Water heaters play an important role in every residential home. Water heaters are the source behind hot showers, warm baths and various temperatures of water used for washing dishes and clothes. When choosing to install a new water heater in your home, there are a few different options available. Homeowners can choose between traditional gas water heaters and the increasingly popular electric water heaters. The licensed electricians at Expert Electric recommend installing electric water heaters. Here are three reasons why electric water heaters are a better alternative to gas water heaters.

By choosing to install an electric water heater as opposed to a gas or propane water heater, you are creating a safer environment for your family. Gas and propane water heaters can result in leaks which can eventually lead to fires and explosions. The damage caused by a gas leak can be detrimental to a home. Electric water heaters are a much safer alternative. With electric water heaters and other electrical appliances, homeowners still run this risk of electrocution; however, this is less likely to occur.

Electric water heaters have fewer parts than gas water heaters which reduces the costs associated with part replacement and repair. Electric water heaters generally last longer than gas. A longer lasting water heater is important to many homeowners given how expensive the installation of a new water heater can be.

The process of installing a gas water heater is far more complex than installing an electric water heater. In most cases, the installation costs with electric water heaters are significantly less than the installation costs with gas water heaters. The cost-efficiency of electric water heaters lasts beyond the initial installation. Electric water heaters are low-maintenance resulting in less repair costs throughout their lifespan. In addition to their low-maintenance, electric water heaters can be programmed to only run when needed, resulting in less wasted energy.

To learn more about electric water heaters and their installation, please contact the licensed electricians at Expert Electric. We offer various commercial and residential electrical services including outdoor parking lot lighting, standby generators, motion sensing lights and more. Call us today at 604-681-8338 or book a service appointment through our website.

Are you sick and tired of paying an arm and a leg for your electricity bills? Congress is considering legislation that could bring you some relief. A bill was introduced to the House of Representatives this summer that would update the Title I Home and Property Improvement Loan Program, which helps consumers make efficiency upgrades to their homes. The new bill is intended to help homeowners invest in solar energy to power their home electrical work. Read on to learn more about this legislation and how it can help you.

Upgrading Your Electrical Work

The Title I home loan program has been around since 1934, aimed at helping homeowners with capital for home improvement upgrades. Currently, Title I is working through the Federal Housing Authority's Power Saver program, designed to promote clean energy and fight climate change. Home energy efficiency upgrades like photovoltaic solar panels, therefore, are a natural fit for the program.

The legislation currently in front of Congress, called the “Solar and Water Efficient Homes Act,” would update the Title I guidelines to better accommodate modern technologies, as well as increase the number of loans that are available and reduce the bureaucratic red tape that has bogged down the program in the past.

Bringing the Capital to You

Upgrading your home can require significant costs that are beyond the reach to many low and middle income families, so the Title I program provides capital that allows homeowners to realize energy savings immediately. Those who are eligible can get loans of up to $25,000 to make a variety of efficiency upgrades to their electrical work, most notably by installing solar panels. The program will also help homeowners purchase new HVAC systems, beef up their home insulation, buy new water heaters and even install geothermal heating systems.

“Title I loans have helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners improve their homes,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-California), one of the bill's sponsors, said in a press release. “It’s time we make it easier for homeowners to invest in energy efficiency upgrades and improve water conservation, creating good local jobs, and helping the environment.” The legislation also hopes to spur job creation by encouraging consumers to spend more money on home services labor and equipment.

Efficiency Arrives at Your Home

When it's time to boost your home efficiency, Title I is there to lend a helping hand – and if Congress passes the Solar and Water Efficient Homes Act, the incentives will be even stronger. If you want to learn more about the Title I loan program, or need any repairs done on your home electrical work, contact a qualified electrician today.

Fully automated homes offer the ultimate in Smart Home Technology, boasting George Jetson-like advancement once believed to be many years in the future.

Today’s Smart Home Technology offers everything from Wi-Fi home thermostats, to wireless door locks and outlets that can be turned on and off remotely, as well as inform you if your infirm Granny has started her morning pot of coffee. What’s more, the ability to manage outlets, appliances, heating and cooling, and more with the help of the wireless Internet, a smart device, and a few apps is now an affordable reality.

How can you make your home a bit smarter? Mr. Electric® has ways to help you power your tomorrow with these technology options.

Fitting over your existing deadbolt, smart locks automatically disengage when a phone with a digital key is near. They allow for remote operation, unlimited keys for family and friends, and notify you of activity at your home.  

Control your home’s lighting wirelessly, including lighting intensity, color and scheduling.

Smart open/close sensors for windows, doors, and cabinets can text and inform you of a breach, and when used in conjunction with other home automation products, can even turn on lights, adjust the thermostat, and more.

Plug smart outlets directly into existing wall outlets for remote on/off operation, create a schedule, and track power usage of plugged-in appliances.

As technology rapidly advances and becomes affordable, upcoming Smart Home Technology is sure to be limited only by our imaginations. Visit our website or give us a call to find out about how we can help you capitalize on home automation opportunities today! The future is waiting…

From your cell phone to your washing machine, you’ll find all kinds electronics in your home.  Entertainment, lighting, comfort, and even cleaning can be electrically powered.  Most people know that it’s a good idea to disconnect electronics during an electrical outage or lightning storm.  This is due to possible electrical surges.  Electrical surges are sudden increases in current that can damage connections and electrical components throughout your home.  Most devices have some protections, but strong surges can overpower these protectors, leaving you with a very expensive paperweight after the surge is through.  Fortunately, surge protectors exist to stop this from happening.

A sudden increase in current occurs when more power is being delivered to the same system.  If a lightning storm strikes a transformer or relay that’s connected to the same grid you’re on, excess power is diverted to your home and creates an increase in current.  This sudden surge is what damages components.  But, it isn’t just limited to sudden electrical discharges either.  When power is applied to a system, it has substantial initial current.  This is known as inrush current and is the reason that you’re advised to disconnect electronics whenever there’s an outage.

Once power is restored to a system, either because you turn on a switch or the power grid is reconnected, initial current surges into the system.  Disconnecting devices helps to decrease that inrush current.  The electrical panel in your home is also designed to handle inrush current, which is why your breaker system doesn’t automatically trip whenever power is restored.  On a smaller scale, any sudden call for extra power pushes a small surge into the system.  When you power up an electric vacuum cleaner or portable space heater, there’s a small surge.  The more powerful the device, the larger the surge.  These are the types of surges that common surge protectors guard against.  For lightning strikes you’ll need something better.

While the majority of surges are protected against by those tiny power strips, because most surges originate inside your home, they aren’t strong enough to protect against the dangerous surges that will irreparably damage your in-home electronics.  Most homewoners prefer the power strip surge protectors because they’re inexpensive.  But, while a whole-home surge protector can cost over $200 to add on to your home, they don’t suffer from many of the drawbacks found in the tiny in-home protectors.

Whole-home surge protectors guard your entire home from outside surges.  They’re installed near and wired to the electrical service panel for your home.  Any power surge that travels to your home is immediately shunted away, preventing disaster from ever reaching your home.  You’ll find that whole-home surge protectors are also not as fragile as standard home surge protectors.  They’ll last for years and are less likely to be burnt out by a single surge.  A quality surge protector is capable of shunting tens of thousands of amps without burning out.

If you want the best in electrical protective devices, a whole-home surge protector is the right choice.  Compared to most safety installations, they’re relatively inexpensive and you only need to install one device to protect your home for years.  It’s still a good idea to use power strips to protect in-home devices from smaller surges, but you need a quality surge device to protect against lightning storms or substation surges.

For the best in quality electrical repair work and installations, contact the professionals at Custom Electric!  Be sure to check back here each week for helpful advice, news, and guides or follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Thousands of homes each year catch on fire as a result of faulty electrical wiring. A study from the National Fire Protection Association showed that an average of 22,000 home fires between the years of 2003 and 20007 were a result of wiring and related equipment or lighting equipment. These fires resulted in over $700 million in direct damages, 350 deaths and 880 injuries. 72% of these fires were caused by an electrical malfunction or failure of some sort. You can prevent most home fires by making sure that your electrical wiring is properly maintained.

Most electrical fires in the home do not happen because homeowners are careless with their home maintenance on purpose. In fact, most homeowners are as responsible as they know how to be. They just do not have as much information as they should have about electrical wiring safety. Not all homeowners, for example, realize how important it is to keep their homes free of pests.

Even though the connections in your electrical system may be perfectly installed by an electrician in Beverly Hills, insects, rats, mice and other pests could be tearing apart your electrical system if allowed to get out of control. This can greatly increase your risk of fire in your home, because it only takes one frayed wire to create a short that sparks something else to flame.

In order to prevent mishaps like these from happening, you should have your electrical system checked periodically for any safety issues. Although this may seem like a simple step to make, the average homeowner has not had their electrical system inspected in 20 years or more. Having The Electric Connection come inspect your home could end up saving you from a potentially devastating fire. To get in touch with us, or learn more about electrical safety, head on over to our website at www.theelectricconnection.com.