The DC area is likely to see more rain over the next few months as fall weather arrives. Among the many issues that homeowners could face if the rain is particularly torrential is flooding. This opens families up to a number of safety hazards, not least of which has to do with the exposure of electrical systems to moisture. As one of the leading has a rundown of four rules for dealing with electrical issues after a flood which can give you a basic understanding of what you should do:

In our previous blog, the professionals at Electrical Gurus gave out some ways tips for increasing the safety of holiday decorations throughout the holiday season. Today, we’ll share even more ways to safely and effectively decorate your home this holiday season.

Even if the lights are unplugged when you’re hanging them (which is advised), be sure to never use nails, screws, or tacks to hang your Christmas lights; instead, opt for clips for interior and exterior applications. This will keep your wires from accidentally becoming nicked or frayed during or after the hanging process, which can get dangerous quickly.

Never use extension cords that don’t feature ground or are not rated for outdoor usage outdoors to avoid electrocution risk. Furthermore, it is especially advisable to only plug lights into GFCI outlets, especially if they are plugged into the exterior of your home. These outlets will essentially shut themselves off in the event of a short, which is crucial to avoiding safety concerns.

Always use timers for decorations and lights to prevent yourself from forgetting to turn them on or off. Lights should never be left on when nobody is home, which is why it is advisable to turn them off during daytime hours when the family is out-and-about. Timers keep your home safe by preventing power from flowing through the lights during the day, automatically activating them in the evening hours.

Large decorations, cords, and lights should all be kept well away from tripping hazards. Of special note is extension cords, which should never be allowed to cross walkways without proper coverage. Ideally, extension cords shouldn’t be run along open space in any way. If someone trips over one decoration, then odds are all attached decorations are at risk for getting dislodged or damaged.

If your home has the proper circuit breakers, there is little risk of a fire starting from overloading an outlet; that doesn’t mean it is wise to plug in numerous strands of lights into a single outlet. Spread the burden of lights and decorations across numerous breakers whenever possible to avoid taxing your electrical panel too much in certain areas. If your home is not equipped with a circuit breaker and still uses outdated fuses, please give us a call right away to talk about upgrading your panel.

We hope you’re safe this holiday season, but if you happen to overload your circuit breakers or have a concern about the lighting of your holiday decorations, be sure to give us a call right away. The electricians at Electrical Gurus want to help to keep every Des Moines family happy and healthy throughout the holiday season.

The state of Texas takes up about 16.7 percent of the land area of the United States. That is such a large portion that it is important to understand when this state stands on a number of issues. Going green is one of those issues that many people wonder where Texas stands.

When talking about going green, one of the most important questions is whether or not Texas is considering Green Energy in any forms. Since this state boasts of an expansive oil industry, is there any reason to believe that it would even consider green technologies?

You cannot deny that Texas is an enormous presence in the United States, but its very size means that there is room for many different industries and that includes those that focus on improving the state of the planet. The Lone Star state is actually involved in numerous environmentally friendly Green Energy sources, and some of those initiatives have actually been launched by Texas’ own entrepreneurs and energy companies.

Of course, some of those initiatives are not solely motivated by profits. The majority are set in place by those who are interested in doing their part in the fight to save our environment. There is an altruistic element involved in many of these initiatives, and one of the best known is the one that was started by the owner and CEO of Mesa Partners an oil and natural gas producer.

As one might expect, seeing that a good portion of the state receives ample to excessive wind, there are numerous wind power generators located throughout the panhandle as well as other parts of the state. Acres and acres of farm land have been dedicated to producing electric power. This is in part due to the massive efforts of one of Texas’ most influential citizens, T. Boone Pickens who has worked tirelessly to promote wind energy.

Some cities like Houston are even doing their part by promoting the use of electric cars, and they have also adopted regulations that put mandatory water controls on the citizens. Governmental controls aside, many citizens of this fine state are doing their individual parts to make an impact on the environment.

Although Texas may be well known as an oil friendly state, it is certainly not true that it is not friendly to the environment. With 27,000 wind turbines already pumping out power, and the plan to make that number 70,000 by the end of 2012, no one can say that the state of Texas is not going green.