Today’s homes have increasingly more electrical demands than those of the past. With more devices, appliances, and smart home components coming onto the market, homeowners are finding themselves purchasing extension cords and power strips to accommodate. The problem is, this isn’t necessarily safe, nor is it very healthy for an electrical system, which can become overwhelmed.
An overwhelmed electrical system means an increased risk for electrical fires, damaging power surges, failed appliances, and even electrocution. This is something to think about, especially as we progress into this time of the year. What are we referring to? The holiday season, which is really just around the corner. The holidays will look different this year, but if lighting up your home with decorations is in your plan, then you may need an electrical panel upgrade! Read on to learn the signs that this is the case.
Of all the things you think about when it comes to homeownership, the state of your electrical system is probably pretty low on the priority list. That is, until you have an issue with an appliance or outlet, or experience a blackout. The thing is though, you don’t want to wait until something goes wrong to actually address the issue. This can leave you in a worse position than preventing it to begin with.
Is your home operating as safe as it should be? What we mean is, what kind of shape is your electrical system in? If your home is a few decades old and you’ve never had an electrical inspection, there’s a good chance you could be operating on an outdated panel. This is a problem for a number of reasons.
Homes today have more electrical equipment and appliances in them than ever before. In fact, if we had to guess we’d say that you likely have multiple devices connected to your power supply/electrical grid at any given time, right? What’s the best way to protect your appliances and power charging stations, though?
We’re right smack in the middle of the coldest season of the year, which means it’s the last possible time you want to be stuck without power. Could you imagine being without your heating system right now? Not only would it be uncomfortable, it could even be dangerous and unhealthy.
Also referred to as the circuit breaker panel of your home, the electrical panel is the central hub of your entire electrical system—where the incoming electricity is routed to the different circuits. The breakers are designed to shut off circuits in case of voltage overload. If you have an older circuit breaker panel, you should ensure you aren’t overdue for having it replaced.
Have you taken a good look at your landscaping lately? Probably not, since it’s been covered in snow in prior months. But now that it’s melting away, consider this—is your outdoor landscaping and lighting serving the function you want it to? Maybe you’d like more lighting in order to entertain. Or perhaps you’d like to enjoy your patio for meals with the family when the weather gets warm enough.
Homeowners throughout the U.S. have become more and more dependent on electronic devices and high efficiency appliances. Combined with inclement weather of any kind—such as thunderstorms—the risk of power surges increase. They pose a serious threat, more serious than you may realize, to your electronic equipment and appliances.
You might have heard at some point that ceiling fans do very little to actually lower the temperature of the air in the room in which they’re running. So leaving the ceiling fan on all day when you’re not home won’t actually help the room feel that much better when you do come back.