Modern living is highly dependent on electricity and we use energy to cool our homes in the summer and heat our homes in winter. Either way, we end up using a significant amount of money of utility bills right through the year.

When the temperatures dip it is but normal for us to turn up the air conditioning by a few degrees when we are at home. We may also use space heaters in certain areas of our homes and end up using more hot water as well. This makes it almost impossible to keep a handle on our utility bills during the winter months.

So, is there nothing we can do to make sure that we are able to cut costs in some way or the other? Well, there sure are a number of ways in which you can increase the energy-efficiency of your home; here are some tips that will help you stay warm in your home, and use the appliances you need, without breaking the bank:

This is one of the simplest things you can do to reduce your electricity bills in the winter. You should make use of natural light and keep the blinds open for a large part of the day. This will bring in more warmth into your home and you will find that you don’t have to run the HVAC system at higher temperatures, at least during the daytime.

A well thought out lighting plan can really add a lot of interest and atmosphere to your home. And, if that plan is made with careful consideration of the way you use the various rooms in your house, it can provide light in just the right places to make household tasks and activities easier. With the help of an experienced professional electrician in Glendale, you can create a lighting design plan that is both pleasing to the eye and practical.

If your kitchen is due for a lighting makeover, with dark corners and shadowed work areas, a combination of lighting options can help create a space that is versatile and functional. Bright task lighting over work areas, such as counters, sinks and oven ranges, can make food preparation more convenient, while softer light can be more pleasant over dining areas.

Bathroom lighting plans should include bright lights for personal care areas, such as mirrors used for shaving or makeup. Softer lighting around the shower or bath can create a relaxing atmosphere to help you wind down after a long and stressful day at the office. Living room and bedroom lighting should be soft and relaxing, with a few strategically placed areas of task lighting for reading or other activities. The particular fixtures should be chosen with the help of your electrician, who can help you determine which options will work best with your home’s electrical system.

The Electric Connection has a reputation as being a top electrician in Glendale, earned with quality craftsmanship and an unswerving dedication to exceptional customer service. Give us a call for a free consultation and an estimate on your new lighting design plan. We can help you determine whether you’ll need electrical upgrades to make your remodeling plans feasible. You can do a fast Internet search for electrician Glendale and you’ll easily us, and then you can give us a call for suggestions on the best lighting fixtures to suit your kitchen or other home lighting needs.

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The kitchen is one of the busiest and most heavily-used rooms in your home. When it comes to fires, it’s also perhaps the most dangerous. With various fluids being used, such as oils and water, along with electrical appliances, heat sources, and more, it doesn’t take much for a simple mistake to lead to a potentially devastating blaze suddenly bursting to life. When it comes to kitchen safety, knowledge and care can go a long way, as can preparation should a fire ever start. Check out these valuable tips for learning how to avoid electrical fires in the kitchen and how to deal with one that starts.

The kitchen frequently uses water, oils, greases, and other substances alongside electricity in numerous situations. Your appliances all likely run on electricity, including your refrigerator, garbage disposal, dishwasher, and possibly even your stove and oven. While most of these devices are designed to keep all potentially-sensitive electronics away from any possibly damaging fluids, you likely still have exposed electrical plugs, extension cords, and more running along your countertops.

It doesn’t take much for a kitchen fire to start. Perhaps the most common type is a grease fire. If you ever work with hot oil on the stovetop, you’re probably well aware of how dangerous this substance is. In addition to having an extremely high burn risk, a single spark could cause a grease or oil source to quickly ignite, becoming a massive and difficult to deal with ordeal. This means you should be extremely cautious when using electricity to cook. Regularly inspect your plugs and cords for any signs of wear or fraying, and you should immediately stop using a device if you find any exposed copper at all—the risk of a potential fire far outweighs the cost of replacing a broken appliance.

Your microwave is a particularly interesting appliance in that it reacts violently with any metal placed inside it. If you’re not paying attention, it’s not difficult to accidentally stick something that isn’t microwave-safe in there, and usually by the time you figure it out it’s already too late.

If a fire does erupt in your microwave, opening the door should NEVER be the first thing you do. Fires need oxygen to breathe, and opening the door allows the oxygen to get in quickly, allowing the fire to grow and spread, and your problem will only get worse. Instead, the first thing you should do is unplug the device if possible and allow the fire to suffocate itself and go out before opening the door. Before you do, be prepared to dial 911.

Putting out a fire in your kitchen is rarely as easy as throwing water on it. In fact, in most cases water actually makes the problem worse. If you have an electrical fire, throwing water on it will probably only encourage more sparking and increase the chances of injury by electrocution. If you have a grease fire, throwing water on it will only cause the grease to splatter and continue to burn, potentially spreading the fire further (after all, water and oil don’t mix).

If you have a grease fire in your kitchen, the best way to put it out is to smother it and deprive it of oxygen. If the fire is contained in a pan, the best way to smother it is to use a metal lid to cover the pan and cut off the oxygen supply. If you don’t have a metal lid, a large baking sheet will do the job. Just make sure you use oven mitts or some other form of hand protection when you finally remove it. If the fire spreads outside the pan, cover it with salt or baking soda to quickly and effectively put the fire out. These substances are made from non-flammable material, and will quickly cover and suffocate the fire from oxygen if applied properly. Electrical fires can generally be fought the same way, but you should always move to unplug the device first if possible. You don’t want to keep sending electricity through a short any longer than you have to.

Finally, every kitchen should have a fire extinguisher in it. If you don’t, pick up a small Class B or Class ABC unit from your local hardware store (they’re not very expensive). These devices are approved to fight grease and kitchen fires because the retardant they use is dry, thus meaning you won’t have to worry about splattering that you would otherwise face with a different type.

A burnout, in electrical terms, is a drop in voltage across an electricity supply system. It can be spontaneous (unintentional) caused by disturbances in the grid, or intentionally caused during emergencies when the load needs to be reduced in order to prevent blackouts. The lower voltage causes lights to dim, leading to the name “burn out”.

Spontaneous burnouts usually cause voltage to drop for only a short period, while the intentional ones can have effects lasting anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

A burnout can prevent some electrical devices from getting harmed by power loads, but others can actually get damaged severely. Here are some facts that you should be aware of: