The power that runs to our home is something we have come to rely on. There isn’t a part of our day that does not somehow use electricity. It is how we cook, tell the time, play and stay clean. When the power goes out, our lives are turned upside down. Fortunately, the power grid has been fairly stable. Unfortunately, it isn’t stable enough and the smallest thing can take it out. It is a good idea to be ready to deal with a power outage should one catch you off guard. An electrician in Burbank has some tips for putting together a power outage kit. If you have any questions about power outages or what to do, give The Electric Connection a call.

It is a good idea to put your supplies in a drawer or in a small tote stored in a cupboard in a hall closet. It needs to be easily accessed in the dark. Adding a glow in the dark sticker or two to the tote can help make it stand out.

*Talk with a Burbank electrician about having security lights installed in your home and outside. These lights will automatically turn on when the power is cut. Some of these plug into an outlet and will come on when the power goes out, providing you with instant light.

*Toss in a few emergency candles and matches along with candleholders.

*Some LED headlamps and/or flashlights is also a good idea.

*Have the number to the power company in the kit or somewhere you can easily find it.

*Keep a few cans of food on hand along with a manual can opener just in case the power outage extends into the meal periods.

You can avoid the problems created when the power goes out by having a standby generator installed by an electrician. Burbank homeowners will take comfort in having a backup source of power. Give The Electric Connection a call today and learn more about preparing for power outages.

Most problems with the electrical wiring in a house take a professional to handle. A certified Electrician (electrical contractor) needs to be consulted, so the problem is repaired correctly and to local codes. The city, county, and/or state where you live set the codes to make sure your house is safe to live in without electrical fires or other serious issues happening. Below are five simple tips to how to pick the right professional for the job.

If you’d like to speak more with a team member at Bryant Electric Service about having electrical work done, call our offices at: 512-402-8587.

Electricity is something we use every single day, at home and in our workplace. Commercial and industrial establishments would never be able to function without it, and yet we take it for granted – at least until the time something goes wrong with it. While the electrical fixtures and fittings are all within sight, the wiring and other related installations are typically out of sight. This also means that we don’t really pay much attention to them at all.

What we don’t realise is that while most electrical issues seem like they have arisen out of the blue, there are almost always some warning signs. Electrical issues can result in electrical fires that can be extremely dangerous. Melted wiring is one of the commonest causes of electrical fires. There are a number of things that can lead to melting of electrical wiring, such as:

Electricity anywhere has an electromagnetic field; and the electricity flowing through the wires on your property is that way too. This electromagnetic field is at a certain level and that is why it isn’t really evident. However, at times there is an excessive build-up of electricity in the wiring on your property, which weakens the wires. If you don’t address this issue on time, the wiring will melt and result in arcing, and that is when you hear the crackling, hissing or buzzing sound emanating from wires.

All electrical installations are made to carry a certain amount of power load. Older structures tend to also have decades-old wiring; that is unable to bear the load of current-day, power guzzling electrical appliances and equipment.

If you run too many of these all at once on your property, it results in an overload in the system. Typically when this happens, the fuse connected to that particular circuit blows. If, for some reason, this doesn’t happen and the electricity continues to flow through the system, it will cause the old wiring to melt.

A short circuit is caused when a neutral wire comes in touch with a live wire. Just as in the case of a power overload, if this occurs, the fuse will blow and the electrical supply within that circuit will get disconnected. However, if this doesn’t take place & the electricity keeps flowing through the wires, they will get heated up and melt.

If you find anything out of the ordinary with the electrical installations in your home/commercial establishment, never defer calling in an electrician to check what the issue is. The signs to look out for are arcing in electrical installations, switches and powerpoints that are hot to the touch etc.

Attending to all these issues on time will ensure that you have less problems to deal with, later. Never forget that electrical issues can be very dangerous and the more you defer getting them checked, the more you endanger your safety and that of anyone who lives or works on your property.

The one way to prevent electrical issues from surfacing in this manner, is to opt for preventive electrical maintenance services. As part of these services, the electrician will come in at pre-decided intervals and thoroughly test all the electrical appliances, fixtures, installations and wiring on your premises. If he notices anything out of the ordinary, he will inform you about it and it can be fixed before the issue aggravates and poses a risk to life and property.

We at Allround Electrical are licensed and insured electrical contractors, and offer a range of electrical services to commercial and residential customers. For more information, contact our friendly team today at this number – 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address. You may also reach us through this online contact form.

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Tired of breaking the bank just to keep up with the Joneses? Forget fancy cars and other status symbols. How about a way to maintain a friendly neighborly competition that actually involves saving money instead of spending? Americans have a wealth of resources at their disposal to empower families to cut back on energy consumption and reduce their electricity bills, but we don't do a stellar job of taking advantage of that information. Recent research, however, has shown that homeowners are more likely to take efficiency measures with their electrical work when they can compare their own consumption to that of their neighbors.

Whose Bill is the Lowest?

The experiment took place last summer, when the Vermont utility company Green Mountain Power worked with Opower, a software company that specializes in behavioral economics. During very hot days when air conditioning use was expected to be high, the utility reached out to customers with tips on reducing the amount of energy they need to power their home electrical work.

Afterward, the utility gave a report which ranked households in the neighborhood based on how well they had done on cutting back. By the end of the summer, electricity consumption among Green Mountain customers had dropped by five percent during hot days. That's some serious savings!

Peer Pressure at its Best

That five percent resulted from simple behavioral changes like bumping the thermostat up a few degrees and using curtains to block out sunlight during the hottest part of the day – no major investments or new equipment needed, just a little peer pressure. This research should be useful in helping understand what motivates people to save energy in order to develop more effective outreach programs for utility companies around the country.

One of the big takeaways is that the utility didn't give its customers any kind of incentives or payments to change their behavior – just the money they saved through efficiency, and the bragging rights of being more conservation-minded than their neighbors.

"Some of the decisions we make are not entirely rational, and they are due to a lack of context," Kevin Hamilton, Opower's vice president of marketing, said to Utility Drive, "and by providing that context you can encourage individuals to adjust their usage in ways that can benefit both the customer and the utility as well."

Little Changes Mean Big Savings

People come up with all kinds of reasons not to implement efficiency measures: It costs too much in initial capital, they are too busy to think about it, or they simply don't think the savings are worthwhile. But the reality is that even making small behavioral changes can add up in the long run.

If you want to decrease the cost of your electrical work and impress your neighbors, have a qualified home services technician perform an energy audit on your house to identify the most cost-effective ways for you to cut back.

A power surge is an increase in voltage flowing through your electrical units that rise above the standard voltage levels (120 Volts). These surges can be caused by lightning, high-powered electrical devices (elevators, air conditioners, refrigerators, etc), faulty wiring or even problems with your utility company’s equipment. Inevitably, these are all occurrences that we cannot prevent ourselves, so how can you protect your home and equipment from these damaging power surges?

Surge Protector

A simple solution is plugging in your electronics into a surge protector. A surge protector is a device used to protect your electronics from damaging power surges. However, many people use this tool for a much more obvious function, to plug in multiple components into one outlet, not knowing its protective capabilities. You most likely use at least one surge protector in your home already. But how does it work? How do you know that you are providing the top quality protection for your important devices?

How it Works

As you know, your surge protector pulls electrical currents from one outlet and passes them through all the electrical devices plugged into the surge protector. This aside, the more important feature of this device is its metal oxide varistor (MOV) component, which diverts extra voltage and preventing it from damaging your electronics. This MOV acts in different ways depending on the voltage flow to provide your devices consistent access to adequate levels of power. If the MOV indicates high levels of voltage, it will reduce the resistance and if the voltages are low it will create a higher resistance. However, it is important to be aware that these MOV’s can also burn out. By investing in a power surge with an indicator light you will always be able to determine whether or not it’s functioning appropriately.

In our next blog, Power Surge Protection: What to Look For, we will be discussing how and where to use your surge protector and purchasing tips for finding a quality protector. For more information on power surges and how to protect your equipment, contact the experts at Expert Electric. 604-681-8338