Blogs & News
High-Tech Holiday Lighting Ideas
The holiday season is a time for celebrating, gathering, and brightening things up. If you’re still searching for ideas on holiday lighting, here are some high-tech solutions. It is now easier than ever to incorporate holiday lights with smart home technologies. From conserving electricity to inspiring creativity, these high-tech holiday lighting ideas are worth considering: LED String Lights [...]
Whole House Surge Protectors
Whole house surge protectors operate at the point of entry, where powerful currents from outside your home could get into your electrical system and cause major damage. They prevent currents exceeding a specified voltage from passing through. External power surges can include those from: Lightning: A single lightning bolt can generate a billion volts of electricity. It can [...]
Tesla Powerwall and the Future of Storing Solar Energy
As solar power has gone mainstream, manufacturers have worked to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic panels and the means which to store energy. Tesla first introduced the Powerwall in 2015 and the latest version (Powerwall 2.0) in 2018. Designed for home energy storage, this rechargeable solar lithium ion battery can be paired with solar panel systems if homeowners [...]
Pros and Cons of GFI Outlets
Electricity is something just about all households take for granted, but it’s a powerful force that can be extremely dangerous. Ground fault circuit interrupter outlets, or GFCIs (otherwise known as GFIs), have been in use since the 1970s. The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) has revealed an 83% decrease in electrocutions since then, and the National Electric Code [...]
The Benefits of Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Carbon monoxide detectors play a very important role in the home. They are designed to detect dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide, or CO, gas in the air. This gas has no odor, nor is there any way to see it, yet its molecules bind to the hemoglobin in blood, depriving your body of oxygen. It is therefore poisonous [...]
Conserve Electricity for the Holidays
As the holiday season approaches, we often think about family fun, gifts, lights, and decorations. Conservation isn’t often a priority during the festive fall months, but who doesn’t like to save some money? Get busy minimizing your costs, so you can maximize that holiday cheer. Here are 8 ways to save on your electricity bill. Your holiday electricity [...]
The Importance of Whole House Surge Protection
Electrical surges can originate from inside or outside your home. In fact, internal surges account for roughly three-quarters of all power surges and can be caused by modern technology. Today’s homes not only have refrigerators, microwave ovens, air conditioners, and water heaters to consider. But they also have dishwashers, garbage disposals, home entertainment systems, and automation technology that [...]
Solar Panel Recycling
Solar panels have many parts, and although many homeowners are installing them for the first time, some are considering what to do with components that fail or may do so in the future. Some households have photovoltaic panels going back to the 1980s or 1990s. Assuming a solar panel has about a 30-year lifespan, some people are surely [...]
Electric Car Charging Stations for Your Home
An increasing variety of electric cars, otherwise known as EV cars, have arrived on the roads in major cities, and are slowly spreading into the suburbs. The benefits are clear. With rising gas prices and a deepening awareness of our environmental footprint, electric cars are an excellent option for those that want to cut their ties to fossil [...]
How to Change a Lightbulb
Changing a lightbulb is a simple task for most people. However, a routine chore can quickly become dangerous if you’re not careful. You could be dealing with an electric shock if the proper precautions aren’t taken, or even a burn if the bulb is hot. If you need to climb up somewhere to get to it, severe injuries [...]