5 Steps For Protecting and Preparing Your Electrical Systems During Winter
In winter, your electrical system can do more hard work than you realize. There’s heating, power plug outlets, lighting and the holiday season to contend with, and it can really be worthwhile to check up on your electrical system before winter sets in. A professional electrical contractor can provide an expert assessment on your electrical system to help you prepare your electrics for winter. Here are the five aspects of your electrical system to pay extra attention to during winter.
Review Your Lighting
With the days getting darker in winter, highly effective indoor and outdoor lighting is essential. During the holiday season you may also want to incorporate special holiday lighting both outdoors and indoors. Lighting can account for up to 20% of your home electricity usage. However, switching to energy efficient lighting can save a significant amount of electricity and help your home conserve energy over winter. Choosing the right lighting installations and fixtures to conserve energy can be challenging, but your local electrician can provide expert advice on the best lighting choices for your home and needs.
Inadequate lighting outdoors during the colder and darker winter season can become a hazard. Landscape lighting is essential to not only illuminate your home and make it look appealing, but to ensure the safety of you and your family during the darker winter days and nights. A qualified electrician can offer outdoor lighting design that both complements your home and keeps your driveway, paths and stairs safe and well lit.
Assess Your Heating
Winter is a time when you will get plenty of use out of your heating system or any individual heaters as the temperature drops. If you don’t have central heating, you may need to rely on individual electric heaters to warm the rooms in your home. Have a professional electrician inspect your plug point outlets for safety and integrity if you plan to use mostly standalone heaters.
If you rely on a gas central heating system, it’s essential you review the effectiveness of your home smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you have an electric central heating system, a professional electrical contractor can provide any check ups and service you may need on your system before the coldest days of the year arrive. Winter is a time when a lot of energy is put towards keeping the home warm and cozy, so conserve energy by insulating your home well and ensuring your heating system is functioning as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Evaluate Your Hot Water System
A hot shower on cold winter days is essential, and therefore so is a check up of your hot water system. Ensure your hot water system is an up to date and efficient model, and that you have enough capacity if you are using a tank water heater, or choose a limitless supply tankless heater. If you have an electric hot water system and are experiencing issues with your hot water supply, your electrical system or connections could be to blame. However you should never try to fix an electrical problem on your own. If you suspect electrical problems are causing issues with your hot water supply or any other area of your home, call your local electrician for professional electrical troubleshooting. Having a professional electrical contractor accurately troubleshoot your electrical problems gives you a fast, efficient and safe fix that you can count on.
Check Smoke and Carbon Dioxide Detectors
It’s hardly surprising that during winter, structure fires and carbon monoxide poisonings increase. Even the smallest spark from a poor electrical connection or a heater left too close to linen can cause a fire that can reduce a home to ash and endanger lives. Similarly, hundreds of Americans die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning due to inefficient gas home heating or cooking appliances. Most of the risk due to fire or carbon monoxide is present during the nighttime, when you and your family may be asleep and unaware of the danger. There’s no doubt that properly installed and functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can save lives.
One of the most important steps you can take towards preventing a tragic outcome is ensuring your home smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors have been properly installed, updated and maintained. Your local electrician is highly experienced and skilled in ensuring your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are fully functional and appropriate for your needs. An electrical professional can ensure that your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are correctly placed and properly installed to meet regulations and codes, and ensure your safety.
Get A Safety Inspection
Your local electrician can also offer a safety inspection of the electrical installations, appliances and connections throughout your home to keep you safe and prepared in winter. Your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors aren’t the only components in your home that should be checked and reviewed for your safety in winter. To keep your home safe, yearly electrical inspections should be conducted, and just before or during winter is the ideal time. With more time spent indoors and more electrical devices used, winter is a time when electrical risk is magnified. An electrical inspection helps to eliminate the risk of electrical emergencies and identifies and removes potential problems, taking into account surge protection, fire hazards, switches and outlets, lighting, appliances, smoke and carbon monoxide detector testing, and electrocution hazards.
With this thorough and professional inspection, you can ensure that the electrical system in your home is safe for winter and for the coming year. If you’re unsure about the safety of your electrical system, or suspect your current infrastructure or installations are not up to code, call a qualified and experienced electrical contractor today to provide a knowledgeable and professional inspection.
Winter can be a time where your electrical system gets a lot more use that in other seasons, but this can also present problems or risks for your home and family. Contact your local trustworthy electrician today to go through a winter electrical safety checklist and ensure all the areas of your electrics are running safely and smoothly for winter and the new year.
