When winter temperatures dip below freezing, families across the country fire up their furnaces, boilers, space heaters, woodstoves and other heating devices to beat the cold and keep their homes warm and snug. Unfortunately, the very appliances that ward off the winter chill can put you in danger of a house fire. January is the leading month for residential home fires, accounting for 21 percent of the total, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, and home heating is the second leading cause of all fires, after cooking.

Don't let your home become a statistic. Take these steps to reduce your risk of a house fire:

Clean your chimney: Creosote can build up from normal fireplace usage and clog the chimney from below; the chimney can also be clogged from above if debris falls in or if the chimney itself starts to deteriorate. Either way, it's a danger. Make sure your chimney is cleaned each year before using it.

Get your HVAC equipment serviced: You should have a technician pay a visit once a year to make sure your furnace and other equipment is in good working order. Your service professional can perform routine maintenance, repair any issues and instruct you on how to maintain your unit. Some maintenance, like replacing air filters monthly, you can do yourself in compliance with manufacturer instructions.

Careful with that space heater: Space heaters can be a convenient way to heat a small area, but they come with several caveats. Be very wary of liquid-fueled heaters -- older models shouldn't be used indoors at all, although newer models can be safe as long as you diligently follow all instructions regarding fueling and operation. Even electric heaters can cause problems, because they draw a lot of power which can overload the circuits in older homes. If you decide to use a space heater, make sure it is in no danger of tipping over, and never leave it running unattended. Space heaters account for one third of all heating fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association, so be careful.

Keep combustible material away from heat sources:  Leave a few feet of clearance between your stove, space heaters, vents, radiators and other heat sources combustibles like furniture, carpet or curtains.

Don't thaw pipes with a blowtorch: Frozen pipes are a serious problem, and thawing the ice is critical to avoiding a burst pipe and the expensive damage that can accompany it. You have a number of good options to heat the problem area -- a hair dryer, heat lamp, space heater, hot towel or specialized heat tape will do the trick. Avoid open flames, which create a fire hazard.

Test your smoke detectors: It just takes only a moment to ensure your smoke detectors work. If you do have a fire, they could save your life.

Mister Sparky electricians are always here to help. Call local Mister Sparky to have one of our professionals check to see you have an ample number of smoke detectors for the size of your home and ensure they are installed properly and in the correct location.

When the detector senses an object across its field of view move, it triggers the lights to turn on. The lights would stay on from 1 to 20 minutes, depending on how you preset the timer. After the preset time, the detector automatically shuts the lights off unless there are further movements within its range.

Living in a small space may be challenging, but we like to take on challenges and make the best of what we have to bring out the beauty in our homes. From a studio apartment in Hoboken to a single-family home with a narrow eat-in kitchen in Palm Beach Gardens, we can help inspire you to make your home exactly what you want.

Maximizing storage and arranging furniture can dramatically enhance the space you have, and learning to use color effectively will also brilliantly expand the dimension of your room. Keep clutter to a minimum, add a few decorative statement pieces, and finish off the room with perfectly placed lighting.

Top Tips for Illuminating and Expanding your Decorative Interiors to Make Every Inch Count

Hang several sets of drapes along a wall to give your small room personality. This can work instead of paint and wallpaper. You will give the illusion that there are windows hidden behind the drapes, rather than just a wall or tiny window. You can also hang the drapes higher than the window sill to create a taller looking room.

Over the last several years, it has become more and more common to see solar panels on the roofs of houses in any given neighborhood across the United States. Although this technology has been around in a form very similar to its current state, why is it just now starting to catch on so widely? There are naturally a number of reasons why, including increased accessibility, government subsidies and rising fossil fuel prices. If you’re thinking about installing solar panels on your home, here are a few reasons why 2013 may be the year for you.

If you have been on the fence about solar power, take some time to browse through our resources (Read More). We specialize in options such as solar leasing, which can make solar panels a reality for almost anyone.

Summer is right around the corner, which, for us here in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., generally means extreme humidity, unpredictable weather patterns and, in recent years, rolling blackouts. Although we have all undoubtedly been looking forward to warmer days after this volatile past winter, summertime is not without its headaches.

It was just last summer that a massive blackout left millions along the Atlantic Coast without power after devastating thunderstorms downed tree limbs and power lines across the region on June 30. Shortly after the power outage, the state of Maryland ordered a heat advisory, warning elderly and infirmed individuals to stay indoors. However, because of the blackout, millions were left without the air conditioning they relied upon to make temperatures indoors more tolerable. As a result, area hospitals that were already crowded following the storms were flooded with even more patients suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration.