We all like using lights that we have collected over the years, but along with this also comes a great deal of responsibility. Please check any Christmas lights or decorations, such as wreaths, that light up for before they are used. The plastic or glass that surrounds the light should be intact, and should not contain any cracks or breaks. Please inspect the wires for tears fraying or damage.

If lights are being plugged in outside on the trees, roof top, doors, or driveway make sure you have enough electrical outlets. Do not overload your outlets and use only ground fault outlets as this will help to keep your lights and yourself safe, as they will most likely be exposed to wetness and moisture. Also make sure your extension cords do not become a tripping hazard.

When choosing a real tree, make sure it’s not too dry and not close to any candles. Christmas lights can be used to decorate real and synthetic Christmas trees. Lights should be in their best condition before being placed on the tree. Turn all Christmas lights and decorations off when you leave the house or go to bed to avoid electrical fire. Don’t use electrically powered ornaments or lights on metal decorative trees or decorations as the sharp edges may cut the cord and cause a shock and fire hazard. Due to heat danger keep your tree 3-4 feet away from fireplaces, electric heaters and floor registers.

4. Christmas “bubble” lights were popular in the 1950’s and contain coloured liquid. These should be kept away from children, as the covering of the lights can be broken, and children may attempt to drink the liquid inside. Strings of lights should be kept tucked away or taped to walls so that children cannot easily pull the cords and injure themselves or damage furniture.

5. LED’s are much more energy efficient and give off almost no heat. LED lights help protect from overloading outlets they are much safer and you can use more of them with the same available power source so your home will look like a Christmas wonderland!

When I talk to people about LED lights, the response is often the same: “That’s very exciting. LEDs are really cool. But they’re so expensive.” While you can say the prices of LEDs are going down, and you can promise that once you buy an LED it will save loads of energy, this doesn’t change the fact that many LED lights and light fixtures still cost a pretty penny.

But finally, LEDs are becoming less expensive. Today, you can buy a high quality LED A lamp for well under $50, and many kinds of LED fixtures for around that price as well. For today’s blog post, I’ve come up with a list of my 10 favorite LED task lights that cost less than 60 bucks each.  If you’ve never used an LED light fixture before, give one of these a whirl and I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

1. The LED Flexible Work Light – $29.90

Summer storms and problems with the electrical grid can lead to power outages wherever you may live. There was a time when candles and flashlights were really the only way in which to make it through a power outage in one’s home. Thankfully, those days are far behind us at this point. If you are interested in keeping your home powered, despite the fact that you’re receiving no power from the grid, we strongly recommend that you consider the installation of a whole-house generator. More specifically, we suggest that you give the use of an automatic standby generator in  Needham Heights, MA some serious consideration. 

Some homeowners may only be interested in keeping an appliance or two running in the event of a power outage. In such instances, a portable generator may suffice, though these systems are really better suited for the campground or use at tailgating events. For whole-house protection, though, a whole-house generator is obviously the way to go.

What happens when you’re not at home to activate your generator, though? Do you just leave a chest freezer or your refrigerator without any electricity to keep them up and running, even if you’re going to be gone a few days? With the use of an automatic standby generator, you won’t have to worry about integral systems shutting down in the event of a power outage, even if you are not there to start up the generator manually.

A whole-house generator is wired into your electrical system directly, and automatic standby models are designed to detect the loss of electricity to the system. Once it has, the generator springs into action, powering your systems so that you won’t have to worry about spoiled food, failed security systems, and so on.