Today’s homes have more electrical demands placed on them than ever before. Due to this, electrical safety has become a bigger concern. If you’ve upgraded your electrical panel in recent years, then you likely have little to worry about, but if you haven’t even had your electrical system inspected in the last decade or so by a professionally trained electrician, then this blog post is definitely for you. The good news, is there are some relatively easy upgrades you can make to prevent problems with your electrical system, including reducing the risk of electrical shock and even electrical fire.
Remember though, it’s always important that you trust a licensed and experienced electrician. Electrical work isn’t something that homeowners should attempt on their own, since it can create further safety issues. Our professionals are knowledgeable about current building codes and what’s required to keep your home not only efficient, but safe too. Read on as we uncover some of the electrical jobs we recommend you schedule to protect your household.
Replace Your Old Outlets
Do you have standard three-pronged outlets in your home, or even older two-pronged outlets? If you haven’t yet upgraded to GFCI and AFCI outlets in your household, which are now the standard for home construction, then you’ll want to do so ASAP.
These outlets can be recognized by their two buttons between the sockets, which are marked test and reset. They’re literally designed to protect from electrical shock and electrical fires be detecting when there is an imbalance between the “hot” and “neutral” slots of the socket. If an imbalance exists, it means that electricity is flowing to the ground, potentially through a person, and the outlet immediately trips a breaker and shuts off the electricity flow. GFCI outlets should be installed anywhere that water could be present–your bathrooms, kitchen, and outdoors–while AFCI outlets should be installed in all other locations, particularly where people sleep.
Replace Old Wiring and Electrical Panels
Your electrical panel is where the electricity in your home is divided into various circuits. There are circuit breakers in the panel that will trip in order to protect the electrical system when there’s a voltage overload. If your electrical panel is over a decade old, or if it uses fuses rather than breakers, we encourage you to have a new panel put in. An upgraded electrical panel will help your system deal with the increased amount of electricity that homes use today, and it will help prevent electrical fires.
Lastly, if you have a fuse box, it’s important for you to know that these are very outdated, inefficient, and potentially even dangerous as they cannot handle the voltage of modern homes.
Kid-Proof Your Outlets
If you have kids, you probably already know the basics of child-proofing your electrical outlets, i.e. having the little plastic pieces you can plug into the outlet itself. But did you know that you can actually buy GFCI and AFCI outlets that are tamper-resistant? Ask our electricians about this in order to add an extra layer of protection for your home and family.
For a reliable electrician in Ludlow, VT, look no further than HB Energy Solutions. Contact us today!
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