How do you pick one quality certified electrician out from a crowd?  You might ask for recommendations from friends and family. It’s also wise to check out the company on Angie’s List and the Better Business Bureau. Then you can read the testimonials and find out what other customers have experienced.

While all these techniques are helpful, one of the best ways to find a trustworthy Dallas electrician is to discover what certification and insurance they have compared to what is actually required to get the job done. Far too many homeowners forget to look into certifications and credentials, and end up hiring a Dallas electrician without the proper licenses. Here’s what to look for to ensure you’ve found a certified electrician.

ElectricMan is a family -owned and operated company with certified electricians. They offer complete residential and commercial repair and service for the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The company is lead by a fully licensed and insured master electrician with several all-star journeyman-licensed employees and training apprentices under his watchful eye. You will find quality reviews on Angie’s List, and they also have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

To work with certified, licensed professionals on your next electrical project, please contact a certified electrician at ElectricMan today. ElectricMan is your trusted, local Dallas electrician with 27 years of experience. Visit the ElectricMan website for more information, and also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Saving energy is a laudable goal. By using less electricity and other energy around your home, you reduce your contribution to environmental degradation and climate change. On the other hand, easy and reliable access to electricity is in large part responsible for the high standard of living that most Americans enjoy. Read on to learn more about the intersection between comfort and energy consumption, and how you can cut back while still participating in modern 21st century life.

Energy Consumption and GDP Go Hand-in-Hand

When it comes to residential households, cheap power allows us to run the electrical work that lends so much convenience and comfort to our day-to-day lives – refrigerators, air conditioners, lights, computers, televisions and much more. On a societal scale, access to fossil fuels and the energy potential stored within is what has made possible so many technological and logistical advances in the first place. However, as the years advance, the science is becoming ever more clear – excessive carbon emissions are causing the planet's climate to change, often in destructive and unpredictable ways.

Of course, no one wants to go back to the days of pushing a plow behind a donkey and churning butter by hand, either. The big question, and one that may become existential, is whether we can decouple our energy consumption from our standard of living. Historically, consumption and GDP have risen together in lock-step. Can the United States and other developed countries figure out how to break the chain?

Decouple Lifestyle from Consumption

A recent report by the Energy Collective tells us that “reductions in energy intensity is arguably our most important tool to achieve a sustainable energy future.” What does it mean? That we can get the same or more production out of less energy usage. In some ways, we've already made progress – between 2007 and 2013, energy consumption dropped 4.5 percent in the United States, while the Net Domestic Product continued to rise.

That's all well and good for the country, but what about your household? The same principles apply – for a more sustainable future, look for ways to get the same results with less energy use. That means switching to efficient appliances, like Energy Star certified equipment. It means replacing old incandescent light bulbs with modern LED models. And look for little changes that can make a big difference, like adjusting your thermostat a few notches up or down to reduce the load on your HVAC equipment.

Make a Difference in Your House

You can do your part to cut down on your energy use while still enjoying the amenities of modern life by making targeted efficiency investments and simple behavioral changes. If you need tips on how to reduce your energy bills without reverting to stone age-style living, or need any other electrical work, contact a reputable electrician today.

When your saying goodbye to guests in the evening, you don’t want to send them out in the dark to fumble their way back to their vehicle. Without proper outdoor lighting your front yard can be riddled with hazards at night. Installing outdoor and landscape lighting can add safety in a number of ways as well as add pleasing aesthetics to your home at night.

Outdoor lighting can add functionality in a number of ways – it can illuminate potential tripping hazards, deter criminals, and add a pleasing look to your home at night. The trick is to have the lights positioned correctly to have the desired effects. When placing your outdoor lighting keep these areas in mind:

Installation of outdoor lighting can be different depending on the type of landscape lighting you choose. If you are using solar powered or battery powered you will not require any additional electrical work. If you are looking to install electrical lamps and fixtures on the outside your home or along a pathway it will require the wire to run underground, because of the high voltage, to the home’s electrical system. If you are unsure of how your new outdoor lighting connects to your home, or want to prepare to install new lighting, have an expert electrician do the installation for you.

Three common sources of outdoor lighting are fluorescent lamps, metal halide, and LED lighting. Fluorescent lamps are designed to run efficiently, but can have trouble starting in certain temperatures. Metal halide are highly efficient within a temperature range, but require approximately a minute to warm up – not ideal for motion lights. LED lighting is a popular choice because they are highly efficient, require no warm up time, and the bulb lasts longest, but this all comes at a higher cost.

Outdoor and landscape lighting is very important and something every homeowner should keep in mind. With so many options out there, it can be difficult to know where to start and what will work.

More and more people are beginning to turn to solar panels as a highly effective alternative energy source. The cost to have these installed is a great investment since there are a lot of benefits. The general benefits include having a lower carbon footprint and saved utility bills. But, solar panel installation also allows you to have the energy to manage all your utilities, become independent, and have a higher home resale.

Utility Use

Most people think that solar power can only give them enough electricity to light your home at night. However, they can actually do much more than that. For example, solar panels can give you enough energy to heat your water for showers and laundry, too. It can even help to heat your house when it gets chilly. Depending on the weather you may not always have enough energy from the sun for all of these, but having solar will make a significant dent in your utility bill.

Independence

Currently, you most likely need to answer to a lot of different utility companies to power your home and pay a lot in electric, water, and/or gas company bills. You may need to buy oil to heat your home in the winters. Having solar power gives you an increased amount of independence, so you won’t need to worry so much about other corporations and paying high utility bills. In fact, you may find that you create enough stored energy that some of your utility companies will end up paying you!

Home Resale Value

Solar installation is highly sought after when home buyers are looking to purchase a house. This means that if you already have solar installed at your home, you will likely find your house will have a better resale value for you. This is definitely not a home improvement feature that you would need to question the value of, since it’s one that you’ll be able to make your money back from over time. Solar panels also require little maintenance, which is a big added bonus.

If you’re ready to start harnessing sun power, you can do a search for solar installers to find out more about Solar Panel Info. You may even find that rebates are offered in your area, which makes it much more affordable for you and your family to start enjoying the benefits of solar energy. Feel free to give us a call to find out more.

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