There's nothing more important than protecting your home and its contents – including, of course, your family. That's why it's crucial to take steps to guard against lightning strikes, which can cause major damage to your home’s electrical work and can even start a fire. Fortunately, there are several measures you can take to reduce the chance of lightning harming your home, possessions or family. Read on to learn how to keep these powerful forces of nature at bay.

Stop Surges in Their Tracks

Chances are, you won't ever have to experience a direct lightning strike to your home. For that, you can consider yourself lucky, but that doesn't mean that lightning can't affect you in other ways. If the bolt hits anywhere in the immediate area, especially to an electric line or something else connected to the power grid, a power surge can strike your home and destroy or damage your electrical work and electronics. One strike can be enough to ruin your new computer or television, or at least subtract a few years from their lifespans.

Fortunately, you can add layers of protection to your electrical work so your devices and appliances are less vulnerable to power surges. The first step is to purchase surge protectors for all your expensive devices in lieu of plugging them directly into your wall outlets. You can also have an electrician install a comprehensive surge protector in your circuit box which will protect the electrical work for the entire home.

The Importance of Staying Grounded

Beyond surge protection, you do need to protect your home from direct lightning strikes as well. Your local building code mandates that homes be grounded so that high levels of electric charge can escape into the Earth, dramatically reducing the risk of a fire or damage to your electrical work. If you live in an older home, it's a good idea to have an electrician evaluate your grounding system and upgrade it to modern standards if necessary.

Finally, if you live in an area with frequent thunderstorms, or your house is particularly vulnerable to lightning strikes, installing a lightning rod on the roof is a good idea. These rods stretch high above your home, attracting any lightning likely to strike nearby and conducting the charge into the ground. They can be a life saver if, for example, your house is isolated from other structures and set on the top of a hill.

Keeping Your Family Safe and Sound

With a few extra layers of protection, you can reduce the danger of lightning damage to your home and family to a minimum. If you need help setting up a system to protect your home electrical work from lightning strikes, contact an expert electrician today.

Everyone probably knows light layering is the #1 rule in residential lighting design, but we can often neglect it in professional settings. Light layers can transform that standard gloomy, fluorescent malaise into something calm and energizing.

2. Take the layers outside too! The center’s entryway functions like a beacon in the night with those stylish ceiling lights, along with Image via CONTEMPORIST.com

If your business has a storefront or entryway, don’t neglect eye-catching light layers there either. You want to draw customers in, not scare them away.

3. Use standard fixtures in unexpected ways. A regular fixture in an unexpected place will be avant-garde, without the price tag of an avant-garde light fixture. Image via CONTEMPORIST.com

I’d also like to note those crazy recessed ceiling lights – totally echoing a standard recessed fixture only stylized and amplified. It makes you rethink the whole concept of a regular old recessed light!

Energy-efficient residential homes are becoming increasingly popular in Canada which is good news for both the environment and our economy. Having an energy-efficient home also helps Canadians save big on their electricity bills. Expert Electric has been helping homeowners improve their home’s energy-efficiency for many years. For help on how to make your home more energy efficient, here are some actionable steps that you can take.

One of the best ways to make your home more energy efficient has to do with your home’s thermostat. Properly programming your home’s thermostat is essential in saving big on electricity costs. Many people overlook the impact of their home’s thermostat and leave it on all throughout the day, whether they are home or at work. By programming your thermostat to run only during the times when you are home, you will keep your home warm and see a big improvement in cost savings. Always remember to turn your home’s thermostat down when you are not at home. Your wallet will thank you.

Is your home properly insulated? Insulation is important in making your home more energy efficient. Insulation can help keep your home warm during the Winter months and keep your home cool in the Summer. Your home’s insulation is an important investment that can help you save lots of money in the long-term.

Make use of your home’s windows by pulling back the curtains and allowing the natural light to enter during the day. Sunlight is the most energy-efficient source of light in your home because it is free to use.

Making the switch (pun intended) to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can result in big cost-savings for your home. These lights are known to last longer and use up much less energy. Halogen light bulbs are another energy-efficient option for Canadians looking to reduce their electricity costs. Similar to CFLs and LEDs, these light bulbs last much longer than regular light bulbs and require less energy to operate. Make your home more energy-efficient by switching to one of these three types of light bulbs today.

For questions about how to make your home more energy-efficient, please contact Expert Electric today. We offer a variety of different residential and commercial electrical services including standby generator installations, ceiling fan installations, hot tub wiring and more. Call us today at 604-681-8338.

When you are looking for an electrician, look for someone whom you can form a long term relationship with. This is true for homeowners, of course, but also true for apartment managers and owners of investment properties.  As an electrician in Los Angeles, I’ve built up long-term, on-going relationships with property management companies and apartment owners. I’ve found that these relationships save me and the client time and money whenever the client needs electrical work.

Find Recommended Electricians You can get recommendations for electricians from other apartment managers and also from homeowners. You can also search on-line for electrician Los Angeles or electrician Burbank, and so on. If you add the word reviews to your search, you can look for companies that have the best reviews.

Another approach is to search websites that feature reviews. Reviews appear on many websites including Google Places, Yelp.com, AngiesList.com, and CitySearch.com. You may be familiar with AngiesList.com, a paid service. It’s an excellent source of recommendations for contractors. It asks customers to rate contractors, including electricians, and give specifics about how their job went.

When looking at customer reviews, take a look at the big picture. If there are one or two bad reviews among the many good ones, does it seem like it’s just a grumpy customer? Is there a company reply that clears things up or says that it has corrected its employee?

Once you have three or so recommended electricians, take a look at their websites.

Check the Electrician’s Website

• Is it presentable and well-maintained? If the website checks out, it’s time to interview the electrician.

Interview the Electrician When you talk with the electrician, pay attention to how comfortable you are, including your trust level. Ask about:

• Experience with your type of work, including tenant relations • Names and contact info for five clients, preferably apartment or other property managers

Take notes on all this, particularly the License Number. If you decide to go ahead, you may wish to check some of what the electrician has said. If you decide not to go ahead, no need to proceed any further with this electrician. But save the notes so that you can remind yourself later of which companies you’ve already ruled out.

Look and Listen Electricians who are bidding jobs are on their best behavior. If you already notice that an electrician treats you or others in ways that concern you, better to find another with whom you feel more comfortable.

Check It Out • Check the company’s rating at the Better Business Bureau. Ratings run from A+ to F based on customer complaints made to the Bureau. As a note, an “A” reflects the same level of customer satisfaction as an “A+.” The “A+” is earned by an “A” contractor becoming a paying member of the Better Business Bureau, which supports the Bureau in its work.

Call References • Would you be happy to continue to use this electrical company?

Speak with at least three references. Listen carefully for enthusiasm or lack of enthusiasm about the electrician. A competent electrical company will have given you names that they believe are satisfied customers. Clients, past or present, may not feel comfortable saying anything negative. If they express little enthusiasm or say something negative, take this into consideration when making your decision.

Don’t Automatically Choose the Low Bid A bid may be too low. How can that be? An electrician may intentionally omit items that the job requires, only to come back later saying that additional work needs to be done. On the other hand, some electricians may unintentionally bid low through inexperience. Either way, the electrician may ask for more money to finish the job or may leave you with an incomplete project.

Look at the Whole Picture Price is important, but judge the entire picture an electrician is showing you — character, expertise, the ease of working with him or her, and overall value. A large part of an electrician’s value is that he/she gets the job done right and safely without taking too much of your time and inconveniencing you or your tenants. A very competent electrician can save you money by suggesting more efficient ways to do a job or to save on electricity.

If you  are looking for a fully licensed, bonded, and insured electrician in Los Angeles who can work with you and provide you quality electrical services at reasonable prices, please give us a call at (800) 990-9490, 8-5 pm. I look forward to hearing from you and will be happy to provide you with contact info for satisfied property managers. Or you can look at a couple of reviews by property managers on our website.