Jan 15 2015
Electrical Safety
Electrical Safety In the Home Matters.
As a Master electrician and life long resident of Martin County I had seen the damage that electricity can cause when electrical safety measures are ignored. Believe me, electrical safety in the home matters.
Goodiel Electric is dedicated to promoting electrical safety in the home, school, and workplace. To that end, I welcome the opportunities this site provides to engages in public education campaigns to prevent electrical fires, injuries, and fatalities. Many people are unaware of the potential electrical hazards present in their home, which makes them more vulnerable to the danger of electrocution.
Whether you’re a consumer looking for ways to ensure safety in your home, a teacher in search of educational tools, or an industry professional working to create a safe working environment, Goodiel Electrics’ website should offers the resources you need.
The new year is upon us and we encourage people to keep electrical safety in mind as they strive for improvement in 2015. People make New Year’s resolutions with the hopes of improving their quality of life. There is no better way to do that than by making sure your homes are free of electrical hazards.
The video above demonstrates the installation of a combination-type arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI). If an unintentional ground is created this safety device detects the current drain and shuts off your electrical power to its circuit. These devices are different than circuit breakers which protect wires from overheating and sparking. A circuit breaker doesn’t protect you from electrocution, whereas a GFCI can. Most electrical codes now require a GFCI device for newer homes. Older home may have only circuit breakers. If you don’t know if your home has a GFCI or grounding for your appliances, you should find out before dealing with any electrical wiring project.
For your home safety, learn the basics of how home heating and electrical systems work, and making sure they are properly maintained:
- Always have a qualified, licensed professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer instructions.
- Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home and inside and outside each sleeping area.
- Have your furnace cleaned and inspected annually by a licensed, qualified professional.
- Be sure circuit breakers and fuses are correctly labeled with their amperage and the rooms, circuits, or outlets they service.
- Have a qualified, licensed electrician replace your standard circuit breakers with combination-type arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs), which provide enhanced electrical fire protection.
- Make sure ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) are installed in your kitchen, bathrooms, workshop, basement, garage, outdoors, and any other areas where water and electricity are likely to come in contact.
- Examine electrical outlets and replace missing or broken wall plates to ensure that wiring and components are not exposed.
- Childproof your home by installing tamper resistant receptacles (TRRs), to prevent childhood shock and burn injuries from tampering with a wall outlet.
Feb 15 2015
Electricians LED Price/Cost Analysis
LED Price/Cost Analysis.
A light-emitting diode is a type of solid-state lighting that uses a semiconductor to convert electricity into light. LED bulbs can be six to seven times more energy efficient than conventional incandescent lights and cut energy use by more than 80 percent. Unlike incandescent bulbs, which release 90% of their energy as heat, LEDs use energy much more efficiently. A recent Energy Department study determined that LEDs have a much smaller environmental impact, compared to incandescent bulbs. They also have an edge over compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in regards to those same factors. Good-quality LED bulbs can have a useful life of 25,000 hours or more — meaning they can last more than 25 times longer than traditional light bulbs. That is a life of more than three years if run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
So what’s not to like? It’s about price—LEDs cost more, significantly more, though cost is trending decidedly downward.
LEDs: a cost-benefit analysis.
Like all the decisions you make, you need to analyze if the higher cost of LED lighting up front is worth it in the long term. A LED lighting system can cost three times what a traditional T8 fluorescent tube system costs. But you have to factor in your application and maintenance costs. LED lighting has won acceptance in outdoor applications because it is more rugged and low maintenance. Fluorescent lighting is the current standard for overhead lighting in homes, offices, warehouses and retail establishments.issue.
Many retailers use halogen spotlights to showcase displays, but halogen burns “hot” and needs frequent replacing. LEDs also provide bright directional light and last a very, very long time, saving on labor as well as energy. Extended use interior lighting paybacks can be in the 2-4 year range when LEDs are substituted. The new LED technology has better performance and more light output than ever before.
If you are investing in your home or office, and plan to be there for a long time, the higher cost of LEDs makes sense. But if you are renting, or expecting to move in a few years, you might not want to pay more for the most efficient lighting technology. Because LEDs give you the most value where you need light the most, you can always consider a combination of LED and other types of bulbs.
By Glenn_G • Electrical Contractor, Retrofit Lighting •