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Santa Monica Electrician – Keeping Children Safe Around Electrical Outlets

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As your children grow from infants into toddler, it becomes very important to protect them from many of the dangerous aspects of our home. One of the most fundamental ways to do this is by protecting all electrical outlets with tamper proof covers, to ensure that they do not get so curious about the outlet that they stick a conductive toy into the outlet itself. Whenever a child sticks a finger or other foreign object, it exposes them to a significant risk of being shocked or burned. To reduce these risks, there are a variety of different solutions available, either for you to install yourself or with the help of your electrician in Santa Monica, that can help you improve the safety in your home.

It is estimated that each year more than 2,400 children will be injured after placing metal objects into electrical outlets. More than 95% of these injuries will result in burns, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). While these burns will range widely in severity, some will result in serious or deadly injuries. Even when a child receives only a minor burn, they can be left traumatized. Because a child’s skin is thin, it offers much less protection than an adult’s skin. This means that any burn to a child’s skin is much more serious than one to an adult.

Even if you think that you provide sufficient supervision for your child, it is estimated that 70% of all of these injuries occur while an adult is watching them. All it takes is one quick second and a very inquisitive child to result in an electrical injury. Protect yourself and protect your children by taking the appropriate steps to keep them safe. If you need any help, advice or guidance, visit the H Electric website at www.electriciansantamonica.org.

Electrician Santa Monica – What Are Transfer Switches?

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Chances are, you’ve done considerable amount of research when choosing a new generator for your home or business. Because this is such a large ticket item, it is only natural that you spend a reasonable amount of time exploring different options. Whenever this choice has been made, however, don’t forget that you have yet another choice to make. You must make the important choice of which transfer switch to install. The transfer switch will help you make a smooth transition from your traditional electricity source to generator power. Here are a few tips from your electrician in Santa Monica for choosing the right switch for your generator.

What Is a Transfer Switch?

Transfer switches come in both automatic and manual varieties. Its job is to redirect your electricity from your primary source to your backup power source. This type of switch is normally used for generators that are hardwired into a home or business.

Manual or Automatic?

The differences between manual and automatic are pretty basic. A manual switch requires someone to physically make the switch in order to change power sources. An automatic transfer switch does everything on its own, and does not require any intervention from the owner at all. Any time power is lost, an automatic transfer switch detects this power loss and switches you from standard to backup power.

Regardless of which type of transfer switch that you choose to install, it is important to employ the services of your local electrician Santa Monica to ensure that it is installed by properly and safely. An improperly installed switch can lead to both inefficient operation and even electrical safety hazards, depending on how it is installed. For the best results, always work directly with your local electrician. To learn more about installing a backup power generator, contact any of our technicians at H Electric at any time.

Santa Monica Electrician – Pros and Cons to Nuclear Energy

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There are many different arguments on both sides of using nuclear energy. Although it is in many cases seen as a bad thing, there can be many benefits for communities relying on nuclear energy. When used properly, nuclear power can actually be a very efficient and highly effective energy source for many areas of the world.

Many people are not aware, but nuclear power can be more energy efficient than a number of other alternative energy sources. With today’s technology, the plants used to generate the electricity are both fairly inexpensive to construct and cheap to run. Despite the high-profile accidents of the past, nuclear power plants today follow a set of strict guidelines, and have a very good safety record.

One of the benefits of using nuclear power is the relatively small land area that is required to place a nuclear power plant. Other alternative sources of energy, such as hydro electricity, use huge plots of land, which could be used for other pursuits. Nuclear power utilizes a small land area, largely because it does not require a large amount of fuel to generate its electricity. As a result, it results in a very economical energy source that will remain for years to come.

A downside to nuclear energy is the nuclear waste that is generated. Though there is a relatively small amount of waste generated, it has a very long life, which means that it must be safely stored for many years to prevent it from contaminating the environment. Nuclear power plants also run the risk of some of the catastrophic disasters that have occurred in years past. That being said, this is very unlikely and nuclear waste is handled in a very safe and efficient manner.

Although your electricity may come from solar, hydro-electric, natural gas, coal or nuclear energy, it all works the same once it reaches your home. Your electrician in Santa Monica ensures that your home’s electrical system is safe and ready to receive electricity from whichever source your local utility chooses to use. If you have any questions about your electrical system, or sources of electricity, get in touch with us at H Electric (electriciansantamonica.org). We’d be more than happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Electrician Santa Monica – Why You Should Upgrade to Energy Star Appliances

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The amount of electricity that we require on a day to day basis is at an all time high, due to a growth in both population and the advancement of technology. Because of this, we are more dependent on electricity to live in the manner that we are used to. Although this is a great thing, which has resulted in a handful of appliances that make our lives much easier, it also means that we contribute at a higher level to many environmental practices that can be harmful to the world that we live in. To counteract this, the US Government developed the Energy Star rating system to rate appliances according to their energy efficiency and usage. Whenever you decide that it is time to upgrade your appliance, H Electric recommends that you select appliances that are energy star rated so that you can both reduce your electric bills and lower your carbon footprint.

What Exactly Is Energy Star?

Regardless of whether you need the help of an electrician in Santa Monica to install your new appliance, or if you can just plug it in and get started, Energy Star ratings ensure that the equipment that you are using is energy efficient, high quality and built to last. To receive this rating, an appliance must meet a variety of different rules and regulations. Testing is done to determine where an appliance stands on performance and energy consumption against the current standards in these categories. The result of this is that you know that the energy star appliance that you purchase will be more efficient, durable and long-lasting than a similar appliance that is not rated.

Although the big-ticket items such as refrigerators, dishwashers, washers and dryers are the main ones to look out for, you should also consider buying energy star rated LED Light bulbs and other small items. These items are tested in the same way, and can create a cumulative effect on your overall energy consumption. To learn more about energy star, or for assistance choosing and installing appliances, just give us a call.

Santa Monica Electrician – Protecting Your Electrical System from Rodents

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Rodents can be a huge bother if they get into your home. They nibble on boxes and food in your cupboards, chew through your walls and cause all other sorts of damage that is definitely unwanted. You may be aware of these damages, but are you aware of the damages that a few rodents can cause to your electrical wiring? This type of damage can be hard to detect. You may not even find it until it results in dangerous shorts or electrical fires.

Any size rodent can get into your home through a seemingly impassible hole or crevasse. Whenever these rodents start targeting your electrical system, you are in trouble. Though you may think that you have fixed the problem, all it takes is a single frayed wire to cause a huge issue. Although some people believe that rodents like to chew on electrical wiring, it is really because rodents must constantly chew in order to keep their teeth filed down. Whenever they choose to do this on your nicely insulated electrical wires, this becomes quite a problem for any homeowner.

Your wiring is covered in a thick plastic insulation in order to both contain heat and keep the inner wires from coming into contact with other conductive materials. When the rodents chew on this insulation, it begins to wear away, leading to exposed wiring. In order to fix this, you must have an electrician in Santa Monica come out and asses your electrical system for damage. They can then fix the damaged areas of your electrical system. In addition to having the damage fixed, you must take steps to remove the pests from your home and keep them out if at all possible. Fixing the damage does you no good if they come right back and chew again.

For help with any damaged wiring, call our team at H Electric. You can also learn more about all of the services that we offer at www.electriciansantamonica.org.

Electrician Santa Monica – Installing Christmas Lights Without Tripping Your Breakers

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In just another month or so, it will be that time of year again: time to put up Christmas lights. The ritual of putting Christmas lights on our homes may be the world’s largest collective experience with electrical danger. In an effort to outdo our neighbors and overzealous Christmas light hangers down the streets, we put our breakers to the test by attempting to string up as many lights in the most convenient way possible. This sometimes means plugging string after string of lights into a single socket so that we only have to switch one switch. Is this safe? Rather than risking a home fire, or having to make an extra call to your electrician in Santa Monica, take a few extra precautions and wire your Christmas lights the smart way.

Overloads

If you live in a newer home, there is very little chance that you will actually overload your entire system with holiday lights. How many lights, however, should you plug into a particular circuit? Your circuit breakers are designed to trip whenever the circuit breaker becomes overloaded, overheated or if there is a short from a damaged wire somewhere.

Determining Circuit Capacity

The solution to this is determining how much can be plugged into a single circuit. Find the circuit that serves your outdoor electrical outlet and look at the number on one end of the breaker switch. It is normally 15 or 20 (amps). You can then multiply this number by 120 (volts) in order to find the total amount of watts that the circuit can handle. You then multiply that number by 0.8 to find the total amount of wattage that is safe for that circuit.

You can then check the wattage on each string of lights and add them up to make sure that you are not overloading that particular circuit. While this may seem to take extra time, it can actually be a fairly quick process once you get started, especially if you are using the same type of light strings. For additional assistance, or electrical advice, call us at H Electric. You can find all of our contact information and resources on other electrical topics at www.electriciansantamonica.org.

Santa Monica Electrician Knows If It’s Time to Switch to LED Lighting

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Over the last few years, lighting technologies have changed in leaps and bounds. While the incandescent bulb was the standard for many years, more energy efficient options such as the Compact Fluorescent (CFL) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) have become more available, more popular and more affordable. As more people try to both lower their electric bills and reduce their impact on the environment, LED lighting has increased in demand rapidly over the last couple years. Because of this, lighting suppliers have responded and are creating more LED bulbs than ever before.

Why Switch?

There are many reasons to switch to an LED bulb, regardless of whether you are lighting a small home or a large business. One of the greatest benefits that the LED offers is its superior lifespan. The average LED light will last about 100,000 hours. This means that a single LED bulb could last as long as 11 years. Chances are, you’ll probably have your electrician in Santa Monica in to change out the fixture before you change out your bulb. In addition to their long lifespan, LEDs use substantially less electricity than incandescent and much less than a CFL. As a result, switching to LEDs uses less electricity and lasts longer.

What About Price?

Price is often one of the most prohibitive factors when it comes to switching to LEDs. Despite their extensive lifespan and attractive electrical usage, LED bulbs are still much more expensive than alternatives. Because of this, many people do not choose them when replacing their bulbs. To combat this, you can either remind yourself that the bulbs will last longer and use less electricity, or attempt to find price reductions by buying in bulk.

If you have any questions about LEDs, or need some help buying and installing new bulbs, give us a call at H Electric.