If you're looking to increase the efficiency of your home, there's some good news: Not only can you save a bundle of money with lower utility bills, studies show that you will be able to sell your house faster, and for more money as well. Green houses are attracting more attention on the market, so when it does come time to sell you could see a big increase in the price.

Decision Influencers 

Efficiency matters. Ninety percent of potential homebuyers rate home efficiency features as “very important,” according to a survey by the National Association of Homebuilders. The survey went on to report that 61 percent of buyers would pay up to $5,000 more for a house that promised lower utility bills. Other studies found that green-certified houses sell for $34,800 more than similar homes without efficiency features in California, and green houses in Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Ore., sell at a premium of 8.5 percent and 12 percent, respectively. The Seattle study also found that the green homes sold 22 percent faster than others.

Make sure your realtor is aware of all the efficiency upgrades you’ve made and can highlight them to interested buyers. If you provide old utility bills you can really showcase the savings. 

Keep that Electric Bill Low

The electric bill is one of the biggest ongoing household expenses, so any reductions you make will go a long way. There are a lot of places to look for savings. For starters, if you have old, outdated appliances, replace them with new Energy Star-certified models so you know that they meet the strictest efficiency standards. Your lighting system is another place to upgrade -- it's time to toss old incandescent bulbs and replace them with compact fluorescents or LEDS. Finally, if you really want to save money and make your house look good to buyers, install some solar panels on the roof, which can reduce the electricity bill to near zero. 

How Else Can I Increase My Efficiency?

Don't forget to take other steps to increase the energy efficiency of your home, especially when it comes to heating bills:

You can also hire a qualified professional to conduct an energy audit and point out other ways to increase your efficiency and save money. Even if you don't plan on selling your house any time soon, you can enjoy seeing the savings in your bills each month.

Everyone probably knows light layering is the #1 rule in residential lighting design, but we can often neglect it in professional settings. Light layers can transform that standard gloomy, fluorescent malaise into something calm and energizing.

2. Take the layers outside too! The center’s entryway functions like a beacon in the night with those stylish ceiling lights, along with Image via CONTEMPORIST.com

If your business has a storefront or entryway, don’t neglect eye-catching light layers there either. You want to draw customers in, not scare them away.

3. Use standard fixtures in unexpected ways. A regular fixture in an unexpected place will be avant-garde, without the price tag of an avant-garde light fixture. Image via CONTEMPORIST.com

I’d also like to note those crazy recessed ceiling lights – totally echoing a standard recessed fixture only stylized and amplified. It makes you rethink the whole concept of a regular old recessed light!

As a Top Plano Electrician, I know better than anyone how powerful and useful electricity is. It also makes me more aware of what most people tend to ignore or forget: electricity is dangerous. Electricians are required by law to carry insurance, and for good reasons. Electric current is capable of starting fires and destroying your property and equipment in a matter of moments. The proper safety precautions really can save lives, and there‘s always something we can do to improve home safety.

One of the most important precautions is located in your electrical panel: the circuit breaker. It is designed to keep you from using more electricity than the wiring or receptacle can handle at one time, what we refer to as overcurrent protection. This protects your wiring from taking on too much current, which can cause the coating around your wiring to melt, the leading cause of electrical fires. Circuit breakers serve another purpose as well; not only to protect from surges coming from outside your home, but from potential hazards within it as well. Current flowing through a failed piece of equipment or appliance can cause sparks, which have the potential to start fires or damage other electrical devices. A properly functioning circuit breaker can shut off the power to this device. It’s very important, however, that you use a circuit breaker of the proper size for the circuit to ensure that your wiring is properly protected.

Circuit breakers come in specialty varieties as well; the most important are ground fault circuit breakers (GFCI), for wet locations, and arc fault circuit breakers (AFCI). AFCI’s, in particular, can help prevent some of the most common dangerous situations in your home.

I’ve dealt with plenty of cases where electrical fires have started because people ran an extension cord under the carpet, so that they can power the lamp in the center of the room. Over time, people walking over the cord stretches out the wiring, making it so thin that the current overloads the thinly stretched wire, creating an arc fault; the electricity “jumps” the wire, completing the circuit in a way the cord can’t handle and generating heat that starts a fire. Arc fault circuit breakers prevent this by shutting the circuit down when the arc fault occurs.

So what do you need to know about arc fault circuit breakers? To start with, by code AFCI’s should be installed on any circuit that isn’t protected by a GFCI or directly wired into an appliance. It’s in your best interest to have your safety devices routinely inspected to maintain their optimum performance and capabilities; in particular, your circuit breakers should be inspected at least once a year. The inspection process is quick and relatively inexpensive, and something that simple really can save the lives of you and your family.

Mr. Electric® wants to make sure everyone is ready for the fall and winter months in case any weather-related disasters occur.  The importance of having alternate reliable energy when the need arises cannot be stressed enough. Electricity is the lifeline of many local businesses, hospitals and city buildings, and the amount of electricity usage in households is often taken for granted.

Generators propose a great solution when temporary power is needed, but they also require special care and attention to detail for safe operation and maintenance. Follow these tips to stay safe while operating permanently placed and portable generators.

Always operate generators outside in well-ventilated areas and away from windows, doors and vents. Enclosed or partially enclosed areas, even with ventilation, can result in CO poisoning.

“One generator produces as much CO as hundreds of cars. CO from a generator is deadly and can incapacitate and kill you within minutes.”

- Consumer Product Safety Commission

Plugging the generator into a wall outlet, also known as backfeeding, can pose an electrocution risk to utility workers as well as other homeowners and businesses served by the same utility transformer.

Mr. Electric licensed service professionals will be able to install a transfer switch, which will prevent a back feed in electrical current.

Before refueling, always turn off the generator and allow time for it to cool off before refueling. Continuous operation heats up the generator and any fuel spilled on hot engine parts could ignite.

Store fuel away from any fuel-burning appliance and outside of living areas in properly labeled, non-glass containers.

Always make sure the generator is kept dry during use, and dry your hands before touching it. Operate the generator under an open, canopy-like structure.

Never use the generator in wet or rainy weather or manipulate the electrical components if you are in standing water. Correctly storing and maintaining generators will prolong the life of the unit.

Being aware of the inherent hazards of electric generators will help prevent harmful situations. These tips from Mr. Electric will keep homeowners safe while operating permanently placed and portable generators.