his LinkedIn profile), an energy expert at Titan Energy and the author of today’s blog post, you have more control than you think over your home or building’s energy supply. Whether you want lower bills, more reliable service, or a better approach to the environment, you need to know your rights…

Since the Federal Energy Deregulation Act passed in 1999, many business and homeowners still haven’t exercised their right to choose their energy supplier. The ability for consumers to lower their energy costs, protect against rising rates, and, if interested, make an environmentally friendly choice, are all benefits of Deregulation. 3rd Parties help accomplish this by strategically purchasing the energy you use, in the same way the utility previously did, in the open market.  Depending on your state and the utility which serves you, the benefits will vary.

Deregulation dictates that your local utility can’t “Profit” on the supply of energy. Therefore, they don’t compete with 3rd parties, and shouldn’t care that you choose a supplier. However, you can still see this happen in states like Ohio (in certain markets), when they choose a supplier for you if you don’t choose yourself. Your local utility still delivers, services, and bills your account, as well as responds to any emergencies. This is where the utilities earn their profits.

By taking action, you can significantly improve your cash flow. Whether you own a home, a small office, or manage a nationwide organization, speaking to an energy professional can produce immediate and lasting results. First an energy consultant will analyze your billing and usage history. Next, the appropriate, licensed suppliers in your area will vie to be your energy supplier. Finally, your consultant will present you with options that meet your individual needs, whether they’re financial, environmental, or both.

If you've ever experienced a partial power outage, you know just how weird it seems. You thought you had a steady stream of power, so if it was compromised, you’d experience less power throughout the house rather than half on, half off, right? That’s not always the way it works. From the viewpoint of an engineer or a professional electrician, a partial power outage would be better described as a phase loss.

Although the bulk of your appliances run on 110 volts, your stove and laundry use 220 volts, as does your water heater ad HVAC system. That extra amount of power isn't a doubling of your electric flow, but full use of what's available. Your lights and appliances are actually running on half your available electric source in order to cut your bill by using the electricity more efficiently. The power flow coming into your home is actually two sets of 110 volts, designated as “phase 1” and “phase 2” that share a ground to safely eliminate excess power.

What that means in layman’s terms is that you have two distinct power sources. They run together in what appears as a single line, but that’s why you have a breaker box. There’s more going on in that box than just safety circuits to prevent overflow. It directs the power according to your needs.

In the breaker box, that power that is supplied is magnified exponentially. The full 220 volts is sent to those few appliances that need it. The rest of your home, the lights, outlets, television and hair dryer, well, they are actually only running on one phase, or half the available power. That’s why you think in terms of 110 volts, because your plug-in electric units only use 110 volts.

Can I get a Free Estimate over the phone? If you want a Free Estimate, call us at (800) 990-9490. We give Free Estimates either over the phone, or, if needed, after looking at your job. We can almost always give you a Free Estimate over the phone if your job is installing new items such as: • And all other installations of new electrical components (as opposed to repairs)

How can you give me an over-the-phone estimate for a job as big as a house rewire or an electrical panel upgrade? We’ll do a brief interview with you to find out the size of your house and some other basics. We can give you a rough estimate over the phone. Then if you want to take the next step, we can send an electrician to your home or business. He’ll look over your electrical system and give you a firm bid in writing. If the bid is acceptable, we’ll schedule the job with you.

Can you give me an over-the-phone estimate for installing a charger for an electric car? Yes, these can be as low as $200, and they go up from there. We’ll ask you the distance of your garage or carport to your electrical panel. If you’re interested, we’ll then send an electrician out to see the job. He’ll determine where the charger could go and also check that your electrical panel has sufficient power. The price of the job will depend on the distance from the electrical panel and whether your panel needs to be upgraded for more power. He can give you a firm written bid after looking at the job.

Are there times when you can’t do a Free Estimate? If you need something fixed that used to work, we’ll need to do on-site troubleshooting of your electrical system and charge for the electrician’s time. Within a half hour to an hour, we’ll know the extent of the problem. At that point, if he hasn’t already fixed the problem, the electrician can give you a firm bid in writing before doing more work. Often, by the time the electrician has figured out the problem (within a half hour to an hour or so) — let’s say it’s a loose wire — it will take another minute or so to fix it. In fact, he may not be certain that the loose wire was the entire problem until he tightens the wire, the circuit now works, and the job is done.

Why can’t you give an estimate for troubleshooting jobs? When a component in your electrical system no longer works, there can be variety of reasons, each requiring a different amount of time to fix.

Let’s say you have a swimming pool and the pool light no longer comes on. If the light switch has broken and needs replacing, we’re talking about an inexpensive part plus half an hour of labor. If the light fixture or the circuit breaker is broken, these parts are bigger expenses. If the wire feeding the light has a short circuit, that could mean digging up the wire that runs underground, cutting the concrete pool deck, replacing the wiring and its protective housing (electrical conduit), cutting a new trench and re-burying the wire, and finally, patching the concrete pool deck. That could be hundreds of dollars.

So, the symptom of the pool light not working doesn’t tell us the cost. We’ll need to troubleshoot on-site for a half hour to an hour, find the cause, and then we’ll be able to give you a firm bid price.

What is the difference between an estimate and a bid? We can give you a Free Estimate over the phone without seeing the job if your job is a new installation. If the estimate is acceptable and you want to move ahead, we’ll set an appointment with you to see the job. Once we’ve seen the job and checked out the details, we can give you a firm written bid in writing. It’s a firm price with no surprises for you.

How can I get started? Call us at (800) 990-9490 and ask for a Free Estimate.

For more about my company, The Electric Connection — all the stuff you wanted to know but were afraid to ask — click here. If you’re interested coupons for electrical work, for example, $50 off installation of a Whole House Surge Protector in the L.A. area, click on our coupon page.

Kim Hopkins, Owner The Electric Connection

Christmas is upon us again and more than any other time of year, it’s the time of year where people put strain on their electrical system.  The lights on your house and the beautiful decorations you’ve been storing in your attic finally are brought out and plugged in for your friends and neighbors to view and appreciate.  And, of course, the vast majority of homes you visit have at least one Christmas tree.  Since most of these things are electrical, it’s probably not a surprise to you that, as a top Dallas electrician, I start getting a lot of calls this time of year.  Though it’s always nice to have the business with Christmas so close, I thought it’d be great to share with ways to avoid wiring problems with your Christmas decorations this year:

 In general, there are a few important tips that can help you avoid wiring problems.  If your lights look frayed or dangerous, they should always be replaced or repaired before using them, frayed wiring are hazardous.  You should take care that your electrical source is safe before you even begin the installation process.  To avoid the potential for overloads, you should have dedicated circuits installed for your holiday decorations.

Most importantly, you should never try to supply power for your lights without contacting a top Dallas electrician to help you install the necessary equipment and make the necessary safety precautions.  Short cuts are potentially dangerous. I can remember one example where a customer had supplied power to their lights by splicing an extension cord directly into their circuit breaker box!  Even worse, they’d shut the breaker box door, pinching the cabling!  Left unchecked, even if this hadn’t started a fire, damage from a power surge or overload could have easily destroyed their whole breaker, meaning they’d have to spend thousands to repair the damage at the absolute worst time of year!