct everyone in the house to leave the refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Your food will stay cold for 4 hours in the fridge and up to 24 hours in the freezer.

If the idea of dealing with a power outage does not thrill you, you could always invest in a standby generator. These handy tools will keep your home powered and allow you to continue on with your life without any interruption. Give The Electric Connection a call today to learn more.

If you have gotten that first heating bill this winter, you are probably considering the options available to reducing your electric bill. It may not only be about saving money for you. Maybe you are concerned about the strain on our natural resources and the devastating affect it is having on our environment. Whatever your reasons, solar panel installation may be the answer you are looking for. The Electric Connection can help you learn more about making the move to solar energy.

One of the biggest concerns people have with moving to solar energy is solar panels cost. Fortunately, it isn’t quite as expensive as you would think. While a complete system that will fully sustain a typical home can be as much as $20,000, you don’t have to pay that much. You can augment your current energy needs with solar installation. You can keep your home connected to the grid as a backup source. Solar installers will take care of hooking up your electric panel to the solar energy system.

There are plenty of companies who are willing to offer solar panels and the necessary components to homeowners on a lease arrangement. You can make monthly payments for the panels, which makes it much easier to afford. You will get the luxury of trying out solar energy and learning the quirks and if it is right for you and your family. There is definitely a bit of a learning curve when it comes to relying on the sun for your electricity instead of the main power grid. The entire family will have to make energy conservation a priority. Wasting the electricity you capture from the sun will leave you without or being forced to tap into the main power grid. Give The Electric Connection a call today to learn more about solar energy and how it can benefit you.