It’s always easy to tell when summer rolls around.  The temperature outside soars, and so does your electricity bill.  Wouldn’t it be great if a top Dallas electrician could save you money on your electric bill?

Everyone knows why your bills get so expensive; you’re running your AC almost all the time.  In fact, the condenser for your air conditioning unit uses more electricity during the summer months than any other appliance in your home, even notorious energy hogs like your refrigerator. There are things an electrician can do to save you money, and electric safety tips you need to know to protect your home, business, and loved ones from disaster.

These days most people call an AC service company the minute an air conditioning problem comes up.   That isn’t always the correct move, though.  In my experience, about half of all the problems that arise with air conditioning systems are electrical problems.  Some of my best customers began using my service because I could help them figure out whether they should be calling an electrician or an HVAC technician to solve their problem.  Obviously, if the problem is the AC unit or condenser, an AC repairman is the way to go, but he doesn’t necessarily understand the details of your home or business electrical system.  There are a few things you should know about your air conditioner from the electrician’s point of view.

For many people the basement is a place of escape and for others it is simply a place for storage. With all the room underneath you, you don’t want it to go to waste. Renovating your basement can greatly increase the value of your home if it is unfinished or in need of an update. One important point to remember is the electrical wiring hiding behind the walls.

If you bought your home and it was already finished, that work could have been done many years ago and you might be thinking it is time to update fixtures, paint, and maybe evening moving a wall. When you begin pulling things apart, be careful for loose or old wires. If the electrical work was not done right, there could be loose electrical wires that were not tied in properly.  The wiring can also be old and out of date. If you are moving walls or replacing fixtures and you are worried about the age of the wiring, have a licenced electrician come to inspect your wiring. If you are going to go through the effort of redoing your basement you want to make sure it is done right.

For those who have an unfinished basement you have a clean slate to work from. Once you start putting up the framing for rooms, you can start on the electrical rough in. This is the foundation for the electrical wires, which includes drilling holes in the framing and running the wires to where they need to go. If this is not done correctly it could leave you with a significant headache once your drywall is up and you have to punch a hole in the brand new wall.

When you are planning out your new layout, make not of where each outlet, light switch, and light fixture will be placed. This will help you plan out the electrical rough-in. If you have reached this point in your basement renovation and don’t know where to go from there – contact Expert Electric. Our electricians can help you with the planning and running the wires through your basement.

Most electrical panels are located in the basement. Prior to your renovation, you probably could easily access the panel. When you are putting up framing and drywall, be sure to leave enough room around the panel for it to easily open. You also want to make sure not to cover it with furniture that could prevent you from accessing it quickly. In the event that you need to turn on a tripped breaker or even turn off a circuit in an emergency, you don’t want to be struggling with furniture to get the panel open.

Before you renovate your basement, have a plan and be prepared.

Many older homes have old wiring systems and obsolete switchboards and fuse boxes. These have very poor functioning and are unable to provide proper supply to the type of devices that are used in the home today. Over the last few decades there has been significant advancement in circuit breaker technology and many people are now proactively getting these old ceramic fuse boxes replaced with current-day circuit breakers.

However, as mentioned earlier, there are some older homes that still have these re-wireable fuses. This is largely because people aren’t aware of the dangers these fuse installations pose. Those who have heard it’s important to upgrade to circuit breakers feel that it’s just something people do because their electrical contractors tell them they should.

The rationalisation they have for it is that when they haven’t faced any issues with it for so many decades, there must be nothing wrong with it. They feel it’s just a way in which electrical companies make some money by telling their clients this and getting them to upgrade to newer systems. They couldn’t be further from the truth. Here is a list of all the dangers associated with re-wireable fuses:

Most people, electricians or otherwise, tend to use regular copper wires to replace the melted fuse wire. They aren’t really aware that a fuse wire is different from a common copper wire and that the latter isn’t designed to take the load of the circuit. In many ways, this inappropriate replacement in itself is a problem. And when the fuse blows again, they simply take another wire and replace the older one.

What they fail to realise is that fuse wires generally have very low melting points. Contrastingly, normal copper wires have a very high melting point. In addition, it’s not possible to standardise the current carrying capacity of these wires as that depends on how they have been positioned inside the base and the fuse carrier.

As you can see, re-wireable fuses are a distinct danger and this is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s best not to wait till a catastrophe occurs. Simply call Allround Electrical for an evaluation of the electrical installations and the old fuse box in your home. We will provide objective advice and a reasonable quote for replacing the re-wireable fuses in your home. The number to call is 1300 169 263. You can also drop us a line via email or use this online contact form.

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When it comes to lighting areas where color accuracy is crucial, such as portrait studios, retail stores, hospitals, medical and commercial offices, display cases, and warehouses, a high color-rendering index (CRI) is key. CRI refers to how accurately a light source reveals the true colors of objects, people, and surroundings and involves a distinct testing method with comparisons to incandescent light or daylight.

The spectral graph below can be helpful in understanding the advantage of high-CRI light sources. Lights with a low CRI will show fewer colors while high-CRI lights cover more of the spectrum. A light source’s ability to show more colors increases its accuracy in revealing the true colors of people, objects, and surroundings.

can light, linear light, or other high-CRI bulb or fixture. Lights with a CRI of 80 or higher are considered to show colors most accurately. The photo below shows how different CRIs can affect colors and skin tone.