By: Kellie Pearson

The future looks bright here at Mr. Electric®, and we hope the same for you! As you are mentally preparing for the New Year ahead, maybe you are planning your goals and resolutions for personal development and improvement. This video by our president, Joel Worthington, is sure to motivate you to achieve them. We also want to encourage you to consider your home’s development and improvement, too!

When you think about your home’s electrical system, what can be improved? What can be replaced and updated? We have put together five tips to help you get started on getting your home’s electrical system in tip-top shape for the New Year. 

Although they initially cost higher, LED Energy Star qualified bulbs end up paying for themselves in energy savings in about 10 years. They use 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 35 to 50 times longer. Plus, they offer more peace of mind since they emit very little heat, decreasing the threat of an electrical fire, and are much more durable, so they won’t shatter all over the floor. They’re also guaranteed for three years minimum, which is above and beyond the industry standard, so you’ll save on maintenance costs as well as energy costs. Basically, there’s no excuse not to get them!

Did you know that you’re technically supposed to do this every month? Not many consumers actually do this, but a new year is a great time to put this to practice and schedule it along with your other monthly home maintenance routines. You’ll find these outlets in moisture-prone areas such as the kitchen and bathroom as the current National Electrical Code requires. Simply press the test/reset button and make sure the outlets trip and resent correctly. If they are malfunctioning, call your local Mr. Electric to have them replaced to reduce electrocution risk.

Replacing the batteries should be done at least once a year, and both of the detectors should be tested monthly to ensure proper functionality. And speaking of replacing, how old are your detectors? Remember that smoke detectors need to be replaced every 10 years. Depending upon the model, older model carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced every three years, and the newer ones, every 5-6 years. Make safety a priority for your home and get this done!

Power surges can enter your home unexpectedly during a stormy night, a random power company disruption or operation of a heavy-duty electrical appliance. They destroy electronic devices in their path and at times cause fires as well. It is unfortunate when your Mac or PC dies, but even more so when your photos, documents, music and other personal content are lost along with it as well. To reduce damage from power surges, have a whole house surge protector installed by your local Mr. Electric at the panel and additionally multi-outlet power strip surge protection for delicate circuitry, telephone and cable lines. This will ensure both main zone as well as secondary zone surge protection to absorb any excess power that seeps through the primary protection.

This can be done in a variety of ways: turning lights out after you leave a room, unplugging and turning off electrical devices when not in use and ensuring lighting and appliances are Energy Star qualified. Perhaps you can create a friendly family competition to see who can use the least amount of electricity, or even consider looking into installing a solar energy system for your home. Whatever you choose to do, remember that you can also call your local Mr. Electric to perform an energy audit for your home to ensure its electrical system is operating at maximum efficiency.

We hope you find these tips helpful to make your home’s electrical system the best and brightest it can be, and we wish you a Happy New Year from all of us at Mr. Electric!

As any good business owner knows, the very first impression you give to the public is everything. When it comes to your office space, your showroom / shop / etc., you’ll need to make that impression count for all it’s worth. One thing that you can do to really make your spaces pop is something that any electrician in Beverly Hills would recommend: custom interior lighting. There are so many possibilities when it comes to customizing commercial lighting, and the budget required for this type of upgrade is often easily within the reach of most business owners. Without much fuss or expense, business owner’s can begin to enjoy the benefits of custom lighting in their building.

What sort of lighting you choose for your business space depends largely on the type of business that you operate. If you are a retailer of fine products such as jewelry or antique furniture, you might choose to have a chandelier installed by a local electrician. Beverly Hills custom lighting specialists would all agree that this type of classical lighting will really set off your wares and help potential customers view them from a totally different perspective.

In contrast, if you own a furniture or home goods store, modern track lighting might be a better idea. The bright lighting and sleek look that it provides will compliment the look and feel of your products. Another option that you might want to go with is recessed lighting. This type of stylish lighting will illuminate your store in a different, yet innovative way.

The Electric Connection, your licensed Beverly Hills electrical contractor, would be happy to assist you with such a project. You can feel free to give us and call and ask us about what sorts of fixtures we would suggest for your custom lighting project, as well as where the fixtures should be installed, and approximately how much it will cost.

Are you excited about getting started on the lighting for your business? If you are ready to get started soon, visit TheElectricConnection.com and get in touch with us for a phone consultation today. The Electric Connection is ready to help you complete your lighting project, and make you proud of your home or business’ new look!

Now that my wife has married an electrician, she insists that I take every possible measure to ensure that the electrical system of our Los Angeles home is safe. One important step was to ensure that it’s properly grounded.

What is electrical grounding, anyway? Grounding adds a safety factor for your family and your electronics. Here’s how it works. Electricity travels the path of least resistance. If an appliance like a toaster breaks, electricity can flow on the metal outside of the toaster. Touching it could result in a serious shock, causing injury or even death. But if the electrical system is grounded and the toaster is plugged in with three prongs, the electricity won’t flow to the outside of the toaster. Instead it will flow through the third prong back into the wires and harmlessly into Mother Earth. Thus, the term “grounding.”

An electrical system can be grounded with various types of devices. A “ground wire” is simply a wire attached to your electrical system that’s been pushed securely into the ground. Metal pipes (electricians call them “conduit”) that hold and protect your electrical wires can also act as a grounding device. Sometimes, grounding is provided by running a wire from your electrical system and attaching it to metal plumbing pipes that run into the earth.

Grounding protects not only people but also sensitive electronics. Without grounding, electrical charges build up in wiring and create slight but continuous damage to delicate electronics. This damage can shorten the lives of computers, phones, and any electrical appliance that has “smart” (computer) components — possibly your fridge or dryer.

How can I tell if my electrical system is grounded? Homes built before 1950 were sometimes grounded. Homes built after 1950 were usually grounded. Even if your system was originally grounded, wiring mistakes may have rendered the grounding ineffective. The only way to know for sure is to have a qualified electrician check out your electrical system with a special tester. My electrical company, The Electric Connection, offers this check as a complementary service. It’s part of our Free Home Safety Inspection when we do an electrical job for an L.A. resident or business. If you’re outside Los Angeles County, you may find an electrical contractor who offers testing as a free service or as a service call.

My electrical outlets have three prongs — are they grounded? If your home has electrical outlets which accept three prongs, it MAY have a grounded system. The third prong allows an appliance to be grounded IF it’s plugged into an electrical system that has a grounding device.

Sometimes three-pronged outlets have been installed in electrical systems that aren’t grounded. This can make it look like the system is grounded when it’s not. Do-it-yourselfers or handymen may install three-pronged outlets in an ungrounded system not realizing the hazard or that such a set-up violates the National Electrical Code.

Sleep sounder with a grounded electrical system If you’ll sleep sounder knowing that your family and electronics are safe, give your electrician a call. If you’re in L.A. County, we at The Electric Connection will be happy to provide you with a full safety check of your electrical system, including grounding. Give us a call at (800) 990-9490 between 8 and 5. If you have other electrical work that you want us to do, use this coupon for a Home Electrical Safety Check and we’ll add your safety check for free.

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