Summer is not typically a season we need to worry very much about huge power outages. However, this is a good time of the year to consider what your generator needs are, before you actually do need it in the winter time. Homeowners in the Midwest are subjected to cold weather and winter storms on a yearly basis, which is made worse when severe weather knocks the power out.

Many homeowners might rely on a portable generator, but this might actually be insufficient for all the needs of your home. Additionally, they only function for a limited amount of time. For this reason, we highly recommend the installation of a whole-house standby generator.

Comfort: When winter does roll around again next year, you’ll want a reliable heating system. But most heaters won’t function with a complete loss of power—not even natural gas heaters as most require an electrical ignition these days. Huge power outages typically happen during extremely cold weather. The right standby generator can make sure that your heater is able to do its job, keeping you and your family warm.

Safety: Does anyone in your home rely on electrically powered devices for some type of medical condition? If so, it’s essential to have an effective standby generator. Should you need electricity for any medical reasons, it’s time to inquire about a whole-house standby generator.

Portable Generators are Insufficient: As we mentioned briefly above, portable generators are often insufficient for all the needs of your home. This type of system can be fine for a small camping trip, or even to keep in your car in case of emergency. But they are not designed to power an entire home, and won’t last long enough if you try to use it for such purposes.

Peace of Mind: This is perhaps the biggest benefit of having a standby generator installed. Even if you never face a significant power outage in your home, you’ll always know that you are prepared should one occur.

The storage of renewable energy for business and homes, and it’s applicability as a renewable energy solution is often seen as a daunting prospect, but solutions are now available that truly bring this “next generation” technology to a level that can be easily implemented and understood.

Renewable power needs to be broken down into individual applications and needs. Not everyone cares about promoting technology and advancements, but by taking steps one at a time, we accomplish two things. One is education on possibilities, and two is further development on technology. Here is my idea on awakening society at a level most people can comprehend until other options become refined and perfected.

Storage of renewable energy with Wind and Solar for daily use:

Photovoltaic and Wind technology together make this really cool. When you add power storage with renewable energies, these automatic transferred units can be programmed to “sell back” electricity when electrical demand and storage capacities are satisfied. All of this is programmable in any order/sequence desired. By putting the units side by side, these systems can produce 240 volt single phase or three phase power with a pure sign wave.

Here is a great example of a real world solution that we call the Power Cart. This example utilizes solar panels, yet wind power could be added to the system very easily. This Power Cart system provides 20,000 watts of usable power, rechargeable through 4 solar panels, offering any home or business the ability to create, store, and use their own renewable electricity on a daily basis, and maintain power in the event of an outage.

Power Cart

Power Cart will have a Continuous Output of 3.6KW with a 9KW Surge start. This 48 volt grid interactive Outback power plant has 60 amp input/ output, and a UPS 60 amp transfer switch. It works from batteries, generator, or grid and can be charged by sun, wind or any type of generator or from the utility grid. Recharge can be programmed to take advantage of these in any order or percentage you desire. It is internet programmable and monitorable taking over 400 screens in excess of 10,000 commands – including the most important one ‘Let me work on automatic and don’t bother me.’ Also included is complete DC protection from the array to the charger, and from the batteries to power plant& AC protection via 60 amp breaker outlets (wired per country – as per order) also available in any output voltage ex. 100-150 volt, in 50 or 60 cycle.

Power Cart is a 4 wheel trailer – Ready to Work. No assembly required

These can be daisy chained for more production, more voltage, more storage.

Wi-Fi capable.

Do you have a specific way you place food in your refrigerator or do you just put food wherever you can find an empty spot? If you use the latter method, you probably see more food spoilage. In fact, you may have to occasionally go hunting through the fridge to find that rotten smell we have all been familiar with.

Decluttering your refrigerator is probably one of the easiest ways to prevent food from spoiling quickly. It’s an easy process once you develop a system for it. The main goal is to keep your food easily accessible and highlight the foods that need to be eaten as soon as possible (like strawberries).

The best way to start this process is to clear out all of the expired food in your refrigerator. This includes bags of leftovers you promised yourself you were going to eat and it also includes all of those jars you’ve had on the side of your door for the past few years.

Once you have only edible food left in your refrigerator, think about how you want to use it:

Dedicate space for frequent meal preparation. If you have a certain breakfast, lunch or dinner meal prep routine, dedicate a shelf or two for just those ingredients so you can easily grab them first thing.

Showcase the foods that will spoil soon. Have foods that are likely going to expire sooner than the rest displayed front and center. This will encourage you to use them in meal preparation. Clear containers also make it easy to see what’s inside.

Control the environment. Check the temperature to make sure foods are properly stored. Putting liners in the bins also helps absorb any moisture that could make your fruits or vegetables too cold.

Develop a rotation system. When you buy new food, make sure you put it behind your older food.  This keeps your food waste low and your budget on track.

Don’t forget the freezer. If it is older than 6 months, it is probably freezer burned by now and can be tossed.  Store your foods in airtight containers or bags and label them (include the date).  No more “mystery meat” for dinner, and no more wasted food.

The freezer is often underutilized. Bread, scrambled egg mix, leftover coffee, tea, and broths can all be frozen for later use. Your homemade soup, cooked rice and other dinner entrees can also be frozen if you don’t have a chance to eat the leftovers in time.

Try using an ice cube try to store single serving pieces of purees, sauces and beverages. Freeze leftover coffee for an iced coffee drink, or a cube of frozen veggie broth to whip up some gravy later in the week. Make smoothies down the road by freezing mashed or chopped fruit. Almost anything can be frozen except for canned foods in the can (although they can usually be removed and frozen) and eggs in the shell.

To keep your refrigerator decluttered, go through it once a week to identify foods that need to be eaten soon and toss what is no longer edible. Once your refrigerator is decluttered, you’ll save money by having less food spoilage and eat better because all of your food is easy to find.

Keep Your Refrigerator Running at its Best Quality

Making sure your refrigerator is well maintained can also prolong the life of the food inside. If your refrigerator isn’t working correctly, food is more likely to spoil. Consider these tips for proper maintenance of your refrigerator:

By Kellie Pearson

Pack away sweaters and scarfs and break out the floaties and flip flops – summer is here! Whether your ideal seasonal activity is tanning poolside or spiking a volleyball along a sandy seashore, there’s no doubt summertime offers a lot of fun.  However, it can present many safety concerns for homeowners. Here are a few reminders from Mr. Electric® to give you and your family peace of mind this summer.

With the summer sun shining bright, the warm, moist air provides optimal fuel for hurricanes to form.  Are you and your family prepared? In the case of a power outage, you’ll want to have a generator handy.  If you’re unsure of the amount of power that will be needed for a generator in your home, ask Mr. Electric to determine that for you. If your house draws more power than the generator can produce, then you may blow a fuse on the generator or damage the connected equipment. A generator should only be operated outdoors in an area with unobstructed air flow and ventilation. Even if the garage door is open to the exterior, carbon monoxide can still build up to toxic levels. Placing carbon monoxide detectors near all the bedrooms of your home will alert you and your family when there is a risk of being poisoned.

Because of extreme heat and electrical charge in the air, lighting storms are also common during this season. In the case of a power surge, a good preventive option is to install a whole home surge protection system if you want to protect devices plugged into outlets anywhere in the home.