By: Kellie Pearson

The future looks bright here at Mr. Electric®, and we hope the same for you! As you are mentally preparing for the New Year ahead, maybe you are planning your goals and resolutions for personal development and improvement. This video by our president, Joel Worthington, is sure to motivate you to achieve them. We also want to encourage you to consider your home’s development and improvement, too!

When you think about your home’s electrical system, what can be improved? What can be replaced and updated? We have put together five tips to help you get started on getting your home’s electrical system in tip-top shape for the New Year. 

Although they initially cost higher, LED Energy Star qualified bulbs end up paying for themselves in energy savings in about 10 years. They use 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 35 to 50 times longer. Plus, they offer more peace of mind since they emit very little heat, decreasing the threat of an electrical fire, and are much more durable, so they won’t shatter all over the floor. They’re also guaranteed for three years minimum, which is above and beyond the industry standard, so you’ll save on maintenance costs as well as energy costs. Basically, there’s no excuse not to get them!

Did you know that you’re technically supposed to do this every month? Not many consumers actually do this, but a new year is a great time to put this to practice and schedule it along with your other monthly home maintenance routines. You’ll find these outlets in moisture-prone areas such as the kitchen and bathroom as the current National Electrical Code requires. Simply press the test/reset button and make sure the outlets trip and resent correctly. If they are malfunctioning, call your local Mr. Electric to have them replaced to reduce electrocution risk.

Replacing the batteries should be done at least once a year, and both of the detectors should be tested monthly to ensure proper functionality. And speaking of replacing, how old are your detectors? Remember that smoke detectors need to be replaced every 10 years. Depending upon the model, older model carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced every three years, and the newer ones, every 5-6 years. Make safety a priority for your home and get this done!

Power surges can enter your home unexpectedly during a stormy night, a random power company disruption or operation of a heavy-duty electrical appliance. They destroy electronic devices in their path and at times cause fires as well. It is unfortunate when your Mac or PC dies, but even more so when your photos, documents, music and other personal content are lost along with it as well. To reduce damage from power surges, have a whole house surge protector installed by your local Mr. Electric at the panel and additionally multi-outlet power strip surge protection for delicate circuitry, telephone and cable lines. This will ensure both main zone as well as secondary zone surge protection to absorb any excess power that seeps through the primary protection.

This can be done in a variety of ways: turning lights out after you leave a room, unplugging and turning off electrical devices when not in use and ensuring lighting and appliances are Energy Star qualified. Perhaps you can create a friendly family competition to see who can use the least amount of electricity, or even consider looking into installing a solar energy system for your home. Whatever you choose to do, remember that you can also call your local Mr. Electric to perform an energy audit for your home to ensure its electrical system is operating at maximum efficiency.

We hope you find these tips helpful to make your home’s electrical system the best and brightest it can be, and we wish you a Happy New Year from all of us at Mr. Electric!

Did you know the lighting in your office could be making you feel sick?

Feeling unmotivated and lethargic, suffering from headaches or eyestrain? There are some simple steps you can take to energize the work environment to combat stress and elevate mood by choosing the best lamp for your desk or task lighting needs. 

Healthful illumination is key to an environment partnered with increased productivity and job satisfaction.  The trend today is to improve upon what you already have rather than investing in new construction.  Upgrading your office with affordable and energy-efficient lighting is an investment that leads to outstanding visual improvements and a more healthful work environment.

Employ the Right Lamps for Greater Health Benefits:

Top Picks for Office Lighting:

-Quoizel’s “Zen” collection includes floor and table lamps with Mystic Black finishes and Rattan shades for corporate casual decor.

Alternative Energy for the Win

Many aspects of the federal energy tax credit program have already been curtailed, with credits from most common upgrades having expired at the end of 2013 (but it’s not too late to claim the money if you haven’t already — see below). However, there are some credits still active for alternative energy installations. You are eligible for a kickback of up to 30 percent of purchase and installation price come tax time if you made any of the following additions to your existing home or new construction in 2014:

And it’s not just the purchase price of the equipment -- your credit can cover the labor to set up and install your new efficiency devices as well. Qualifying homes must be located in the United States. Heat pumps, wind turbines and solar all are valid for your principle or secondary residence, with no limit on the dollar amount. Fuel cells have more restrictions — they qualify for primary residences only, and have an upper limit of $500 per .5KW of power capacity. Renters are not eligible for the tax credits.

If you didn’t act this year, you have until December 31, 2016 to purchase and install your new equipment and still qualify for the credit.

It’s Not Too Late

And there’s more good news. The NonBusiness Energy Property Credit is still available on the taxes you fill out this year — provided you made the improvements in 2013 or earlier. If you made qualifying upgrades to your HVAC equipment, insulation, roof, water heater, windows, doors or biomass stove, you can claim up to $500 in credits on up to 10 percent of the costs. These credits are limited to upgrades made on existing homes, and each specific installation has a cap:

Installation costs cannot be included for doors, skylights, windows, insulation or roofing. Also note that the $500 limit is over the lifetime of the Property Credit, so if you already claimed $300 in past years, you can only get a maximum of $200 on this year’s tax return, even if you spent much more than that.

How to Claim Your Credits

To claim your credits, fill out Form 5695 with the appropriate information about your expenditures and include it with your other tax paperwork. Don’t forget to hold on to all your receipts and manufacturer’s certification statements so you can back up your claim if the IRS comes knocking on your door.

It’s a win-win situation — you get your tax credit, you can reduce or even eliminate monthly fuel costs, and you can sleep easy knowing that you are doing your part to help the environment by decreasing the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels. If you are considering a major alternative energy installation on your property, contact an expert today to advise you on what your options are and how to get started.

There's an easy way to save money on your electricity bills that doesn't require any new appliances, smart technology or other expensive upgrades. This revolutionary idea is beautiful in its simplicity: Just unplug your devices when you aren't using them. It turns out that “always on” or standby technology is filling up the electricity meters and draining the pocketbooks of consumers across the nation. Read on to find out more and inspire yourself to pull the plug.

A Shocking Waste of Energy

Ready for a shocker? Idle devices are costing Americans a cumulative $19 billion per year, or $165 per household, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The paper, titled “Home Idle Load: Devices Wasting Huge Amounts of Electricity When Not in Active Use,” translates the numbers into something compelling: Each household wastes enough electricity to brew 234 cups of coffee per day. That's a lot of caffeine!

To be more explicit, the excess electricity use is equivalent to the output of 50 large power plants. In addition to spending money unnecessarily, we're creating an enormous amount of pollution just to power electronics that aren't in use. These bits of electricity are called energy vampires or phantom loads, notorious for their scary effect on your wallet and the environment alike.

Devices Gone Digital

Most devices drain small amounts of electricity no matter what, and the proliferation of standby technology that makes it easy to turn things on quickly or via remote control amplifies the waste considerably.

“One reason for such high idle energy levels is that many previously purely mechanical devices have gone digital,” Pierre Delforge, the report’s author and NRDC’s director of high-tech sector energy efficiency, told EnergyEfficientMarkets.com. “Appliances like washers, dryers, and fridges now have displays, electronic controls, and increasingly even Internet connectivity, for example.”

Obviously, you can't unplug your refrigerator or freezer, and some equipment like electric stoves and central air units might be inconvenient or impossible to disconnect on a regular basis. But there's still plenty of savings to be found in your televisions, computers, game consoles, phone chargers and other electronic devices found in the modern household.

What Can I Do?

It’s not realistic to expect every homeowner in America to go around plugging in and unplugging dozens of devices every day. But there are some tips that can help you out:

With just a little bit of extra diligence, you can do your part to reduce our energy consumption in the United States, and save money while you're at it.