Even though the summer brings high temperatures, don’t let it bring high electric bills with it as well. Did you know that you could find huge savings on your electric bill in your attic? With functioning attic ventilators, savings can be yours. Let the experts at Mr. Electric® help you understand what method will be of greatest benefit to you.

Brad Richards with Mr. Electric of Tucson offers his expert opinion on attic ventilators and will explain how to save money on your electric bill in the summertime.

Mr. Electric: What exactly does an attic ventilator do?

Brad Richards: An attic ventilator fan is essential in the summer because it evacuates the hot air that accumulates during the day from the attic and draws air in from the outside. Think of it as a means of cycling the trapped air out with fresh air from the outside. It ensures that the temperature of the air in the attic is closer to the air temperature outside. With stagnant air, the sunlight on the roof heats the air inside the attic greatly. It is best to evacuate that hot air in the summertime so that you can save money on your cooling. If you’re air conditioning unit (A/C) is running and you don’t have a functioning attic ventilator, your attic is acting like a radiant heater while you’re A/C is trying to cool the room at the same time. Essentially, they are working against each other and costing you more money.

Mr. Electric: What are the different types of attic ventilators?

Brad Richards: There are two types. One of them is a roof-top unit that draws air directly out through the roof and pushes outside air into the attic to regulate the temperature. The other type is a 120-watt gable fan system. This system consists of one fan that blows air into the attic and another fan that blows air outside, creating airflow that is constant to reduce the temperature in the attic. The gables are triangular in shape and are located on opposite ends from each other on the sides of the attic.

With both types of ventilation systems, there is a solar option. The system that we recommend most often is the roof-top solar fan. Hot air rises and the fan tends to pull the air up and out of the attic, while both gable openings are open for the fresh air to come in. This is the most efficient and best money saver because when the sun comes up, the solar cells power the fan and the fan speeds up the more the sun becomes more direct. Then, when the sun goes down, it naturally turns itself off because there’s no more direct sunlight on the attic.

Mr. Electric: What are the benefits of a homeowner installing an attic ventilator?

Brad Richards: The number-one benefit of having an attic ventilator in the summer is you are able to keep your home cooler for less money. Solar-powered fans offer an even higher return on investment because you aren’t paying for electricity to run the fan. Using natural sunlight to cool your attic is a great way for homeowners to save money in the process.

Mr. Electric: Do you have any additional tips or recommendations?

Brad Richards: Regardless of whether you choose roof-top vents, gable fans, or solar powered fans, any home in the summer would benefit from attic ventilation. In other words, if you have an attic, there is a benefit to having ventilation.

For more information about attic ventilators and how they can benefit you, your home and your wallet, check out this article from the experts at Mr. Electric. 

Electronics are some of the most expensive investments in any home. So how can you be sure you’re safely protecting them from electrical surges? With a whole-home surge protector, you can rest easy that all of your electronics and appliances are protected in the event of a lightning strike or electrical surge.

A whole-home surge protector is installed in your main electrical panel in order to cut off potential electrical surges from flowing into your home’s internal wiring. Whole-home surge protectors can protect up to 40,000 amps of current flowing into your home. When an electrical surge takes place, the device detects the excess energy and safely diverts the surge through the home’s grounding path. This will protect your home from:

This provides an easy, catch-all system that ensures every plug in your home is safe from a surge. Never have to worry about plugging your expensive electronics into standard plug-in surge protectors.

According to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, the Maryland/Virginia/Washington, DC area is considered at moderate risk for lightning strikes. These, along with other powerful weather events, are strong enough to fry both large and small electronics, including:

By investing in full-home surge protectors, you save yourself the risk of potentially paying thousands to replace your expensive electronic devices and appliances. Don’t suffer later when you can prevent damage up-front!

It is important that typically, it is recommended that you double protect against electric damage by also using standard wall surge protectors. This will make sure that no matter how strong the electrical surge is that hits your home, your valuable electronics will stay safe.

Everyone from the National Fire Protection Association to the Institute for Business and Home Safety recommends the use of whole-house surge protection. Fortunately, great whole-home surge protection is available and affordable! For maximum protection, you’ll want to install a whole-home surge protector at the circuit breaker box and supplement it with smaller surge protectors on individual outlets. A whole-house surge protector can protect your home from up to 40,000 amps of current (normal household power is between 200 to 300 amps). When something like a lightning strike causes such a surge, the surge protector detects the excess current and safely diverts it through the house’s grounding path. Whole-house surge protection provides homeowners in MD, DC, and VA peace of mind when a powerful thunderstorm passes the area.

Kolbe Electric’s electrician team can easily install a top-of-the-line surge protector with ease. Our whole-house surge protectors usually come with lifetime warranties and added protections for possible losses. This means your electronics are double-protected against future loss due to electrical surge! Call Kolb Electric today to learn more about our whole-house surge suppressors for your Maryland, Washington, DC, or Virginia home.

Have you ever turned on a light only to have it not work? Sure, we all have. Our first response is to turn off the switch and replace the bulb. But, what if the light still doesn’t work? Or what if the brand new bulb blows out as soon as you turn it on? This is a problem that may be one of your first signs of electrical trouble. Prior to the light going out for good, did it seem to be flickering? Outlets that have black marks around one of the prong holes or black anywhere around the outlet are definitely a cause for alarm.

Do not wait to see if the problem fixes itself, call an electrician. Beverly Hills homeowners can call The Electric Connection for an electrical inspection. It is always a good idea to have a complete electrical safety inspection to determine if the problem is isolated to one area or a major problem throughout the home. It could simply be an outlet with a loose wire or a faulty light fixture. In either event, the professional can take care of these quick fixes for you.

In more serious cases, especially in older homes, a complete wiring replacement may be needed. This is definitely a job for an electrician. Beverly Hills homeowners do not want to take any chances with their family’s safety.

Faulty wiring is a leading cause of home fires. You can help protect your investment as well as your family and all of those irreplaceable items in your home by getting a qualified electrician to do some troubleshooting. Identifying problem areas before they become a major catastrophe can save you a great deal of trouble, grief and money.

Not to mention, isn’t the peace of mind knowing your home is safe worth the call? Give the Electric Connection a call today and set  your mind at ease.