While some might think of a garage as simply another room where you park your car and use as storage, it’s still part of your home and could be the cause of a higher energy bill. Helping make your garage more energy efficient will in turn lead to higher energy savings for your home.

Find out how to keep your garage energy efficient while saving money with our simple tips.

By insulating your garage and garage doors you can help keep the use of your HVAC down during the cold months. Garage doors tend to have several openings from which cold air can go through, causing the HVAC system to kick in more frequently than usual.

Turning down the temperature of your water heater to 120° F helps keep the water comfortably warm while reducing on unneeded energy waste. Lowering down the heat while on vacation also results in lower energy consumption.

Other tips for your water heater include purchasing a unit with a high Energy Factor (EF) rating that is more energy efficient, and routinely draining a bucket of water to help remove sediment that could cause issues.

Using warm or cold water instead of hot water to wash your clothes helps save energy up to $50 per year. Consider also investing in a front-loading washing machine, which use less water on average than traditional models.

When using the dryer, make sure to add a dry towel to help reduce the drying time. Keep yourself from running an additional cycle by not overloading your washer and dryer, which will cause your clothes to not be cleaned properly, and take significantly longer to dry. Cleaning the lint screen after every load helps keep the exhaust clean while reducing drying time and energy usage.

With the rise of energy efficient electric cars comes the need to keep a steady supply of fuel at home. Electric vehicle charging stations are a good choice, but oftentimes a faulty installation could lead to more serious problems down the line if installed incorrectly.

Having a professional and qualified electrician install EV chargers helps ensure that the correct voltage is being used and that the amperage will work best for your needs. They will also help you choose the correct model so that the installation location fits the length of the charging cable.

Garages are the perfect place for a handyman’s work station or home office and as a result, many might have power tools and various other electronics connected at all times.

As we mentioned in our energy guide for the living room, vampire appliances could result in wasted energy and time on standby mode. So if you’re using power tools or any other electronics, make sure to unplug them after use to help keep the costs down.

Light bulbs usually consume more electricity than an LED so replacing them is a wise choice. LEDs not only help reduce your carbon footprint, but they also need to be replaced less frequently and consume less energy making them a perfect energy efficient option.

Often times, the lights will be left on as you forget and move to other rooms in your home so consider investing in a light timer which can automatically turn the light off after a set amount of time.

While having a spare refrigerator or freezer in your garage might be a good idea for keeping spare food safe, it’s often wiser to get rid of it or replace it with a more energy efficient model.

If you’re not ready to get rid of the appliance, at least unplug it to help keep unneeded energy from being wasted.

Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) are common in many homes today. In fact, new homes are required to use GFCIs in certain areas like bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoor areas, and unfinished basements. This is because GFCIs provide a level of protection from electrical shock from things like water, which can cause serious injury or even death.

However, GFCIs do need to be reset from time to time. They are designed to shut off if they detect current flowing through an unintended path. If this happens, the GFCI will interrupt the electrical current, which will depower any devices plugged into it and possibly cause power outages at other outlets on the same circuit.

When this happens, many homeowners call us for GFCI resetting help. But you may be able to fix the issue yourself. Here is what you can try before calling the GFCI experts in Arvada.

Tips to Reset a GFCI

A GFCI can be reset without any technical know-how. There are two rectangular buttons on the face of a GFCI, which are usually One is the “TEST” button, and the other is the “RESET” button. Some GFCIs also have an LED light that may illuminate when the GFCI  trips . When the TEST button is pressed, the RESET button will pop out if it isn’t already. To reset the GFCI, simply push and hold the RESET button until it latches.

GFCI Experts in Arvada

If the GFCI will not reset using the above procedure, you’ll want to call an electrician. There could be a problem with the outlet itself or the wiring in the circuit. There could also be an issue at the breaker box or somewhere else along the line. When working correctly, your GFCIs should be reset without much issue, so, if they aren’t, there may be something else causing the problem.

You may be getting tired of having to unplug this to plug in that or walking around trying to find an extension cord long enough to use your laptop in your favorite chair when it is dead. Everything we do somehow involves electricity and when the electricity isn’t dependable or easily accessed, things can be difficult. For some, the problem is their home was build 30 years or more ago and back then, builders didn’t have to worry about putting six outlets in the kitchen or several outlets in one spot in the living room to accommodate all of today’s gadgets. Today, when you try to run the microwave and coffee maker at the same time, you get a tripped breaker. Your electrician in Beverly Hills can help you with that. You only need to call The Electric Connection.

The reason you can’t use several appliances at the same time is because the way the outlets were wired to the same breaker. The breaker cannot support the electrical demand. When you look at the basic number of outlets in the living room or your bedroom, it is the same story. A Beverly Hills electrician explains each of those outlets and the light fixture in the room tend to be on one breaker. Trying to add more outlets or a powerstrip to create more outlets is going to overload the breaker and it will trip.

Regular tripping breakers weaken overtime and will eventually not work altogether. You can solve all of these problems by having your electric panel upgraded by an electrician. Beverly Hills homeowners will love the freedom more electricity brings. Charging devices, running appliances with the lights on and living life in the 21st century is possible with an upgrade. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your appointment.