Are you looking for a way to dodge the cold this winter but still enjoy the outdoors? Then why not consider a hot tub! The experts at Kolb Electric can wire a hot tub for your home easily. But there are some things you need to know before beginning installation. There are specific limitations and home wiring necessities before you can relax in your new hot tub.

Got more questions? Contact the experts at Kolb Electric today!

If you’re looking to complete a hot tub installation in MD, VA. or DC, you should first understand the electrical requirements. Most hot tubs need a dedicated 240V, GFCI circuit to safely provide them with the power they need to run. To meet your hot tub’s electrical needs, you need to make sure your home is running on at least a 100 amp electrical service. Most homes built in the past 50 years or so meet this requirement, and many homes built more recently even exceed this, with 150 – 200 amp service. However, if you live in a historic home in the area, you may need to upgrade your electrical service before any hot tub wiring can be done. A licensed electrician from Kolb Electric can perform what’s known as a “heavy up” to get your home’s electrical service standards up to par for a hot tub installation in MD, VA, or DC.

If your home is ready for hot tub wiring, it helps to understand some of the guidelines that are outlined in the National Electrical Code (NEC), specifically ones dealing with hot tub installations. For instance, it is a violation of the NEC to install a hot tub under power lines. Additionally, you should avoid installing low-voltage lighting within 10 feet of your hot tub.

For all your hot tub wiring needs in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, contact the electricians at Kolb Electric today—877-287-1179877-287-1179 or click here!

Do you have enough smoke alarms in your home? The odds are probably not if we’re going by statistical averages, and if you’re here reading along then you also are probably thinking about installing more. Which is good! But you might also be thinking about wiring them yourself, and that might not be the best option you have. Why? Today the certified professionals at Hoffman Electrical are here to help you understand.

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.

The certified experts at Kolb Electric are fresh from the new year and ready to impart some more great advice! Looking to set a resolution that is easy to keep, and puts cash directly back into your wallet? As electric specialists, we naturally know lots of ways to use energy, but we also know some cool ways to not use electricity too!

We’re not going to suggest anything as radical as a solar energy overhaul, and most of these resolutions are simple behavior changes or little fixes. So follow along, and you just may find yourself with a lower electric bill this month!

We don’t claim to have all of the answers, but you can be sure we do our best to know everything there is to know about electricity! If you’re interested in learning how the professionals at Kolb can assist you in reducing energy costs, contact us today!

At Kolb, our master electricians have been providing the very best in service, skill and technology for years. It is our endless goal to bring our consumers the highest quality solutions to meet their every energy need. For electrical services you can trust, call on Kolb!

Scams are nothing new in the Tampa area. For years and years, unscrupulous folks have been trying to cheat homeowners out of their money. And in the dead of summer, scamming is at its worst! All kinds of unsavory folks come out of the woodwork, offering false claims about electrical, lighting, and other contract work that they have no intention of actually doing.