Tripped circuit breaker: many of us have experienced them at some point in our homes, yet instead of asking ourselves, “Why Do Breakers Trip?”, we reset the breaker without much thought. Before flipping the switch back over to the “ON” position, however, it’s important to understand why the breaker tripped in the first place, and what can be done to keep it from happening again.

Ignoring a Tripped Breaker is Not a Good Idea

Because of the many reasons why your circuit breaker could be tripping, and because of the purpose of the circuit breaker, you should never take a tripped breaker lightly. It’s important to understand that the circuit breaker is a safety device; simply switching the circuit back on without investigating the culprit can become costly in the long run and, in many cases, extremely dangerous.

Choosing a Contractor

The first step toward an electric job is to find a contractor you feel comfortable with. You’ll hear recommendations from friends and neighbors and have several come out to place a bid on the job. The best price or the lowest price doesn’t necessarily represent the best or worst quality of work to be provided. You have to look through their portfolios, check with their references, consider their experience and how long they’ve been operating locally, and to some extent trust your intuition as to which contractor seems like they’ll do the best job.

Repairs, Rewiring, and Upgrades

There is no way to put a price on one’s safety, or the safety of one’s family. That is why we recommend that homeowners in the area consider the use of a residential alarm system in Newtonville, MA. You shouldn’t be constantly worried about the security of your home being compromised, as that’s no way to live. However, you must also accept that this is not a perfect world, and that threats to home security are a very real possibility. Protecting your home with an alarm system is a great way in which to sleep easier at night. Of course, you may encounter occasional problems.

One of the most common problems that homeowners encounter with their alarm systems is that their codes won’t work when entered. There are a few potential causes of this issue. First of all, stop and ask yourself if someone else may have changed the code without you knowing. A miscommunication may be the cause of the problem. Secondly, it’s possible that your buttons are sticking, perhaps due to excessive wear. If so, you may need a new keypad installed, but you should be able to pry them out enough to at least get into your home first.

If you are headed out for the day, and you notice a low battery indicator on your panel, and wonder if you need to do replace it immediately. Generally speaking, you should have a bit of leeway before the system becomes inoperable. However, it is always best to replace batteries in your system as soon as possible. Be sure to refer to your user’s manual to ensure that you are using the correct batteries, and to understand which controls are hardwired, which recharge, which have backup batteries, etc.

When the “no AC” indicator shows up on your alarm panel, you may be wondering how it can tell that you are not running your air conditioner. This is not what the indicator is referencing, though. Instead, this stands for “no alternating current,” meaning that your system has no electrical current supplying it. You may need to reset a circuit breaker, or there could be a problem with your wiring.

Everyone is a victim of the monthly electrical bill, and nobody likes to pay it, however electricity is a necessity to our everyday lifestyle. One of the benefits of electricity is that we have the power to manage it efficiently. Taking the right actions can mean saving money every month. We like providing you with helpful reminders of how you can be saving electricity in your home to make energy wise choices and save money on your bill.

Upgrade home windows – As winter approaches, you will find yourself wanting to maintain a warm and comfortable home. A great way to keep the heat in the home from escaping outside is by upgrading to more efficient windows. Windows with more glazes/panes help to capture the heat and keep it in. While this could prove costly to replace all the windows in your home, in the long run it is a wise investment to reduce the monthly electrical bill.

Regular furnace maintenance – Just because your furnace is running does not mean that it is running properly. If you are neglecting your furnace it could be running inefficiently. A professional inspection of the home’s furnace can lead to the identification of a number of areas of potential improvement that when resolved can lead to increased energy efficiency.

Use portable heaters -We have previously spoken about the user of portable heaters in the past and it is always worth revisiting. When heating the home, it is more efficient to turn on a small heater in the room you are in, rather than turning up the thermostat. Heat only the areas that are in use and not rooms that are empty.

Use the right bulbs – Each light fixture has a specification for the bulbs that should be used. Matching the right bulbs to the fixture leads to higher efficiency as energy can be wasted powering an incompatible bulb. And, if you haven’t replaced your home light bulbs with LEDs or compact fluorescent bulbs its time to!

Smart Thermostat – We visited this topic in last week in detail – turning down the home thermostat when heat is not needed is the easiest way to save on energy. A smart thermostat will help your set better heating schedules and allow changes to be made remotely from a smart phone.

Unplug unnecessary electronics – Electronic devices that are not currently being used should be unplugged. Items such as phone chargers, kitchen appliances, and laptops can still consume electricity even if they are off.

Repair your roof – In addition to windows in a home, the roof is another area where heat can escape. Heating a home is not cheap, so each degree should be kept inside, not outside. A damaged, or improperly insulated roof can lead to heat loss. A professional will be able to inspect your attic and roof to identify areas of heat loss and repair them.

Home Electrical inspection – Old and outdated wiring is not only inefficient, but dangerous. Schedule one of your licensed electricians to inspect your home to identify areas your can take advantage of to improve electrical efficiency.

Making the right investments in your home can lead to saving thousands of dollars in the long run. Before the thermometer starts to drop this season, review your energy consumption habits and areas in the home that can be improved. For a home electrical inspection, contact your local Expert Electric.