As a Richardson electrician, I am in the unique position of knowing how homeowners can save money on their power bill. In today’s economy, my customers expect that I will know how they can lower their power bill each month, and I am happy to share that information with them.

The benefits of having your Richardson electrician give you the inside scoop on moneysaving power alternatives extend well beyond the impact on your bank account. Electricians everywhere will agree that those very same things that you can do to save money on your electric bill can also help you take good care of your electrical system and even prevent costly and time-consuming repairs.

Your local electrician can help you create a plan of action to start saving on your bill, but you can also follow these simple tips to start doing what you can to lower your bill today.

1. The simplest thing you can do is turn it off if it’s not in use. That’s right! Being mindful of your power consumption while you’re trying to save money seems like a no-brainer, but many people overlook this very simple and very effective first step.Turn off the lights if you’re not in the room, turn off televisions and computers if they are not in use, and unplug small appliances that don’t get used often, like hair dryers or toaster ovens.

2. Install solar panels and/or wind turbines on your home to generate alternative sources of energy, ease strain on the power grid and lower your overall usage. Any top Richardson electrician will agree that using alternative energy sources can lower your electric bill to almost nothing while helping the environment.

3. Along the same lines, investing in an indoor generator can also help you become more independent when it comes to your power consumption and it can even help you turn your power bill into a power check from the power company, depending how much power you are able to generate and send back to the grid.

4. Schedule routine electrical maintenance once every one to two years, to check for any electrical problems, to make sure that fixtures are properly in place, and to check if any appliances are in need of repair or replacement. Call your Richardson electrician to schedule a visit to your home to inspect your electrical system.

5. Install a power conditioner to reduce wear and tear on the motors of your most power-hungry appliances and machinery at home, and to lower your power consumption as well.

As a top Richardson electrician working in North Texas for many years, I can tell you that there’s nothing more relieving than looking at your power bill and seeing the massive change in the numbers. Electric Man has been working for 27 years to ensure that their customers pay only what they have to, while helping customers cut down their bills. Learn more about Electric Man and our services by visiting our website, giving us a call at 972-792-7270, or connecting with us on any of our social sites!

Your electrical panel serves as the entry point for the electricity being provided to your home from your electrical utility. It also functions as an electrical safety device that will turn off an electrical circuit if there is too much current. Excess levels of electricity can lead to fire or electrical shock. Although you can often tell which circuit is malfunctioning by looking at your breaker box, it can make things much easier if you take the time to label all of your circuits or fuses. This way, you know which switch goes to which area of your home, regardless of whether or not that particular breaker has visibly tripped.

Most newer homes use circuit breakers in order to protect the different areas of the house. Some older homes, however, may still have fuses. If your home still has a fusebox, consider calling a local Pasadena electrician to inspect your electrical system. This is often the sign of an undersized electrical service. If you have a breaker panel, just follow the below steps to restore power to the area of your home that has been affected.

Excess electrical current passing through a circuit will cause your circuit breaker to trip, effectively stopping the current from flowing anymore. When this happens, the switch will move to a neutral position, which is between the ON and the OFF position. To return power to this circuit, all that you have to do is flip the switch all the way to the OFF position and then back to the ON position. Before doing this, it is good practice to turn off or unplug all appliances in the circuit.

Now that the power is back on, you can continue to use your circuit as usual. If you have continuous issues, however, you should call our technicians at The Electric Connection for assistance. We are always more than happy to lend a helping hand. You can also get more information through our website at www.theelectricconnection.com.

Climate change is a growing concern in North America. We’re already seeing some of its consequences, with warmer temperatures and more extreme, less predictable weather over the past decade. Nevertheless, we continue to burn massive amounts of fossil fuels to satisfy our energy needs, sending troublesome levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. How can we best combat the phenomenon? Numerous studies show that energy efficiency is the cheapest, easiest way to meet our climate goals.

Inexpensive to Deploy

The climate goals of the United States are currently defined through the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, which dictates CO2 levels that states need to meet by 2030. In a recent report, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) assessed six different studies on the effects of the new rules. In all six, there is a common thread – improving our efficiency is the most cost-effective way to achieve the standards.

The studies were conducted by a variety of different observers: the EPA, the Clean Air Task Force, Energy Ventures Analysis, National Economic Research Associates (NERA), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Rhodium/Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“Despite starting with different assumptions, all of the studies project that energy efficiency will be the most used and least-cost option for states to implement the plan, and that overall electricity consumption will decline as a result,” C2ES fellow Jason Ye writes on the organization's blog. “In addition to being relatively inexpensive to deploy on its own, energy efficiency reduces the need to build new, costly power plants in the future.”

Show Me the Money

The average consumer might be more worried about what the plan means for their household utility bills. Fortunately, the news isn’t too bad; the plan could cost the average home as much as $87 per year, or 25 cents a day – nothing to sneeze at, but not crippling to the family budget, either.

More optimistic forecasts project that households could actually save money under the Clean Power Plan. The savings would be due to an increased reliance on cheap renewable energy as well as investments in household efficiency technology, which would reduce the amount of consumption and therefore lower utility bills.

The total savings could be much greater. None of the plans take into account the savings the nation could realize by averting some of the more devastating impacts of climate change, nor do they assess improved health care outcomes that could result from a reduction in airborne pollution.

Take Climate Change Into Your Own Hands

You don't have to wait until 2030 to do your part in the fight against climate change. Look for some easy ways that you can reduce your energy consumption around the home, or ask an electrician to conduct an energy audit and point out even more ways you can cut back. The environment, not to mention your pocketbook, will thank you.

In April 1999, Wayne Gretzky played his final game in the National Hockey League. Gretzky had played 20 seasons and was considered by many to be the greatest the sport had ever seen.

2) OMG, Myspace Is, Like, Totally Awesome!

Excitement spread like wildfire through American culture as the cable modem brought the promise of a faster future. In April 1999, we still had the strange robot music of the 56k dial-up modem ringing in our ears. This page would have taken a lot longer to load back then.

4) Do You Believe In Fame after Fame?

Cher’s April reign only lasted three days before TLC reached the apex of popularity, stealing the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list.

6) Goth Culture Gets a Careful Examination

For intentionally lying in court during a sexual harassment civil lawsuit, President Bill Clinton was cited with contempt of court. This was not a proud moment for anyone. By comparison, it has been a tame 15 years of presidential history!

8) Mind-Controlled Technology Hath Arrived…

On April 23rd, the BBC reported that newly discovered skull and tooth fragments may belong to a “human-like species” that lived 2.5 million years ago. There was a lot of controversy initially, but there has since been a general consensus that the Australopithecus garhi, as the species was named, is the most immediate ancestor to the human genus, Homo.

10) Eminem: Straight Blowin Up

The Hours by Michael Cunningham won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in April, 1999. The book would later be made into an Oscar-winning movie starring Meryl Streep.

12) Pulitzer Prize for Drama

In April, we got yet another indication that American culture was infatuated with the genre of romantic comedy as Never Been Kissed, starring Drew Barrymore and David Arquette, hit the box offices.

14) Billy Joel Retires…Psych!

Surely, tears were flowing on the faces of day-time TV enthusiasts when NBC announced the cancellation of the long-running, iconic soap opera Another World. Only a few months later, the final episode would air, and, instead of watching Another World, fans would have to watch something else. Maybe the actual world?

Each process of construction is directly or indirectly related to the other, so having a bit of knowledge about each one of these is imperative even if you specialize in only one.

From a contractor’s perspective, the construction of a house can be divided into two main phases: wet and dry. The wet phase refers to the initial phase when the house is unprotected from moisture caused by external forces such as rain, while the dry phase is the phase when most electrical work is carried out as the interior is safe from rain and snow.

On the other hand, from an electrician’s perspective, the two main phases of construction include phase one – the rough in, and phase two – the finish. This division is based on the stage of finishing that the walls are at. Here is a step-by-step guide into how the electrical work is carried out during the construction of a house:

Since there is a lot of machinery that operates on electricity and there is no electricity connection at the construction site, a temporary electric pole is installed during this stage.