Electric Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning! Time to dust, vacuum, throw out some old stuff, organize the shelves….but is it possible to Spring Clean your home’s power? As we approach the hot summer days and begin to fire up the air conditioner, there’s no better time then now to do some Electric Spring Cleaning!
Make your home more energy efficient this spring by doing a few simple things:
  • Change the tilt of your ceiling fan. Did you know that ceiling fans spin in two different directions? One way brings air up and the other way pushes air down. Using a step ladder, check the direction that your ceiling fan is rotating. It should be rotating to bring air up during the winter and rotating to push air down during the spring and summer to circulate the cold air from your air conditioner system
  • Have your air conditioning unit serviced. Having maintenance performed on your your air conditioner is a great way to make sure that it is working as efficiently as possible. The technician will remove any debris and dust that might be slowing air flow and can refill coolant levels.
  • Change light bulbs. Go through your home and make sure you have replaced all of your light bulbs with new, energy efficient bulbs like LED and compact fluorescent. These light bulbs use up to 10 times less energy than incandescent bulbs and can have a significant impact on your utility bill. Don’t forget to check on exterior light bulbs as these lights tend to get left on accidentally.
Spring is a great time to look around your home and identify projects that could be tackled. It is a time to start new and fresh, many people remove any tools they used to winterize their home and start to think about having the curtains open to let the sunshine in, spending time outdoors, and hosting pool parties or yard sales. Make sure that your home is ready for summer by giving your electrical usage a facelift too!
 

LED Outlet Covers

There was a time that outlet covers were just boring pieces of plastic that hid the metal housing and wiring of your outlets. Sometimes you could even find some ornate wooden covers or maybe even one with your favorite sports team’s logo emblazoned on it.

But one thing electrical outlet covers have never been known for was providing any sort of useful function other than decoration. With advancements in electrical technology, all that is changing! A simple thing like an outlet cover now has a purpose…an automatic, forever there, light!

Whether you want to call it a nightlight, accent light or guidelight…tiny LEDs have made it possible to put the lights directly into the covers, and have them draw their power (and very little power at that) directly from the outlet itself. Even better still, they are “light controlled”, so as the room darkens, the light comes on automatically. And since the light is built into the underside of the cover, both your outlets remain open for you to have access. There’s almost no reason at all why every outlet in every bathroom, hallway, kitchen or foyer shouldn’t have the soft glow of illumination coming from the outlets.

So what are you waiting for? Pick up yours today!