We live in an area where there are many very old homes. Within these homes, as you’d expect, is very old wiring. Even if you have not had trouble with your wiring just yet, and even if your wiring appears to be in fine condition, you should keep in mind just how much the demand for electricity in our homes has gone up over the years. The original owners of your old home were not running whole-house cooling systems and charging multiple phones and tablets while also powering a dishwasher, after all. Overloading the circuits in your home can be quite dangerous, both to your family, your property, and your appliances/electronics.

Even if the circuits in your home are designed to keep up with your electrical demand, the fact remains that the materials composing your electrical and wiring systems will degrade over time. When they do, it really doesn’t matter if your wiring is capable of handling your existing electrical load or not. The degradation of wiring insulation and other materials will render any system unsafe.

While outdated circuitry and degraded materials can lead to a lot of blown fuses/tripped circuits and other issues, the real concern with very old wiring is, of course, the risk of a fire in your home. When it comes to old wiring, you really cannot afford to adopt an “out of sigh, out of mind” attitude. If you are uncertain of how old your electrical system is, but know that your house is quite old, you should give us call to have the system evaluated. We are happy to help.

Working from home is not only convenient but it is economical. Many people run businesses out of their homes and for those of you who are thinking about doing the same – you can too. Change a room in your home into a fully functioning office with our help.

One thing that most businesses have is a phone number. You may not want your business calls being directed to your home phone number otherwise you will have family members answering for you and after-hours business calls you may not have wanted to answer. We can help install a separate phone line in your office so you can have a dedicated, business phone number. This way your business and home communication are completely independent from each other.

When designing and setting up your home office, keep in mind which electronics are going where and how much power they will require. If you have a laser or large sized printer in your office, it may have a heavy draw on your power supply. Ensure that the circuit that your home office is on and the GFCI outlet can handle the load of your printer, computer, and any other electronics you need. You don’t want to trip the breaker and cause a power outage by printing out a document for one of your clients. Have one of our expert electricians review the wiring setup and test the outlet before you set up your electronics.

If you’re having meetings in your office, a proper lighting set up is important. Sometimes your office can be located in an area of the home that does not receive sufficient exterior light. Having a dimly lit room for meetings can disrupt the workflow and make it uncomfortable for all attendees. Assess the light levels at different intervals to see if you require improvements in your overhead lighting. Installing pot lights or track lights can create a comfortable atmosphere and makes it much easier to work.

When you setup your office at home you were likely thinking about economics and efficiency. With our help we can make sure that you are making the most out of your home office and that it is a place of efficiency that doesn’t overflow into your down time.

Halloween is a little over a week away, and whether you’re throwing or attending a party, taking your kids trick-or-treating, or getting your house ready for trick-or-treaters, it’s sure to be a night filled with endless fun – and scare. However, we want to help ensure that the kind of scare that may ensue is all in good fun, and not legitimate.  This is why we want to provide some helpful electrical safety tips to those planning on transporting party-goers or trick-or-treaters to another realm with their decorations.

Electrical cords in high-traffic areas can be dangerous as it can cause people walking over them to trip and get hurt. Furthermore, you should inspect your cords for exposed or frayed wiring. Wires that aren’t 100 percent intact increase the chances of electrocution and fire, so always err on the side of caution and replace cords that could pose a threat. While Halloween is intended to a night filled with surprises, but don’t let one of them be a trip to the emergency room.

To prevent guests from tripping over cords, consider purchasing cord covers or using duct tape. Your local hardware store should carry both of these.

Before hanging lights inside or outside, check the box to see that they are Underwriters Laboratory (UL) approved. This means they will have been tested and are completely safe to use. If lights are UL-approved and tested, you should easily be able to find the label on both the outside of the box as well as on the actual lights themselves.

Just like your electrical cords, you should always inspect your lights for frayed and exposed wiring as well as faulty plugs. If you do find that they’re not in good condition, the best thing to do is replace them. Continuing to use these lights will only increase the chance of electrocution and fire.

Don’t staple or nail electrical wires or cords because doing so could cause a malfunction in the system, sparks, or a fire. Furthermore, avoid attaching wires or cords to anything metal. Follow the directions closely to ensure safety.

Leaving for work? Going to bed? Don’t forget to unplug your lights and decorations! When you leave things plugged in for longer than they should be, you run the risk of having overworked bulbs and wiring, which could lead to a fire. By unplugging them, you can have peace of mind while you’re away, not to mention, you’ll save money on your utility bill!