Save Money on Your Electric Bill This Fall and Winter

Winter is right around the corner, so start preparing now! In many homes during the fall and winter you tend to have higher electricity bills due to the increase in use of heating systems and other electrical appliances. However, there are many low-cost ways you can take to keep power consumption to a minimum. Below are some tips on how to save on your electricity bills:

Fix Up Your Home for the Winter- Find drafty windows around the house that bring the cold outdoor air into your home and cover them with plastic film along with thick insulating drapes to prevent the heat from escaping. Also, you should look for damage or leaks in piping around the house and seal them immediately to prevent unnecessary damage caused to the structure. Before the winter sets in, ensure that you inspect the heating system for any damage or leak and improve their fuel efficiency.

Make Small Adjustments to the Heating System- A major source of power consumption during the winter is the heating system, but with a few small tweaks you can save a considerable amount on your electric bill. If you are at home during the day, adjust the thermostat to the lowest possible temperature while ensuring that you are warm and comfortable. If you are outside the house, you can leave the thermostat roughly 15° higher than normal to save up to 10% on the electric bill. If you do not think you’d be able to do that they have programmable thermostats. A programmable thermostat is a thermostat which is designed to adjust the temperature according to a series of programmed settings that take effect at different times of the day. We can’t forget about your electric water heater, you can always put it on a timer as well.

Some other miscellaneous task you can do which can decrease your bills - During the winter , take advantage of sunlight and heat by opening all south facing windows during the day and shutting them at night.

Switching to low energy LED lighting systems can also help you in your energy saving efforts.

Here at Quality Electric we strive to help and make our customers happy. If you have any comments, questions or concerns about this blog, please feel free to contact us! 

Quality Electric Service 

www.qualityelectricservice.com

609.861.1409

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Avoiding Electrical Fire Disasters

Did you know that 53% of residential fires involve electrical wiring, which are hidden behind the faceplates on your light switches? Flying sparks are obvious, but lots of other electrical danger signs are more subtle. Keeping an eye out for these five warning signs below, this can be the difference between fire prevention and a fiery disaster.

Loose ends on extension cords. If your extension cord has loose ends, or you tried to bandaged an extension cord with electrical tape, it’s time to replace it. Damaged cords may have exposed live wires that lead to shock and fire hazards.

Tripping GFI outlets. A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFI) is an outlet typically located in kitchens and bathrooms – often within six feet of a water source – that prevents people from being electrocuted. These outlets immediately stop the flow of electricity (and “trip”) when they sense the slightest change in the current. If your GFI starts tripping repeatedly, you probably have an electrical problem or a worn-out GFI outlet receptacle. If that is the case you can contact us and we will fix this issue.

Wobbly ceiling fans. If your ceiling fan isn’t rotating evenly, your device either isn’t correctly mounted to the electrical box, your blades are unbalanced or your blades are warped. If it is not your blades being unbalanced we suggest calling an electrician (like us) to fix damaged wires and electrical boxes.

Inappropriate bulb wattage. Using a bulb that has a higher wattage than recommended is a fire hazard and may overheat the light fixture. If you are dealing with a fixture with multiple bulbs or a strand of lights, check all of the bulbs individually and replace them as needed. Be consistent with the bulbs’ wattage in this situation.

Warm faceplates. If your faceplate is warm to the touch, you probably have an oversized electrical load operating on that unit. Monitor any warm faceplate you find. If the problem persists, or the faceplate becomes hot to the touch, give us a call!

Quality Electric is here for you and can fix every electrical need in your home. Don’t hesitate to give us a call if you are having any of these issues listed above. We want our customers to be safe!

Quality Electric Service 
www.qualityelectricservice.com
609.861.1409

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Smoke Detector Recalls

Each year, about 3,000 people in the U.S. die from fires in the home. A vast amount of these fires occur at night while people who are sleeping and unknowingly inhale toxic gases and smoke.  More than half of the fires occur in houses without a smoke alarm and the other half of the Fires are almost always due to faulty detectors or dead smoke alarm batteries.

A smoke detector can save lives, but ones that do not function will not. In the past month there has been a couple of recalls for smoke detectors. We want to make you are aware of these and how this issue can be solved. 

Kidde recalls Smoke/CO Alarms due to Alarm failure. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the alarms could fail to alert consumers of a fire or a CO incident following a power outage. This recall involves Kidde residential smoke alarm model i12010S with manufacture dates between December 18, 2013 and May 13, 2014, combination smoke/CO alarm il2010SCO with manufacture dates between December 30, 2013 and May 13, 2014, and combination smoke/CO alarm model KN-COSM-IBA with manufacture date between October 22, 2013 and May 13, 2014.  If you have one of those models installed you should immediately contact Kidde for a free replacement smoke or combination smoke/CO alarm. Consumers should keep using the recalled alarms until they install replacement alarms. 

Kidde toll-free at (844) 553-9011 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at www.kidde.com and click on Recalls for more information.

ESL, Interlogix Hard-Wired Smoke Alarms Recalled Due to Failure to Alert Consumers of a Fire. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, radio frequency interference can cause the smoke detectors to fail to alert consumers of a fire. This recall involves thirty-three models of the 400 and 500 series Edwards (ESL)-branded and Interlogix smoke detectors hard-wired into a security system.

400 series: 429AT, 429C, 429CAD, 429CRT, 429CST, 429CT, 429CTAD, 449AT, 449C, 449CRT, 449CSRH, 449CSRT, 449CST, 449CSTE, 449CT and 449CTE. 

500 Series: 511C, 518C, 521B, 521BXT, 521B-10PKDMP, 521B-10PKG, 521BXT-10PKG, 521BXT-DMP-10PKG, 528B, 528CRXT, 541C, 541C-10PKG, 541CXT, 541CXT-10PK and 548C.

If you have one of these models installed you should should immediately contact your security or fire system provider to determine if any of their units are included in the recall. If so, you will receive free replacement of new smoke detectors. Consumers should not take the alarms out of service until the replacement alarm has been installed. Only professional installers should remove and replace these units.
Edwards at (800) 655-4497 select option 5, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at www.edwardsfiresafety.com and click on Contact Us. Interlogix toll-free at (855) 286-8889 select option 2, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or online at www.interlogix.com and click on Customer Service for more information.

Here at Quality Electric we strive to make sure our customers are safe. If you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact us! We can help.

Quality Electric Service 
www.qualityelectricservice.com
609.861.1409

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