By Spencer Cutright

Crowds are packing amusements parks this summer as they look to let out their inner adrenaline junkie. With more than 400 amusement parks and 786 roller coasters in the U.S., there are plenty of rides to choose from. Mr. Electric® presents our favorite list of the top five roller coasters with gut-wrenching drops, jaw-dropping loops and stomach turning speeds that are sure to give surge to your summer.

This menacing roller coaster in Jackson, New Jersey at Six Flags Great Adventure, is not only the world’s tallest roller coaster, but also the world’s second fastest. Riders are launched at 128 miles per hour and reach a height of 456 feet before plunging back down to ground level.

Featuring the world’s largest loop, this Six Flags Magic Mountain coaster in Valenica, California catapults riders at 66 miles per hour before being sent into a massive 160-foot loop.

This high adrenaline coaster is packed with twist, turns and loops. Located at Sig Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas, riders reach top speeds of 70 miles per hour and must endure a 145-foot loop, a cobra roll, two corkscrews and even a zero gravity roll.

The first roller coaster to ever use floorless trains, this Busch Gardens Williamsburg coaster features two Immelmann loops, two vertical drops and a splashdown. The coaster also reaches a top height of 2,005 feet and a top speed of 71 miles per hour.

Located at the world famous Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, this coaster sends riders on a terrifying 300 foot drop, two tunnels, three overbanked turns and reaches speeds up to 93 miles per hour.

We hope you have an electrifying time and enjoy these rides as much as we do. As always, remember to call on your friendly neighborhood Mr. Electric for any summer electrical needs.

Since the advent of the incandescent (and even before), quality of light has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Regrettably, that quality has mostly been unfortunate. When incandescent lights were the only choice, the early 20th century population complained about the glare and the possible dangers of electricity.

Case in point: on an episode of Downton Abbey (Masterpiece’s smash hit about an elite family living on an estate in the early 1900’s), the prim and hilarious Dowager Countess laments the new electric lamps:

“Such a glare! I couldn’t have electricity in the house – I wouldn’t sleep a wink. All those vapors seeping about. Feels as if  I were on stage at the Gaiety.”     

Every home uses energy in one form or the other; and in most instances, this electricity comes from the power grid. Statistics indicate that almost 50% of a home’s energy is used by its HVAC systems while about 12% goes into the lighting. Most property owners presume that all the energy-efficiency upgrades happen through various home improvement upgrades such as replacement of wooden windows and doors with energy-efficient 2 or 3-paned vinyl windows etc.

While these changes do add to the energy-efficiency of your home, there are a number of electrical systems and maintenance upgrades that can significantly improve your energy usage, such as:

It’s not uncommon for us to occasionally leave the lights on when we leave a room. Or there may be times when we leave the deck, patio or poolscapes lights on all night with the security aspect in view. These types of habits can become a significant energy drain, but there is a way to curb that. We can install motion sensor lighting in the exterior spaces of your home; the lights will get switched on only when the sensor picks up any movement within its range. This helps you save energy without compromising on the safety factor in any way.

Most people don’t realise that their local electrician can help them when they are upgrading to energy efficient appliances. The fact of the matter is that simply replacing older appliances with ones that have high energy star ratings may not always help them reduce their electricity bills.

When you upgrade the appliances in your home such as air-conditioners, dryers, dishwashers and washing machines etc., these appliances tend to need a higher wattage compared to the older ones; this means the upgrade may actually strain the circuit breakers and your electrical system. It’s important to get a skilled electrician to come and check whether the existing wiring and system is built to bear the higher electrical loads that the newer, advanced systems need.

Inadequate or improper insulation is one more major sources of energy loss on most properties. And if you are considering a home renovation/remodelling/extension project, it’s a good idea to upgrade the insulation in your house as well.

Today, many property owners are quite committed to opting for eco-friendly alternatives to many materials and systems. If you feel you want to reduce your carbon footprint, you might want to consider installing solar panels in your home. This can significantly reduce your reliance on grid power.

Upgrading appliances or making major electrical upgrades can sometimes prove to be an expensive proposition and may not fit into everyone’s budget. This is why it’s important to know how to make some smaller changes that will also add to your home’s energy-efficiency. Some things that can make a big difference are:

We at AllRound Electricals can provide excellent energy audits and electrical upgrade and maintenance solutions. For more information, contact our friendly team at this number – 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address.

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