Antique architecture might be beautiful, but the electrical wiring in old houses doesn’t carry the same kind of charm. If you have an older home with an electrical system that hasn’t seen updates in a long time, you could be living in dangerous conditions without realizing it.

There are warning signs that may indicate your wiring is too old, but if you’re ever in doubt, there’s a fool-proof way to get an assessment of your system: Call in a professional! An expert will perform an in-depth inspection of your home’s wiring so you can be aware of the situation and the solutions for it.

With outdated wiring, you may notice strange signs from time to time. Some of them might occur with more regularity than others, but any instances at all can be cause for concern. In general, you’re at risk for having old wiring if your house is 40 years old or more. A few warning signs include:

Although old wiring can raise insurance premiums and keep you from using as many appliances as you’d like, the most important issue is safety. Over the course of time, the insulation surrounding the wires will break down until it eventually leaves the wiring exposed. The insulation protecting older wires doesn’t last as long as it does in newer installations. This means outdated electrical systems are much more likely to feature exposed wiring than those installed more recently.

With inner wiring exposed, the likelihood of short circuits and power failures goes up. Worse, deteriorated insulation translates to a much higher risk of suffering from electrical shocks or having fires break out in your home.

If you have any doubts about the wiring in your house, don’t take unnecessary risks. Ignoring the warning signs of an outdated electrical system can put you and your loved ones in danger. Beyond that, whatever money you might hope to save by not calling a professional would only go into repairs later on.

This post is the second in a series on energy-efficient lighting. We’re reviewing all kinds of spaces in homes and businesses to help you save energy.

Here are a few simple suggestions to save energy and hard-earned cash with your restaurant lights: 

Update Your Light Bulbs

Still using standard incandescent light bulbs? The fastest, simplest thing you can do to save energy is to update them. Whether they’re the ubiquitous A19 lamps, reflector lamps for your track lights, chandelier light bulbs in hanging fixtures, or decorative globe lights in the bathroom, you have tons of new energy-efficient options:

You must have heard how it’s important to unplug your mobile device chargers when they aren’t connected. That’s because these chargers continue to drain electricity. While this is a fact, the truth also is that the amount of power that mobile phones and other similar devices draw, is minuscule compared to the amount of power that larger electrical appliances and equipment in your home or commercial premises use.

The electronics we are referring to are the modern, advanced ones that have standby settings; they significantly escalate your utility bills even when they aren’t being used. These energy guzzlers can easily account for up to 10% of an average-size home’s energy consumption.

As mentioned at the start, mobile phone chargers are a very good example of energy guzzlers as they don’t perform any function when they aren’t charging the phones; and there is absolutely no downside to and ensuring they are unplugged most of the time. One more classic example is the microwave that uses more standby energy compared to a mobile device’s charger; this is because the former powers a digital clock.

But it’s common for people to leave that plugged in, as many people tend to use it to check the time when they are in the kitchen. These types of devices don’t account for sizeable energy wastage; however, video games, computer, flat screen TV and home theatre systems are entirely a different story. These appliances are becoming increasingly sophisticated and use advanced technology and over the years manufacturers have begun focusing more on the amount of time it takes for these machines to start up.

That is how the “standby mode” came into existence. That isn’t an “off” mode; when a device is in the “standby mode” it continues to draw power to keep various components and processes working; this helps “wake them” very quickly once you want to use them again. In most cases, the default standby settings aren’t the most energy-friendly, but you can customize them to suit your requirements. You will be able to find more information in the product manuals that come with these devices; alternatively, you can look in the device’s settings menu for the different power options.

Though these advanced technology electronics can be an energy-drain, the simplest and fail-safe method of preventing this from happening is to pull the plug. The sure-shot way to stop devices from driving up your utility bill is to disconnect them from the devices. If you find this too inconvenient, you can utilize power strips. When you hit the main power button on the power strip, the power gets fully disconnected even when you leave the strip plugged in.

The other way to add to the energy-efficiency of your home is to look for devices with higher energy star ratings when you are purchasing any new appliances and equipment. Check on which devices use less power when they are in standby mode as well. If you have any energy-efficiency concerns about any appliances and installations in your home, call Allround Electricals today.

Eric Lebersfeld and his dedicated Capitol Lighting team have expanded their reach and literally broadened the horizon toward “Making Lives Brighter.”  Together, they have enriched the lives of many and remain gratefully committed to their work with Habitat for Humanity.

Most recently, Habitat for Humanity Palm Beach County honored Lebersfeld at their gala celebration for his outstanding service and commitment.  Lebersfeld and the Capitol Lighting team remain faithful supporters of Habitat for Humanity and look forward to continuing the relationship and investing their resources in this noble organization.

Capitol contributions to Habitat for Humanity include:

•Donating over $100,000 in cash and products just this year.

•Investing their time and supporting the cause for almost 10 years.

•Developing the Making Lives Brighter Campaign with partner and spokesperson Rob-Van-Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice, to better serve the community and expand gift-giving capabilities.

• Bringing comfort to inhabitants, Capitol Lighting collects old lighting fixtures to be donated to Habitat and then offers donors a 10% discount towards new lighting purchases.

Members of the Capitol Lighting family enjoyed an evening of celebration and an awe-inspiring acknowledgement of their efforts on behalf of Habitat for Humanity.

For his work over the past 10 years, Habitat for Humanity Palm Beach County appointed Lebersfeld as an honoree.

Here are some excerpts from Lebersfeld’s speech at Habitat for Humanity’s Gala Celebration:

October 5, 2013

“So, how did it come to be that a little Jewish boy from New Jersey who sells lights for a living ends up being honored by a big international Christian Ministry that builds houses? “

Lebersfeld credits his parents, who taught him by their example to live his life in a certain way, to see what connects us as human beings, rather than what divides us:

“If one elevates their thinking just a little bit, we come to realize that the small differences between us are easily dwarfed by the commonalities we all share. 
The quality of a person is not made up by whom they know, what they have or how they look, but by who they are, what they create and how they can add to the lives of others.”

Lebersfeld went on to impart some of the history behind Capitol Lighting, a family-owned business that began in 1924 with his great-grandparents:

“Together, they started Capitol Lighting and began our mission to make lives brighter. 
They did this literally and figuratively. For almost 90 years, Capitol Lighting has been on a quest of making the lives of our customers, our communities, our vendors and most importantly, our employees – brighter”.

“Habitat’s stated mission is that of “building hope with homes”. Their organization is filled with dedicated and passionate people striving to provide deserving and hard working families with an incredible gift. They also have provided me personally and every member of my team who has worked on a habitat project the gift of allowing us to do a mitzvah – a good deed”.

“Our goals are aligned and Capitol’s and Habitat’s working together makes all the sense in world”.

Lebersfeld acknowledged with gratitude Capitol Lighting’s spokesperson, Rob Van Winkle, also known as Vanilla Ice, for boosting the Making Lives Brighter campaign and helping Capitol to donate well over $100,000 to Habitat.

He concluded his remarks by whole-heartedly thanking Habitat for Humanity for allowing Capitol Lighting the opportunity to support their good work: “It allows us to fulfill our mission while helping you fulfill yours”.

Lebersfeld also vowed his continued support for Habitat for Humanity, as he thanked Mike Campbell, director of Habitat, and Ana Vento of Vento Designs for making the evening such a success.

When you need electrical power but the nearest outlet is too far away for your device to reach, an extension cord can bridge the gap and bring the socket to you! Extension cords come in numerous shapes and sizes, and are intended for many different applications. However, are you choosing the right cord for your needs? Believe it or not, not all extension cords are created equal, and depending on the amount of energy you need and where you need it, you should carefully consider what cord you’re using. Check out our blog now to learn about the different types of cords and which one you should choose for the job.

While extension cords are great because they let you bring power virtually anywhere you need it, you should also think very carefully about where you will need this power, and where you plan on drawing the electricity from. Longer isn’t usually better, and in fact, the longer your extension cord is, the lower the delivered voltage will be. The more distance electricity must travel, the weaker it will be when it reaches you. This is because every cable has a certain amount of resistance, which causes your voltage to drop as well as produces heat. If you can help it, don’t use a 100-foot extension cord if you only need power about 20 feet away. You’ll bring better voltage over a shorter cable, and have less cable to manage during use as well.

On a related note, if you do have to bring electricity to a further-away distance, never link two extension cords together. This is a recipe for disaster. If you must bring electricity to a further-away distance, always upgrade to a longer cord that will meet your needs.

If you pull too much power through too small of a cord, you will draw too many amperes (or “amps” for short), and the cord itself being too small or having too much internal resistance will get hot and possibly fail, which could result in melting, sparks, and even a bad electrical fire. A device that uses more electricity, such as a major appliance like a stove or electric grill, should always be plugged into a larger-gauge extension cord, whereas smaller gauge cords are generally safe for use with things like laptop and phone chargers, low-energy lamps, and more.

Extension cords are a huge trip hazard, and the more you use one, the more likely it is that someone will eventually get tangled up and fall because of it. Be very cautious where you run your extension cords, and always make sure you secure them down with tape or cover them with a large carpet or rug to make sure nobody will accidentally become tangled in one.

If you own a business and find you are in constant need of an extension cord to a particular spot, you may want to consider calling a Marietta electrician and having them permanently install a new electrical outlet to get rid of the need to use an extension cord all together. This can significantly improve worker safety even save you money on your electric bill by helping your devices get the voltage they need easier.