There has been a sea change in electrical safety systems for residential and commercial properties and these systems are significantly safer than the ones that existed even up until 5 years ago. Even if you have new installations on your property, you need to make some effort to prevent electrical accidents.

This means you have to ensure that the electrical infrastructure in your home is of a high-grade and that it’s well-maintained. It’s also important to make smart choices with reference to using various heat-producing appliances and extension cords. Here are some tips that will help make your home a safer space:

Electrical safety is about ensuring that every fixture, fitting and installation is updated and in a good condition. The power points are one of the most important electrical components on your property. Since these are the ones you come in contact with very regularly, they do become worn and damaged sooner than the other parts of the system.

Nowadays, most people are walking around with what is essentially a fully functional computer in their pockets. We’re speaking, of course, about their smart phones. Whether you are a real technophile, only a casual user, or something of a Luddite, there is no denying the fact that having these devices on our persons all day long can benefit us greatly. If you are just using your smart phone to get directions or to pass the time with your favorite games, though, you are not using it to its full potential. With the integration of a home automation system in Wellesley, MA, you can start using your phone for so much more.

A home automation system is a system custom tailored to your user preferences and living space that basically serves to make your home a more efficient and convenient place to live. As it stands now, all of the appliances and systems in your home stand alone. Your thermostat, for instance, is used to control your heating and cooling systems. Your outdoor lights may be on a timer, but your indoor lighting system must be controlled manually. When you allow us to design and install a home automation system in your residence, though, we can tie the home together neatly, and you can use an app on your smart phone to control the various systems and appliances upon which you depend so much.

We recommend home automation systems for a few different reasons. Chief among these are efficiency, convenience and security. When you are able to adjust the HVAC system that you forgot to turn down when you left the house from your phone, you won’t have to just let it run its course throughout the workday. When you can control your door locks and lights from your smart phone, you can ensure that your house is secure, while also granting access to your home in the event that someone without a key needs to get in and feed the family pooch for you. And don’t forget about your poor neighbor Jim, who needs to borrow your lawnmower because his broke down right before his cookout. With a home automation system, you can even let him into the garage to borrow what he needs!

One of the most popular tools in any home is the extension cord.  For a long time, rooms would be built with only one or two outlets, creating the need for additional power strips and extension cords as we moved into a more digital world.  As more devices found their way into our homes, the NEC updated standards for home construction to require additional outlets and electrical accessibility in each room.  Unfortunately, most homes still lack the proper number of outlets, and when a cable can’t reach, most of us will reach for an extension cord.

Most of the time, this isn’t a problem.  Extension cords function exactly as their designed to.  When you need a longer cord to place a fan or give a little extra reach to your vacuum cleaner, there’s nothing dangerous going on.  Where extension cords become risky is in their overuse.  Many people buy the longest, cheapest cord they can find and this is where danger sets in.

Electricity and metal have a very interesting relationship.  As current, the flow of electricity over a conductor, increases in a wire, the temperature increases.  Current is also adjusted as resistance increases to keep power at the same level.  When you add wiring to a circuit, the resistance of the wire itself stacks with the rest of the components on that circuit.  While one electrical cord doesn’t add much in the way of resistance, multiple cords will continue to increase the amount of power being used in the system.  As the current increases to keep up with the new demand, the temperature in the wiring also increases.

This relationship is used to great effect in your circuit breaker, where the difference in heat forces a breaker trip that protects your system.  In an extension cord that isn’t designed to handle the load being placed on it, insulation melts and fires can start.

Keep in mind that extension cords are always temporary.  Never use an extension cord for anything permanent.  They are designed to help you reach electricity for a task and nothing more.  When in doubt (or if you hear buzzing coming from the wiring, socket, or circuit breaker) switch to a higher amperage circuit and a lower gage wire for your extension cord (the lower the gage, the thicker the wire and the more current it will be able to handle).

According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International, Guidelines for using an extension cord are as follows:

Remember that the more power you need, the more current you’ll be using.  Any device that includes a motor or heating element will either need an industrial-grade extension cord (power tools) or should not be used with an extension cord at all.

For the best in quality electrical repair work and installations, contact the professionals at Custom Electric!  Be sure to check back here each week for helpful advice, news, and guides or follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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One of the limitations of some grid-tied photovoltaic systems is that the owner will only benefit as long as there is sunlight while the grid is functioning. Otherwise, if there is an outage, they may not even use the energy they are generating from the rooftop. During such times when the grid is disconnected, the owner can neither use the rooftop solar nor export the energy to the grid.

Owners of PV systems without backup functionalities can upgrade by adding AC coupling. This enables them to store energy and use it anytime, including during emergencies and grid outages. The AC coupling converts a simple grid-tied system into a Grid/hybrid or grid interactive system. This provides grid-ties savings whenever the grid is up and running, and off-grid independence, as well as security when there is a utility outage.

The main components of AC coupling include an energy storage system, a grid-interactive inverter/charger, a coupling device and the second panel with additional wiring for the critical loads to supply during outages.

Battery storage enables better power management by providing a number of benefits which include: