Every year, we see dozens of do-it-yourself jobs go horribly wrong. While our trained and certified electricians can fix the issue, the property owner who tried (and failed) to do the job in the first place probably made it worse. Even if that supposedly simple job sounds easy and you find yourself reasonably handy, you should never attempt to do it yourself. Here are three reasons why you should always hire a professional.

The first and perhaps most serious risk associated with DIY work is injury. Electricity is no joking matter—it’s a powerful force with the ability to change your life in a sheer instant. The current that’s flowing through your walls has the ability to seriously injure you in a split second, and could even kill you in serious situations. You should never take working with electricity lightly, and you shouldn’t even attempt to work with it unless you’ve had extensive training and know how to do so properly.

We hear of too many people who are injured while trying to work with electricity and they fail to notice a hazard or are unaware of a potential problem. Our technicians have all been trained through years of education, practical application, and apprenticeship in order to become a certified electrician. We know how to properly handle electricity and can do so with minimal injury risk.

Are you trying to install a new appliance you just purchased? What about something larger, such as installing a ceiling fan or changing over to recessed lighting? These are all things you should trust to a professional. Not only can a professional do so quickly and cleanly to avoid the mess often caused by a lack of experience, but you can avoid potentially damaging your new purchase as well.

Lack of experience frequently can melt the wires or overload circuits through improper installation, which can ruin your brand new device, and may even void the warranty on it in some situations. If you want your new home appliance installed correctly, trust a professional to do it right the first time.

Hundreds of fires are started by faults in electrical systems every year, such as shoddy connections, low-gauge wire choice, or even loose wires left dangling. These are not only against code, but extremely dangerous and could spark at any moment. Sparks cause fire, which will damage your home considerably. A professional Marietta electrician is well-versed in the ever-changing electrical code rulebook and can do the job you need while adhering to these rules and minimizing your fire risk.

Being able to run a successful small business takes an exceptional amount of hard work and know-how, but even then you are not guaranteed to make a profit. While talent and dedication to your craft are major pieces to the formula of success, sometimes you simply need an outside perspective to gain the ability to see the whole picture of what could make or break your Des Moines business. For example, consider a local bakery. While it takes expert levels of knowledge to bake an excellent bread and to create the types of cakes and pastries that keep customers returning to your store, your bakery could benefit greatly from a visit by the local electricians at Electrical Gurus. Not only do we offer the electrical maintenance services that can keep every business up and running, but we also can assist your business by creating specialty lighting to enhance your storefront and bring in even more customers.

The speciality lighting services offered by the electrical contractors at Electrical Gurus have a vast number of benefits for a local business such as a bakery. While our professional staff can obviously handle the electrical installation, our designers can create specialty lighting that highlights not only the exterior of your bakery but also improves the interior. From creating lighting for display cases that showcase your delicious cupcakes and French breads to vibrant menus and shop signs that attract business, our specialty lighting electrical service will certainly improve the way customers see your business.

If you are looking for ways to improve your local Des Moines business, call the commercial electricians at Electrical Gurus today for expert specialty lighting design that will make your business truly shine!

Looking to hire the best electrician you possibly can in MD, DC or VA? We don’t blame you. As the economy faces serious challenges and uncertainties, families are forced to live on a stricter budget. Companies throughout the DC Metropolitan area must also operate on a much tighter budget than years past. It only makes sense for you to wonder exactly how to hire an electrician. You want to hire a reliable, quality electrician who can answer your questions and solve any electrical problems you may be having. Here at Kolb Electric, we thought it would be helpful to create a guide for selecting the best electrician.

There are so many electricians in the MD, DC and VA market that it can be difficult selecting one!. To make a list of prospective contractors, get recommendations from your family and friends. If you cannot get any, search online to compile a list of local electrical contractors. This is an important first step in finding the best electrician to meet your needs.

After you’ve prepared a short list of prospective electrical contractors, you may still be wondering how to hire an electrician. One thing you can do is to check the licensing credentials of these electrical contractors. The best electricians are trained, skilled and experienced. You can use the Internet to determine whether a prospective electrical contractor is licensed or not, and you can also check whether the license is still valid or not. An electrician without a license or with an invalid license should raise big red flags!

You should also use the Internet to read reviews posted by others who have some experience working with the prospective electricians you have on your list. This is an excellent way to determine the best electrician for you. However, you should approach these results with a grain of salt. Someone with a bad experience is more likely to post something negative online than someone who has had a great experience. Always put more stock in what you’ve heard from family and friends.

When you reach the point where you have a list of just a few quality prospective electrical contractors, the next step is to contact them so you can secure and compare quotes. Keep track of exactly what services the contractors claim they will provide when compiling quotes. Since your list now features only quality contractors, cost is the next factor you should focus on.

Finally, in order to really know you’re hiring the best electrician you can, ask a lot of questions to prospective contractors. The quality of their answers can go a long way in helping you hire the best electrician. Ask contractors what experience they have dealing specifically with the electrical problem you have.

We hope this helps you better understand how to hire an electrician. There are several steps involved, but they are all essential to helping you select the best electrician you possibly can!

At Kolb Electric, we have specialized in providing professional electrical service since 1925. Impeccable customer service and attention to detail has allowed us to become one of the best electricians in Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia. Our electricians are:

Contact Kolb Electric for all of your electrical needs. Our licensed, professional electricians are ready to service you 24 hours a day, for all of your commercial and residential electrical needs. No job is too small or large!

With energy costs on the rise, deciding whether or not to install solar panels is something that many people have considered. In the right areas, solar panels can provide clean, renewable and eco-friendly energy not only to your home, but also to your entire electrical grid. One of the greatest barriers to their installation, however, is the cost of solar panels. Although they can drastically lower your energy bills, solar panels have a relatively high up front cost. Fortunately for many, there are several different alternatives to purchasing solar panels outright. If this is something that you are interested in, there is sure to be a solution that will work for you. A great resource for solar panel information is solar-panel-info.

Solar Panel Info – How Much do Solar Panels Cost?

Many homeowners are put off by the prospect of sinking a sizeable investment into the purchase and installation of solar panels. While solar energy has been used for many years now, the equipment is still fairly expensive, and installation requires a highly specialized installer. Solar panels can vary in cost depending on the number of panels that you are interested in, and the amount of power that you would like to generate. In addition to purchasing them outright, there are also many other options for buying and installing them. Many solar installers will offer several different financing options, including solar leasing. Whenever you take advantage of a solar leasing program, you typically pay little to no upfront cost. You will sign a contract with the solar installation company to pay a monthly fee to use their equipment. In most cases, this monthly fee, combined with your new lower energy costs are lower than your prior energy bills.

Can I Install Solar Panels on My Home?

There are many different factors that should be considered when making the decision to install solar panels or not. If you live in an area with lots of sun, then you have the opportunity to generate much more electricity than in areas with less sunlight. Furthermore, you can see a greater benefit from solar power if you already have very high energy bills. You will want to make sure that your home is positioned in a way to where any installed solar panels will receive an adequate amount of sunlight. To discuss the viability of solar panels on your home, find solar panel installers in your area to provide you with an assessment. You can do so by going to solar panel info. Their experts can give you a much more accurate assessment on how much energy you can expect to generate, and whether or not the investment makes sense for you.

What Benefits do Solar Panels Offer?

The greatest benefit of solar panel installation is lower electrical bills. If your home is particularly suitable to generating solar energy, this can be a very significant change. In fact, most utility companies will even allow you to sell excess energy back to them whenever you generate more than you use. Many people are unsure of what additional changes to their electrical system are necessary. The only changes that will be made to your electrical system are the solar panels and the equipment that they use to connect to your existing electrical system. None of the components inside your home must be changed. This means that you can continue using all of your electrical devices and appliances just like before. It will just cost you less.

If you are considering solar installation, it is recommended that you research diligently so that you can understand the technology as much as possible. You can typically find many resources for local help, and general information online. One of the best resources for this is Solar Panel Info, and you can visit our website at solar-panel-info.

If you have been on the fence because of price or logistics, take some time to talk with the professionals at solar-panel-info. As mentioned above, you may find that they have a solution that will work perfectly for you. Regardless of the type of installation and financing that you choose, most Americans can save a significant amount on their electric bills while helping the environment when they install solar panels.

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