Pay as you go electricity plans allow consumers to pay for their electricity in advance. The plan, which uses prepayment meters, helps consumers to monitor and control the way they use electricity. This saves on energy costs.

Keypad based prepaid meters: This meter has a keypad to input the electricity token number. Consumers purchase the credit using a variety of methods. These include visiting the agent, paying through banks or mobile payments in some countries.

Key meter: Consumer uses an electronic key loaded with the tariff information and credit.

One way card system: Uses a disposable card. The user purchases power with a reloadable debit card. The loaded card is then passed near the meter, which has an in-built card reader.

Two-way card systems: Uses a smart card and the meters have a real-time, two-way communication capability. It is one of the most secure, but more complex and expensive methods to implement.

These allow consumers to interact with their meters and query balances using their mobile phones by sending an SMS to a monitoring system. In addition, the user is able to track electricity use by the hour, day, month or annually using the phone or online access.

These smart prepaid meters offer easier top up options. They include online payments or by text, as well as scheduled and auto top-ups.

When using a prepaid meter, the customer must keep track of the remaining credits and replenish to avoid disconnection.

Ensure there is enough credit when going away for long periods. The meter will continue collecting the standing charges even when on no load. Consumers should ensure they have enough credit to last until they return.

Some crooks will take advantage of the consumer’s lack of knowledge and offer them cheaper credits than those bought directly from the utility company. For example, they will sell their credits at half price. This is more common with Key Prepaid Meters and the crooks will usually have master Keys, which they use to top off the consumer’s meter.

If the energy company finds out, the consumer ends up paying twice for their electricity; first to the crook, and then to the energy company.

To avoid falling victim:

Pool lighting is one of the most impressive outdoor lighting projects you can take on and can totally change the look and feel of your backyard. Pool lighting is also a great way to show off your creativity, and your lighting system can be customized to create any mood you can think of. The following are some of the best pool lighting tips we’ve found, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box!

Some people may be used to having only one light at the deep end of the pool and a few at the shallow end. While this is certainly an option, it’s not a hard rule! Try adding more light throughout until you get the effect you want.

If you have a sitting area on one side of the pool, make sure you point your pool lights away from it. Pool lights tend to be especially bright, so they should be installed facing opposite where people might be sitting.

Using too few lights, or having lights that only face one direction, can create shadows that highlight flaws in your pool’s liner or surface. Shining lights from multiple directions will eliminate these shadows and make the bottom of your pool look flawless.

The color of your pool liner will make a dramatic impact on how the pool looks, day and night. Light colors reflect light and dark colors absorb it, so go light if you want your pool to look bright and exciting at night and choose dark if you want a more subdued landscape.

Pool lighting is one of those projects that many people either put off or try to cut corners on. But if you want a pool that you can really get a lot out of, we recommend spending the extra money. Even though the upfront costs may be higher, you’ll be able to enjoy your investment for years to come.

Back in April, a young boy in South Florida was electrocuted by a faulty pool light while swimming in his family’s pool. Reportedly, the light had been fixed by a contractor the year prior.

While incidents like this are exceedingly rare, we want to use this as an example of why you should always work with an electrical company you can trust. Lighting isn’t the only danger zone in the pool—other potential hazards include:

At Kolb Electric, your safety is our highest priority. We will acquire all necessary permits prior to your pool wiring job, then finish off with a detailed inspection so you can enjoy your pool or hot tub without having to worry. We also recommend having your pool’s electrical system inspected once a year.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has a detailed list of pool safety tips to prevent electrocution:

If you’re thinking about installing pool lighting in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric! We can design a beautiful, long-lasting, and safe pool lighting system that you can enjoy for years.

What’s more important than reliable access to electricity? Safe and reliable access to electricity! We use tools and appliances every day. Heck every hour. And in some instances, every minute. But generally speaking, we don’t really pay much mind to how safe we’re being with it. But you should. Accidents happen all the time (and if you like statistics, boy we’ve got ‘em right here!), and whether you think it could happen to you or not, the fact of the matter is we put ourselves at risk all the time.

This is why it is outright critical that we ensure we’re taking all of the steps we can to protect ourselves, our homes, and our loved ones. Luckily, safety isn’t all that hard, and really takes a minimal time investment. Here at Kolb Electric, your safety is the top priority to our Alexandria electricians. So take a moment to read up! You might learn something new.

Regarding Electrical Supply

First off, to use any appliance safely, you should always keep in mind the right places to use them relative to your home’s safe supply. We’re talking, of course, about dedicated circuits. We’ve spoken of them many times, but it’s important because ensuring the proper appliances get the proper setup is key to operating them safely. Appliances that should be on dedicated circuits include:

Also, if your appliance is going to be near water sources (kitchen/bathroom appliances), be sure they are plugged into a GFCI outlet. Don’t have GFCI outlets? Looks like it’s time for some installation!

Using Power Strips for Your Appliances

Don’t “daisy-chain”, be sure you’re using indoor for indoor, outdoor for outdoor, never cover your cords (generates dangerous heat), and don’t exceed the safe capacity. Also never use power strips or extension cords to power heaters or other high-wattage appliances. They weren’t designed to handle that much power, and they may overheat/catch on fire.

General Appliance Safety Tips from Our Alexandria Electricians

Rules of thumb that promote safety are a great idea, and our Alexandria electricians are here to give you the rundown!

Need the services of a certified electrician to beef up your home safety? From outlet installation to wire repair, our experts have you covered! Contact Kolb to learn about our services, or to set your appointment today!

The times, they are a-changin'. President Obama recently announced the details of his highly anticipated Clean Power Plan, a measure aimed at reducing the country's harmful fossil fuel emissions and limiting our contribution to climate change. The plan, when fully implemented, should reduce carbon emissions by 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Read on to learn more about the Clean Power Plan and what it means for you.

Lower Prices at the Meter

The Clean Power Plan was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, under the authority granted by the Clean Air Act. It imposes sharp limits on the types of energy production that power the nation's electrical work, but grants flexibility to states in how they act to meet those limits. In general, the plan encourages a shift away from burning coal during energy generation, while states have the option of upping their renewable energy production, using nuclear energy, increasing their efficiency or relying more on natural gas.

The good news for homeowners is that the plan is projected to decrease the bills you pay to power your residential electrical work. An analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that the average home electricity bill could fall by as much as 8 percent, and consumers could save up to $37.4 billion overall in electricity by 2020. The rationale for the savings is that renewable fuel sources cost less to run over time once the initial infrastructure is in place. Also, the plan encourages investments in household energy efficiency, which means that you may come to be less reliant on your home electrical work without substantially changing your behavior.

Clean Air for Breathing

The Clean Power Plan has another ancillary effect that has nothing to do with electrical work: it should cut down on air pollution and create a healthier breathing environment. For example, while we rely on the ozone level high in the sky to block harmful sun rays, ozone at ground level is known by another name – smog. It is created when sunlight interacts with pollutants and can be very harmful to our health. The plan should reduce smog levels and provide us with cleaner air to breathe.

Furthermore, one of the biggest signs of climate change is unusually hot and dry weather in certain parts of the country, which can lead to out-of-control wildfires and harmful particulates that damage your lungs. Strange weather patterns have also been blamed for an increase in allergies this year. By slowing the pace of climate change and keeping harmful pollutants out of the air, the Clean Power Plan can help you breathe easy.

If you have any concerns about the effect the Clean Power Plan will have on your energy prices or electrical work, call a knowledgeable electrician today.

The traditional lighting style–while tasteful and low-key–provides just the right touch when you want to draw the eye to a design focal point without overpowering it. Few lighting styles work as unobtrusively as transitional chandeliers while managing to showcase an advanced stylishness for discerning design aficionados. You can choose from Capitol’s vast selection of lighting features that include:

• Multiple glass shade shapes

• Brass, crystal and metal finishes to complement existing or planned furnishings

• Finishes that include bronze tones, gold accents, brushed nickel, polished nickel, clear and crystal

• Fixture styles that include pendant lights, chandeliers, mini chandeliers, island lights, flush-mounted lights, recessed lighting and track and rail lighting

• Bulb types that include incandescent, fluorescent, halogen and LED technologies

• Energy Star lighting efficiency

• Title 24 compliant

• Dimmable fixtures