Author Archives: Candy

Choosing the Right Santa Monica Electrician for You

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When you need something taken care of around your house or business, you want to hire somebody who is going to get the job done right. You need to be able to trust the person you hire to come into your home or business and essentially invade your private space. It is important you find the right company that will make you feel as if you are in good hands and your business is valuable. When you are hiring somebody to do technical work, like a Santa Monica electrician, it is even more important. Electrical work can be dangerous when left to somebody who doesn’t have the knowledge necessary to complete a job that meets safety regulations. Fortunately, you can count on the team at H Electric to meet each of the following traits.

*Reliable—You need to be confident an electrician will show up for an appointment. Electricity is pretty important and you cannot afford to put off electrical problems until somebody decides to show up.

*Licensed and Bonded-It is too dangerous to allow an unlicensed contractor into your home. You need that extra layer of comfort knowing the person working in your home has met the standards set forth by your local government. It means they have passed a knowledge test and are capable of taking care of your job. A bond is a layer of insurance for you and the contractor should anything happen to the electrician. Santa Monica homeowners whose homes are damaged or the contractor is injured will be covered by the bond.

*Professional-You want an electrician who is professional in appearance as well as demeanor. This is especially important for business owners who want to maintain a positive image. Electricians who are in uniform make them easy to identify and help achieve a professional image overall.

If you are in need of a Santa Monica electrician who meets all these requirements, give H Electric a call today.

5 Ways to Beat the Heat by Electrician in Santa Monica

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It is hot outside! If you are sweltering in your own home, you need to read these tips to learn how to stay cool without running your electric bill up. Right now, everybody is doing what they can to keep their homes cool and many are lowering their thermostats hoping to beat the heat. That creates a massive demand on the power grid and could ultimately cause a blackout. The power grid is not always prepared to keep up with the demands of the city. You can do your part by using these tips provided by your electrician in Santa Monica. If you need more information, give H Electric a call.

1-Close your windows and doors. Opening the windows to allow “fresh air” in is ineffective at cooling your house when the outside air is significantly higher than the air inside your home. Open your windows at night and first thing in the morning, but close them around 10 when it starts to heat up.

2-Close the blinds and curtains. Use heavy curtains to effectively block the sun. This is especially important for those south facing windows. One handy trick that can help on the hottest days is to use an auto sun visor with the reflective backing on it placed in a window.

3-Get that ceiling fan going on high. You can set your thermostat 4 degrees higher and still feel as comfortable as you would with it lower when you have a nice breeze blowing on you. If you normally keep your thermostat at 76, turn it up to 80 to save on your Santa Monica electrical bill.

4-Don’t use the oven if at all possible. If you need to cook, do it on the BBQ or the stovetop.

5-Do not run the clothes dryer during the day. Run it first thing in the morning or late at night. Or, dry your clothes outside.

If you would like to learn more, give H Electric a call today.

3 Tips for Power Outages by Santa Monica Electrician

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Have you experienced one of Mother Nature’s wild storms yet this summer? It can be exciting to watch lightning streak across the sky or listen to the rain pound down on the roof. However, sometimes, the weather proves to be a little too much for our power grids and we are left in the dark in the aftermath of a particularly violent storm. There are also plenty of accidents that can leave us without power for several hours while linemen work on restoring the power. What do you do in the meantime? A Santa Monica electrician has some tips to help you ride out a power outage with losing money to wasted food and damaged electronics. You can call H Electric to learn more.

1-The moment the power goes out, start unplugging your flat screen televisions, your gaming systems, computers and other appliances that have sensitive electrical components. When the power comes back on, it will surge into the house because of all the items that are plugged in demanding the electricity. This creates a spike that can damage some electronics. If you want to avoid these damaging power surges, consider having a whole-home surge protector installed by an electrician. Santa Monica residents can protect their electronics from surges that occur on a daily basis.

2-Let everybody in the house know the refrigerator and freezer need to be left closed for the time being. Opening the doors will allow the cool air to escape and your food will spoil. You can expect your refrigerator to keep your food cool for 4 hours and your freezer for 24 hours if the doors remain shut.

3-Report the outage to your electric company. Typically a hot line is set up that will provide you with information about how long the outage is expected to last.

If you have any more questions about how to deal with a power outage, give H Electric a call today.

Kitchen Facelift with Electrician in Santa Monica

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If you have ever watched those home makeover shows, you know the kitchen is one of the most common rooms in the house to get a facelift. Many realtors assert the kitchen is one of the most valuable rooms in the house and deserves the most attention. Well, if you want to give your kitchen a little makeover or a big makeover, it is a wise investment. You will need an electrician in Santa Monica to help you with some of the electrical work that is often a part of any remodel or upgrade job. The team at H Electric is familiar with what needs to happen to make your remodel a success.

Common jobs for a kitchen upgrade and remodel include giving the cupboards a fresh paint job. You can make the new paint really stand out by updating the hardware to give the room a fresh, new look. This is something you can do on a weekend without the help of a professional contractor. You can complement your new hardware with a brand new light fixture. This will need to be handled by a professional electrician who knows the ins and outs of Santa Monica electrical systems.

Your remodel may also include updating your appliances with new, more energy efficient appliances. This is a big job, but can really change the look and feel of your kitchen. You will be saving money on your monthly electric bill as well. If you want to change up where your appliances are placed in the kitchen or maybe you need new wiring to handle the electrical demands of the new appliances, you will need an electrician’s services. There are plenty of little things you can do on your own, but for the big, electrical jobs you will feel better knowing it was handled by somebody who knows what they are doing. Give H Electric a call today and schedule your kitchen upgrades.

Electric Cars Aided by Santa Monica Electrician

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Every summer gas prices go up. We know it is going to happen, but when it does, it still stings. It seems like that extra $25 you were putting to the side every week vanishes as you end up putting more money into your gas tank. It is a vicious cycle, but you do have an option. You can invest in an electric car. However, an electric car will not do you a lot of good if it is never charged. If you are considering purchasing an electric car, you may also want to think about hiring a Santa Monica electrician to install a special outlet for a Level II electric car charger. The team at H Electric can help you with this.

You may have realized electric car chargers are not all the same. The standard charger that is often sold with an electric car is a Level I. This charger will charge your new electric car, but it will take about 24 hours to do that. If your car isn’t charged, you will need to rely on gas, which defeats the purpose of buying electric car in the first place. To be fair, the Level I is much less expensive than the Level II, which is often a major selling point.

However, for those who drive their cars five days a week or run a lot of errands and simply can’t leave their electric car on the charger for a full 24 hours, the faster charger is worth the extra cost. The Level II chargers require more electricity to charge and will need a 240-volt outlet, which will need to be installed by an electrician. Santa Monica homeowners can choose to have the outlet installed in a garage, carport or wherever the car will be parked. If you would like more information about the fast car chargers or have questions about the outlets, give H Electric a call today.

Relax Outside in Comfort with Electrician in Santa Monica

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Do you love getting home from work and heading straight out the back door with your favorite icy beverage? Maybe you enjoy sitting outside in your favorite lawn chair or sitting at the picnic table. It isn’t long before you either decide it’s too hot or the bugs are a little too much for you and you can’t enjoy the fresh air. But, you can with an outdoor room outfitted to suit your every need with the help of an electrician in Santa Monica. The crew at H Electric is here to help you so you can enjoy the outdoors all year round, day or night.

An outdoor room is an extension of your home with screens for walls. You can make your outdoor room a sitting area or a full kitchen. The possibilities are endless with a little creativity and the help of an electrician familiar with Santa Monica electrical needs. Your outdoor sitting room can be as simple as three screened walls with a nice outdoor sofa or more elaborate with a television, lights and all the conveniences of your own living room.

If it is a kitchen you had in mind, you will need a little more electrical work. Your kitchen can be anything from the very basic things like a grill and a counter space to something much more elaborate. A full kitchen that includes a refrigerator and all the outlets you need to run your favorite appliances is a possibility. Ceiling fans are an excellent addition to your outdoor room and can help keep you comfortable when the temperatures are soaring. Take the time to browse through a few magazines and visit your home store to see just what you have to choose from. When you have chosen the features you want in your room, give H Electric a call and take the next step to having your own room outside.

Spring Into Summer with Ceiling Fan Says Santa Monica Electrician

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It is time to make those little improvements around the house you have been putting off throughout the winter. One of the jobs you should strongly consider is the installation of a ceiling fan. A ceiling fan adds beauty to your living room, bedroom or dining room. It isn’t all about the beauty of a room. There is also a financial reason to have a ceiling fan installed. They can save you money on your electric bill by reducing your heating and cooling costs. How you ask? A Santa Monica electrician is here to explain it all to you. If you have more questions, give H Electric a call.

During the summer months, hot air often gets trapped near the ceiling. This can make a room a little stuffy and uncomfortable. Your first reaction is probably to turn up the AC. This is going to cost you money. Instead of reaching for the thermostat, turn on a ceiling fan. The fan will pull the stagnant air up while creating a breeze that keeps you a little more comfortable. This will keep you from heading for the thermostat.

During the winter, the fan works just the opposite and pushes the hot air back down into the room to keep you warm. A ceiling fan requires much less electricity to run than a furnace or air conditioner. You will need to have the ceiling fan installed by an electrician. Santa Monica residents can have a single fan installed or several throughout the house for added energy savings. Most fans are equipped with lights so your electrician can swap out the existing light fixture with the ceiling fan. Many fans on the market today are equipped with remote controls for those with vaulted ceilings. If you are ready to schedule your ceiling fan installation, give H Electric a call today.

Quick and Easy Ways to Save Electricity Says Electrician in Santa Monica

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Would you like to have an extra $20 to $40 in your bank account each month? Of course you would! You can add the money to your grocery fund or put it away for a rainy day. No matter what you decide to do with it, it just makes sense to reduce spending on things you are not using like wasted electricity. An electrician in Santa Monica has some advice on how to reduce your monthly electric bill and put a little more money in your pocket every month. You can always call H Electric to learn more about energy savings.

*Enforce the practice of shutting off lights, televisions, gaming systems and radios when not in use.
*If you are going to be gone for the day at work or school, unplug all of your small appliances, gadget chargers and computer equipment. This will reduce your use of phantom power.
*Have a Santa Monica electrical safety inspection to evaluate your home’s current wiring to determine whether you need upgrades to avoid costly damage to your appliances.
*Reduce the length of your current regular shower by a few minutes. When you add up 3 minutes 7 days a week, that is about 2 showers per week you can save and reduce the need for your water heater to heat water.
*Only wash full loads of clothes in the washer and use cold water whenever possible.
*Use the air dry cycle on the dishwasher.
*Consider using LED lights to reduce your lighting costs.
*Install a ceiling fan to cut down on the need for the air conditioner in the summer and the furnace in the winter.
*Line dry your clothing or invest in a drying rack to dry your clothes overnight or while you are at work.

These are just a few things you can do today to save a little money every month. If you would like more tips or would like to have a ceiling fan installed, give H Electric a call today.

Spring has Sprung–Electrician in Santa Monica is Here to Help

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You can probably already hear the sounds of springs as well as the visible signs like tulips sprouting and preparing to bloom along with all the other flowering trees that are preparing to bestow us with their beauty. You can’t help but want to get out in the yard and start preparing your flower beds and landscaping for another spring season. If you have been thinking about getting electric lights in your landscaping, there is no time like the present to do so. Give your electrician in Santa Monica a call today and get a jumpstart on your spring landscaping needs. The team at H Electric is here to help you.

You may have been using solar lights in the past and have probably discovered they are not always reliable. The installation is certainly easy enough, but unfortunately, the lights don’t always stay lit throughout the night or they grow weak after just a few hours. Landscape lighting is meant to provide a level of safety to your yard as well as enhance the beauty of those flower beds you have been working on.

You can avoid the fading light problem by contacting your local electrician. Santa Monica homeowners can opt to have electric landscape lighting installed that stays bright all night long. The lights take a little more work to install than the solar lights, but they are also more flexible. Meaning, you can place electric lights under trees, brush and shady areas without worrying about the sun charging the light. An electrician will install a timer during the installation process. This will allow you to set the lights to come on at dusk and off at dawn. If you are ready to add another level of beauty to your yard, give H Electric a call today and schedule your landscape lighting installation.

Interior Lighting Solutions with Electrician in Santa Monica

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We live in a time when technology is constantly evolving. There are always newer and better ways to make our lives a little easier. With the focus on green technology, there has been more development in things that will use less energy in order to conserve natural resources. One of the latest and greatest things to hit the world of interior home lighting are LED light strips. An electrician in Santa Monica is here to explain what the strips are and how you can make them work for you. You can call H Electric to learn more.

LED light strips are sold in various lengths. You will have the freedom to cut the strip to your desired length. An electrician will go about wiring the strips to a plug and mounting the strips where you choose. One of the most popular places for the strips to be mounted is underneath the cupboards in your kitchen. The lights are very bright. It only takes a few mounted under a cupboard to light up an entire counter space.

You can also have the LED strips mounted in areas like your closet, pantry or even on your headboard by an electrician. Santa Monica residents will appreciate the extra light in areas that tend to be dim. Overhead lights are easily blocked by clothes hanging. With an LED strip, you won’t have to worry about that. One of the best parts about these new light strips is the cost savings you will see on your electric bill. LEDs take very little electricity to run, but still put out an exceptional amount of light. They are small and will not take up any precious space in your home. If you are ready to brighten up the dark spaces in your home, give H Electric a call today.