For decades, ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) have saved thousands of lives and have helped significantly reduce the number of home electrocutions by about fifty percent. Many homes and business on Kauai do not have proper electrical protection in outdoor or wet locations. With our wind and heavy rain, you need to make sure that you are guarded from the hazard of a shock.

GFCIs are electrical safety devices that trip electrical circuits when they detect ground faults or leakage currents. A person who becomes part of a path for leakage current will be severely shocked or electrocuted. These outlets prevent deadly shock by quickly shutting off power to the circuit if the electricity flowing into the circuit differs by even a slight amount from that returning.

A GFCI should be used in any indoor or outdoor area where water may come into contact with electrical products. The 2008 edition of the National Electrical Code currently requires that GFCIs be used in all kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and outdoors. GFCIs should be tested once a month to confirm that they are working properly.

How to Test Your GFCI:

GFCIs should be tested often to make sure they are working properly. To test your GFCI:

If the light does not turn off when the test button is pushed, then the GFCI may have been incorrectly wired or damaged and it no longer offers shock the protection it was designed for.

Contact us at Blue Sky Electric to check the GFCI and correct the problem:

Call 808-647-0599

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.

As expected this year, the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland’s Winter has lived up to the hype. With arctic outflow warnings and extremely strong winds on the horizon, the likelihood of power outages occurring has increased tenfold. One of the best solutions to the threat of power outages is a standby emergency generator installation. The licensed electricians at Expert Electric have been installing standby emergency generators in residential homes for many years and can help keep your home powered in the occurrence of an unforeseen power outage. To provide you with a better understanding of standby emergency generators, Expert Electric answers some of the most important questions regarding them below:

A standby emergency generator does not require electricity to power household electrical appliances. Most standby emergency generators run on natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas which means they are unaffected by power outages. When Expert Electric installs a generator, the first main breaker is connected to the home’s load center while the other is connected to the generator. The generator panel is then connected to circuits for critical electrical loads such as a home’s larger appliances (furnace, refrigerator, lights).

A standby emergency generator can keep your home’s most important appliances powered during lengthy power outages. A generator can keep your refrigerator cool, reducing the likelihood of food spoiling and needing to be discarded. A generator can also power your home’s lights and heat source which are critical during the Winter months.

Determining the type of standby emergency generator that is right for a home often depends on the size of the home and the amount of appliances that will need to remain powered during an outage. It is best to determine which appliances you absolutely cannot live without during a power outage. Once you have identified these items, the licensed electricians at Expert Electric can help determine which type is best.

The main benefit of a standby emergency generator installation is power. Depending on the length of the occurrence, power outages can be extremely inconvenient, discomforting and costly. A generator allows homeowners to keep all of their main appliances powered and their families safe during an outage.

If you have any questions about standby emergency generator installations, please contact the licensed electricians at Expert Electric today. We offer a large variety of professional electrical services for both residential homes and commercial buildings. It is important to ensure that your home or commercial building is prepared for the extreme weather conditions forecasted for the remainder of Winter. For tips on how to keep your home warm in the Winter and Winter electrical safety, check out our list of past blog articles.