Whether you love the winter season or you aren’t a fan, there’s one thing that can’t be denied—winter is downright expensive. With your heating system roaring, the holidays coming up, and longer nights, you can find yourself neck deep in utility costs in a real hurry. Looking for easy, effective ways to reduce your energy costs this season? If so, the experts at Hoffman Electrical have you covered!

Our certified electricians have been proudly serving Tampa and the surrounding areas for decades. When it comes to quality service and products, we’re just hard to beat! And above all else, our experts are here to help. Sometimes that means electrical repair and installation, and sometimes that means just some good old fashioned useful tips.

To audit or not to audit? This can be a simply answered question when you consider the array of benefits gained from an energy audit. The switch to more energy efficient solutions could really be a benefit for your business.

An energy audit is an in-depth, outside to inside, room-by-room examination of your business’ current energy efficiency levels and usage practices. Taking this information and the level of savings you’d like to achieve into account, a customized plan can then be developed, focusing on cost-effective solutions for maximizing functionality and efficiency while minimizing your business’ energy usage and expenses.   

A professional audit pays for itself, offering you the opportunity to discover the most effective ways to cut operating costs through energy efficient improvements. How much can it save? The average commercial building wastes thirty percent of its energy dollars, meaning an investment in efficiency can return, on average, $1.50 for every dollar invested.  

By identifying and rectifying potentially dangerous problems, particularly in older buildings, auditors can detect possible health and safety risks such as carbon monoxide from improperly operating or improperly vented combustion equipment, radon leaks, and more.

Improvements in insulation and air sealing reduce heat transfer, leading to a more stable, efficiently heated and cooling space. This increased comfort through an improved thermal envelope can lead to not only increased productivity, but also a reduction in utility costs for you.

Energy audits not only protect the environment by reducing fossil fuel pollution, but also ensure a more secure energy future for everyone. Even addressing something as simple as lighting efficiency can net big results.

Rebates, tax credits and other incentives may be available toward your energy audit in efforts to encourage reduced energy usage and the conservation of natural resources. Contact your local utility company to learn more about the opportunity for a free or reduced price energy audit for your business. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) website also lists programs available to you, including grants and loans to assist your business in making energy efficient upgrades.

To ensure a successful audit, it’s necessary to provide detailed building information, including function, floor plans, orientation, copies of past utility bills, an equipment list, notes on existing issues, updates you’d like to achieve, and more. Talk to a Mr. Electrical® service professional prior to your audit for details. Please click here to see example energy audits from our company.

Promote the sustainability of your bottom line - and the planet - by contacting Mr. Electric to schedule your commercial energy audit today.

Do you know why your home in Manassas would benefit from whole home surge protection?

You might think it has something to do with lightening. However, the reasons for whole home surge protection are more complicated than you may realize.

In addition to not experiencing a significant number of them in Manassas, did you know that whole home surge protectors can’t stop lightening strikes from damaging your electronics?

At this point, your probably starting to seriously doubt the importance, use or need for whole home surge protection. However, nothing besides a lightening rod and hope can keep your home safe from a lightening strike.

Another point to keep in mind is that whole home surge protection’s primarily function isn’t to protect your electronics and appliances from outside surges. It’s actually intended to protect your electronics and appliances from each other.

When we think of power surges we typically envision lightning strikes and electricity bursts from outside power lines. In reality the majority of surges are short intense shocks created by large appliances such as generators and HVAC motors. These smaller surges typically go undetected and usually don’t blow out the entire circuit.

However, over time, they add up. If you banged your knee in the same spot every day for a year, you might not have any significant damage on the first day, but on day 365 you’d probably have quite the bruise. The same logic applies to your electronics. Those little zaps might not degrade their performance immediately, but the problems are cumulative. Why shorten their expected usefulness and replace your appliances sooner than you have to?

It’s important to remember while enjoying the summer weather, while outside or around the home, that there could be a variety of electrical hazards lingering. While not obvious at first, these issues could cause very serious (and potentially fatal) injury through electric shock. Our team at Expert Electric has created a list of common outdoor and indoor hazards to be aware of this summer.

Stay away from power lines with your body, toys, sticks, or anything an electrical current could travel down. Power lines transport extremely high voltage electrical energy. Venturing too close to a power line can create an opportunity for the electricity to flow to your body or object resulting in serious injury. If you see a fallen power line, call 911 immediately.

Ensure all your outdoor electrical receptacles around the exterior of your home or shed are covered, clean and dry. If water or dirt enters the outlet it can result in electrical surges and shocks when the outlet is next used. Receptacle covers can be purchased at most home renovation retail stores.

Keep all power cords, string lights and electrical devices away from ponds, swimming pools, hot tubs or sprinklers. Summer can lend itself to a lot of splashing and water flying through the air. If water comes into contact with an electrical device there is a high risk of electrical shock. Do your best to keep electrical devices at a distance from the pool and water fights.

Ensure that you have GFCI’s (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlets installed in certain areas of your home – namely rooms with running water mainly (bathroom, kitchen, garage, basement, pool rooms, etc.). These outlets can prevent electrical shock from happening with specially designed safety mechanisms.

In an emergency, know where your circuit breakers are and how to turn them off safely. When a panicked situation occurs, it can be easy to become confused and flustered. If you are knowledgeable interacting with your circuit breaker you will be more confident in the event of an emergency.

Before plugging in a fan, make sure that it is clean and there are no wires frayed or damaged. Occulting fans are often stored for most of the year. During storage power cords can become damaged and electrical wires exposed. Exposed wires leave you vulnerable to electrical shock when the fan is plugged in again.

Be sure to have any portable air conditioning units securely positioned and electrical cords tucked away. These are tripping hazards that can lead to either electrical shock or a heavy unit falling down. It’s also important to follow the manufacturers instructions on maintaining and servicing the unit to prevent damage to the home’s electrical system and personal injury.

It is important to be aware of potential electrical hazards in order to identify and avoid them. Our team of trained and licensed electricians are happy to help you ensure your home and family are safe from electrical hazards. If you would like more information on electrical safety tips to be aware of during the summer or general, contact Expert Electric today at 604-681- 8338.