Generators make an important line of defense against natural disasters and power outages. With a generator, you don’t have to worry about keeping the food in your refrigerator cold, or powering your heating system when the temperatures drop. When installing a new generator, it’s important to select one that is the right size for your home. By size, we mean the power it’s capable of creating, not the physical size (though that can enter into the equation depending on where you plan to put it). In Lynnwood WA, electrical repair services can often advise you on how to size the right generator for your home, but it pays to know the basic before you give them a call.

The first step is to perform an energy audit for your home, determining how much power each appliance or electrical device uses, and then prioritizing them for use during an emergency. Medical devices usually come first on the list, followed by refrigerators and freezers which store your food. Next is your home HVAC system, followed by the lights in your home. Computers, radios and entertainment systems are usually on the bottom of the list: useful for keeping connected with the outside world, but otherwise non-essential in an emergency.

Once you have that list, you can determine two things: how much power is required to run your whole house and how much power is required to run the bare essentials during an emergency. The former number is preferable and if you can afford a generator of that size, then you should probably purchase it. The latter is less ideal but can do in a pinch if you’re on a budget and still want to keep your household running when the power goes out. In that case you need to carefully monitor which appliances are hooked up to the generator so you don’t overload it when the time comes.

There are many ways to generate electricity, including fossil fuels, solar and hydroelectricity. For the most part, all of these technologies rely on the same concept. In each of the above examples, except for solar, electricity is generated by spinning a turbine. In the case of hydroelectric power, this is accomplished by using moving water to move the blades of the turbine. For the most part, The Electric Connection and other Los Angeles electricians spend their time caring for the electrical needs of homes, businesses and other organizations. Without hydroelectricity and other forms of electricity generation, however, there would not be much for an electrician in Los Angeles CA to do.

Although hydroelectricity is not the main source of power in the United States, it is extensively used in areas such as the northeast, which generates electricity from Niagara Falls. Other important hydroelectric power plants include the Hoover Dam and the Chief Joseph Dam. This is a very popular form of energy creation because it is a very renewable resource, and very low in waste once construction is completed. Overall, hydroelectricity makes up 21% of the world’s renewable energy and 3.4% of its total energy. As with all types of energy, an electrician in Los Angeles is required to know the basics about hydroelectricity and why it is important.

How Does Hydroelectricity Work?

The most common type of hydroelectricity is generated through the use of dams. A large river or lake is dammed, and then connected to a hydroelectric plant. The dam then either funnels the flowing water through the turbines, or uses the water as it falls to spin them. Electrical circuits, which are connected to the spinning turbines, help to store and distribute the electricity to your home.

Another common way to generate hydroelectric power is to transfer water between reservoirs that are located at different elevations. This strategy is typically used to generate extra electricity during periods of high demand. Water is released from the higher reservoir through a turbine into the lower reservoir. Any extra energy generated from this process is used to pump the water back into the upper reservoir.

Tidal power stations are slightly different from the others, because they make use of the natural rise and fall of the tides. Under the proper circumstances, a tidal power source can be a very powerful addition to a city’s electrical grid.

Why Do We Need Hydroelectricity?

One of the greatest draws of hydroelectricity is that its cost remains relatively constant. It is completely self-contained. You do a web search for electrician Los Angeles give any electrical contracting company a call and they will tell you that a diverse range of electrical sources is important to the integrity of any electrical system. If one portion goes out, then other sources are ready to fill the gaps in order to keep things running smoothly.

Being an electrician in Los Angeles CA, means taking on a lot of responsibility. The technicians at The Electric Connection will quickly respond to your electrical service calls, perform electrical safety assessments, replace or install electrical circuits, custom lighting and more. They help keep everything running at your home or business as efficiently as possible, ensuring that you always have electricity when you need it.

A combination of availability and sustainability are key to keeping any residential electrical network safe and reliable is developing and caring for a variety of sources. This process begins at the power plant and ends at your home, where you should never take for granted the hard work each electrician Los Angeles CA has to offer.

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The list of rules to be followed when installing new electrical systems into a building are related to the specific rules of the state, as well as certain minimum requirements laid down by Federal law. So in some senses the United States does not have a unified Electrical Building Code, because often there are variations between different states.

It was to address exactly this issue that the National Fire Protection Association, a panel of nineteen different bodies, began publishing the National Electrical Code (NEC) in 1897, and now every three years, in order to arrive at a single source of rules that should govern electrical installations. The current version was published in August 2010 and runs to over 1000 pages.

Whilst the NEC is not law as such, in practice it has been adopted by most states as their set of rules for electrical installations and wiring in buildings (with a few changes here and their depending on the state you are in), and so is now in practice the Electrical Building Code for the United States.

You can read the full 1000 pages plus version online for free here: Building Codes

This is the book that all Journeyman Electricians will consume when undertaking their training, as it is pretty much the standard version across the country.

Though there are some differences between the states, and you can see the individual requirements for your state here: State Regulations

Some of the key NEC rules that need to be followed when installing a new electrical system into a building are:

If you are planning on installing electrical wiring then you should refer to the NEC and your local Electrical Building Code for specifics and to the link above for any state specific requirements that you need to know.

Are you in need of a licensed electrician?  Custom Electrical Services has licensed electricians in Ankeny Iowa 24/7.  Our electricians have the skill and knowledge to handle any electrical task in your Ankeny home or business.

Have an electrical emergency?  We have electricians on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year.  Our trained professionals can help with all your electrical emergencies.  Some of the most common electrical emergencies we see are.  Tripped breaker, loose electrical connection, bad or tripped GFCI, power surges or lighting strikes.  We can handle virtually any electrical emergency in Ankeny.  Our service electricians carry a large variety of parts.  If they do not have a part needed on their van we have access to several supply houses in the area with after hours access.

Custom Electrical Services has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.  We work hard to make sure every job is done right the first time and make sure you are completely satisfied.

We offer upfront pricing so you know exactly what your electrical project in Ankeny will cost before the work begins.  We provide you with a flat rate cost so the price to you doesn’t change if the job takes longer than expected.  Our electricians can quote the job to you upon visual inspection at your Ankeny home or business.  In most cases the job quoted can be done at the same time as quote or a different time of your choosing.

Custom Electrical Services wires on average over 200 new homes each and every year.  And has already reached over 250 new construction projects in the beginning of the 4th quarter for 2015!  Our electricians have tons of experience and can handle any electrical task for your Ankeny project!  We know the latest trends in lighting and have access to the newest electrical products.  Or we can update your Ankeny home with products such as LED lighting, or install a whole house surge arrestor.

Or even install a standby generator!  Have a parking lot light that needs some attention?  Or that high light that even a ladder will not reach?  We have bucket trucks with certified electricians to get your Ankeny project completed right the first time.