If you are looking to remodel, expand or sell your home, there's a good chance you will have a close encounter with your local building code. These laws can be extensive, confusing and change frequently. The code is there for your safety, but it can still be frustrating to deal with. Older homes in particular are likely to have outdated technology that wouldn't pass a current inspection. Before embarking on a project, take time to understand what the laws are and how they can affect you.

What Is Building Code?

Just about anything you want to do to your home beyond cosmetic changes probably has a corresponding law. Building code covers a number of standards mostly related to safety, including but not limited to HVAC, the electric system, plumbing, the structural integrity of the building and fire safety. If you own a rental unit, there are probably additional standards that you are required to meet before accepting tenants.

Of course, specific housing codes vary by municipality, although most are based on models like the International Residential Code and the National Electric Code. Go to your city or town  website or visit the building department for more information. You can also look up many city and municipality codes from around the country on a website called Municode.

Is My Old Electric Wiring Safe?

The electric code is one of the most important pieces of building code, because failing to comply can endanger your home and property. Some common violations include improperly sized connections, overfilling outlet boxes, not properly grounding and not spacing outlets correctly.

Many code problems require only a simply fix, but others can be a much bigger undertaking. For example, old houses may conduct electricity on knob and tube wiring, which became obsolete in the 1940s. This type of wiring can put your home at risk and isn't equipped to handle high power loads typical in modern homes. If you still have knob and tube, you may discover an expensive upgrade is necessary when it's time to sell the house.

The laws governing electric systems are complex and confusing to many homeowners. The national code on which most cities base their own laws is 1,000 pages long -- far more than the average home DIY-er is able to digest. You could inadvertently run afoul of the law by doing something as simple as replacing a light fixture without upgrading the wiring to the most recent standards. It’s wise to consult a qualified electrician before undertaking a project  so you don’t find yourself in over your head – and on the wrong side of the law.

What if I'm Out of Compliance? 

If you have an older home that doesn't meet the current laws, don't panic. Usually older buildings are grandfathered in when the codes are updated. However, if you want to modify or replace parts of the house, you might be required to do additional work to bring any outdated aspects into compliance.

Do your research so you understand when you need to pull a permit or bring in a city inspector. Talk to local officials up front so they can help you understand how to proceed. When in doubt, hire a qualified professional experienced in local housing laws to let you know where you are up to code and in what areas you fall short.

Your local Mister Sparky® electricians are always here to help. We can advise you on bringing your home into compliance with local laws and do the work for you. Give us a call for more information.

After the recent long and hot summer, the cool weather of autumn came quite abruptly. It comes as no surprised that homeowners are throwing on additional layers of clothing, and turning up their home thermostats to compensate for the cold temperatures. However, before you touch the thermostat dial, consider the advantages you will have with electrical heating. Higher efficiency, lower maintenance and environmentally friendly – electrical heating is the smart choice for your home, continue reading to find out why.

As there is no need for oil or gas required in electrical heating, there is no combustion, output or waste created when converting electricity to heat. Electricity is 100% renewable so the impact on the environment is much smaller than standard gas or oil heaters. Furthermore, as there is no input in required for electrical heating, the ongoing maintenance is much less. While an electric heater may be a larger initial investment, the cost savings from a reduction in maintenance during the service life is much better.

Electric heating can help you save money every month on your heating costs. In certain situations heating an entire home or building with electricity can cost more as it takes more energy to generate and transmit the heat to the entire building to heat. But where electricity truly shines in focused heating in areas. Rather than heating areas of your home unnecessarily, using smaller electric heaters in the frequented areas of your home leads to much better cost savings.

For example, during the evening you may be spending the majority of your time in the living room and kitchen. Turning up the thermostat would cause your heating system to heat all the rooms of your home that nobody is occupying. Instead, you would turn on your electric baseboard heater in the living room to keep you warm there. You can then turn off the heater when you are leaving the room for bed. This is much more efficient as the heat is targeted to the areas needed most and you are in full control.

Electric Furnaces – An electric furnace would replace your standard gas furnace to heat your entire home. A gas furnace can last 20 – 25 years, while the expected lifespan of an electric furnace is even longer. Because there are more combustible parts in a gas furnace, the maintenance is much higher over the course of its life. This means you will realize more cost savings over the life of an electric furnace.

Electric Baseboard Heaters – Many of you may be familiar with these types of electric heaters. These small boxes are placed just above the floor on the baseboard. They are installed in each room (as desired), and can be controlled individually. When the heat is generated it will rise to the top of the room, in turn the cold air falls and is put through the baseboard heater and the process continues.

If you are looking to make your home more efficient and eco-friendly – electric heating is the right option for you.

The living room seems a little dim, you think. Here’s the DIY solution you cook up: you head over to the hardware store, buy a brighter bulb, screw it into the nearest lamp and bask in the incandescent glow. Easy, right?Not exactly. Using a lightbulb with higher-than-recommended wattage for a specific fixture is known as overlamping. This seemingly innocent practice is actually surprisingly dangerous, and is one of the leading causes of house fires in the United States — right up there with candles, smoking and cooking mishaps.

Overlamping is one of the most commonly overlooked mistakes a homeowner can make, and it can be deadly. A 2011 electrical fire that killed 11 people in Brisbane — the according to home improvement blogger Taryn Williford. When you place an incandescent bulb with wattage that’s too high in the socket of a lamp that cannot provide the required electrical output, the ensuing heat and intensity of the bulb can scorch or melt the socket and the insulation of the lamp's wiring.  

Now you have prime conditions for arc fault. An arc fault occurs when a spark jumps through the air between exposed wires. This sounds dangerous, yes? It is — in fact, the National Fire Protection Agency and the National Association of State Fire Marshals electrical power. A CFL often has a tubular shape atop the familiar screw-bottom.

An LED (light-emitting diode) light is directional, rather than radiant. This allows the LED to use much less energy than an incandescent light or even a CFL. LEDs can also directly replace incandescent bulbs in some cases.

CFLs use a much lower wattage than incandescent bulbs and create far less heat, making overlamping situations far less likely. LEDs also use much less electricity and even remain cool to the touch. The risks of overlamping are negligible.

There are drawbacks to any lighting solution. Incandescent (even halogen) lights are energy inefficient. CFLs are made from materials that are terrible for the environment. LEDs burn out at a quicker rate. The right light for you is the light that makes you most comfortable in your home — and that’s a decision you need to make.

If you live in Maryland, Northern Virginia or Washington, D.C. and need schedule electrical repair service online now.

Indoor Generator Provides 20,000 Watts of Stored Renewable Energy to a Ranch Home, Even When All External Power Supply is Unavailable

Dallas, TX  December 30, 2011– Doug Kerr is the proud owner of a stretch of land located in the rural area of Kaufman County (Texas) where the air is fresh and the hustle and bustle of city life is non-existent. One thing Doug’s land doesn’t have, however, is a city power grid. Traditionally, to gain access to power in an area that hasn’t already been included on the electrical grid, you can pay the local electrical provider a large sum to run new electrical service to your location, or be forced to use noisy, polluting, and high-maintenance fuel-powered generators.

Fortunately, Doug found a much better option when he called ElectricMan Inc., a local Dallas and Plano electrician. ElectricMan Inc. is the exclusive North Texas provider of the Indoor Generator, a system that utilizes the latest technology in power storage, partnered with reliable renewable energy options to pioneer electrical independence not only for off-grid applications, but any residence or business that could benefit from more reliable electrical service and lower electrical costs.

Using a vertical access wind turbine, ElectricMan Inc. takes advantage of the abundant wind rolling across Doug’s land, from any direction, to provide a consistent source of electricity for the custom-built Indoor Generator unit installed in his home. The Indoor Generator system itself contains 20 maintenance-free deep-cell AGM batteries capable of storing 20,000 watts of on-demand power—enough electricity to run the household for an entire week or two, even if the wind doesn’t blow at all.

Keeping in mind that no matter how reliable your system is, a backup power plan is always important. The Indoor Generator is also compatible with an external gas powered generator that will run and charge the system at the same time in the event of an emergency, or the unlikely case that the wind doesn’t blow for an extended period of time. This is where the innovative versatility of the system makes it uniquely capable to reliably power a home. With thousands of programmable commands, the Indoor Generator has the capability to utilize multiple incoming power sources, and automatically switch between options such as grid power if it is available, stored battery power, wind turbines, solar panels, or a gas-powered generator, dependent upon what option is readily available and efficient.

The innovations that are integrated into the Indoor Generator system now give any home or business access to a constant supply of clean power, increasing safety, security, and longevity of electrical systems and appliances, while providing the opportunity for electrical independence to anyone.

About ElectricMan Inc.

ElectricMan Inc. is a licensed Dallas and Plano electrician serving the Dallas/Fort Worth area with 27 years of experience in electrical repair and installation, offering fast 24-hour service for residential and commercial needs. ElectricMan Inc. is now offering state-of-the-art backup power systems that exceed current emergency power standards while also providing a homeowner or business owner with the ability to have multiple options for emergency power, as well as the option to switch to the most efficient power supply available during normal usage to reduce energy costs in the long run. Call ElectricMan Inc. today at 972-792-7270 for a free quote on your next electrical project!