Mortgage lenders try to look at the big picture, considering things like taxes and insurance when deciding how much they can loan out to homeowners and buyers. However, there's a major ongoing expense that appraisers currently don't take into account – monthly utility bills. You don't need to be an electrician to understand that the money you pay for power each month makes an impact on your budget and even affects the value of your home. A bill currently in front of Congress – the SAVE Act – would acknowledge that reality and let federal mortgage lenders make energy efficiency part of their formula.

Increasing the Value of Your Home

Essentially, the SAVE Act would make it easier to get financing for efficiency upgrades, even folding funding for it into traditional mortgages.

“This bill would require federal mortgage agencies to recognize the energy efficiency upgrades in a home during the mortgage underwriting process, thereby increasing the value of the home,” President of the Alliance to Save Energy Kateri Callahan said in a statement. 

The SAVE Act claims it would bring a number of benefits in addition to loosening the drawstrings on bank financing for efficiency. Among them:

A Diverse Group of Supporters

The SAVE Act was first introduced in 2013. Although Congress has yet to vote on the measure, it has lined up a diverse group of supporters who aren't typically on the same side of major issues, from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers to the Alliance to Save Energy, the National Resources Defense Council, the U.S. Green Building Council and others.

In the meantime, there are a number of steps you can take around your home today to cut down on your utility bills. If you need any help installing efficient appliances or upgrading your home electric system, contact an expert electrician today.

We all know smoke detectors save lives, but did you know you can make them even more effective by having an electrician install hard-wired smoke detectors? This particular kind of smoke detector works the same as the traditional battery-powered detectors that you typically find in homes. However, the major difference is the fact they are connected to a home’s main power supply. An electrician in Beverly Hills will need to take care of the installation process. At The Electric Connection, the staff is familiar with these kinds of jobs and can get them completed in a timely manner.

One of the key benefits is the fact the hard-wired detectors are all interconnected. When one detector is activated, the rest of the smoke detectors in the house will sound the alarm. This means no matter where you are in the house, as long as you have a hard-wired smoke detector on each floor, you will hear it. Fires that start in the attic, basement or garage can go undetected for minutes or longer because the smoke detector isn’t heard in other parts of the house. With detectors that are all linked together, you don’t have to worry about this. Even if you are downstairs watching television, you will still know when the smoke detector in the attic is going off.

This can save lives and potentially prevent excessive damage to the house by giving you a precious extra few minutes to call for help. Beverly Hills electrical systems like this require certified electricians to install. This ensures the smoke detectors are wired correctly and are not creating another fire risk. In some cases, homeowners insurance will require a certified electrician completes the install. If you would like to learn more about hard-wired smoke detectors and what they can do for you, give The Electric Connection a call today.

There are times when you may think there is something wrong with your home in general. Your lights may flicker or burn out quickly or you can’t seem to get the toaster to work when it is plugged into a certain outlet. It can be difficult to determine if it is an appliance, a faulty light fixture or just one of those flukes that happens. You need a Santa Monica electrician to help you troubleshoot a problem that could turn out to be an electrical situation that requires a professional to handle. When you need help with the electrical problems in your house, you can count on The Electric Connection to provide you with the service you need in a timely manner.

Flickering lights are actually a signal that there may be some faulty wiring behind the walls that you cannot see. It is important the light fixtures are checked by an electrician. Santa Monica homeowners who notice lights that flicker, intermittently shut off or fixtures that go through bulbs quicker than normal should call an electrician. There is a chance the wiring to the fixture is exposed. This can be a serious risk for an electrical fire.

Breakers that trip often are also indicators of a bigger problem. The breaker may be weakened and need replacing or upgrading. This is something that will need to be evaluated by an electrician. If the home is more than 50 years old, the wiring may be outdated. Cloth wiring was commonly used in construction of homes before 1950. Today, we know that type of wiring isn’t safe and overtime, it can become an electrical hazard.

If you notice anything suspicious or smell burning wires or see black streaks shooting up the wall above an outlet, call an electrician right away. Taking quick action can save you the devastation of losing everything in a home fire. Give The Electric Connection a call today and take care of any electrical troubleshooting needs you have.