Hiring an electrical contractor to update your home’s electronic systems can be a valuable investment. More homeowners are adopting wireless networks while home product manufacturers continue to build connectivity into everything from washing machines to door locks. Homeowners can tap into electrical contractors for greater comfort and safety and to help save on energy costs. Electrical contractors have specific qualifications, skills, and training to help improve the comfort and efficiency of your home.
Electrical contractors can help homeowners with activities including:
Upgrades / Renovation
- Wireless Technology: Led by Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, electrical contractors can help make decisions on a variety of home applications. These include computer networking, gaming and video-displaying devices, home office systems, appliance and energy management, smartphones, and wireless home security systems.
- Home Offices, Automated Environmental Controls and Home Theaters: These features can dramatically improve a home’s value and comfort. Professional installation of new electrical equipment can protect the warranty and add flexibility to systems.
- Home Automation Systems: As they become more affordable and sold through consumer-retail sales channels, the energy management features of home automation systems help cut utility bills.
- Relocating Electrical Receptacles (outlets) or Installing New Lighting: Renovation is also an opportunity to check your home’s electrical panel and circuits to ensure the system is functioning correctly and is not overloaded.
Saving Energy
- Comprehensive Energy Audits: Electrical contractors can perform these to identify and correct some of a home’s most critical energy issues. This service includes checking wiring and electrical service panels to determine if they are overloaded and determining load peaks and valleys.
- Lighting Controls: There are several options of energy-saving lighting controls including photo-sensor controls that turn off when the daylight is sufficient, motion sensors that fit into standard wall boxes and switch off the lights when nobody is around, wireless controls, digital lighting management, and controls that help with compact fluorescent (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
- Home Energy Management (HEM) Systems: These systems create a single-source solution for homeowners to reduce residential energy consumption.
- Solar and Wind Power Products: By having off-the-shelf wind generators and solar energy products installed on rooftops and in backyards, you can reduce energy costs. Some of these products may also qualify for state and federal rebates. Also, the latest small-scale, preassembled wind and solar products can cut installation time and costs in half.
Problems
- Lighting and Fixtures: Flickering or blinking lights can indicate poor connections along the circuit.
- Non-operational Outlets: The receptacle device itself could be broken, or the wiring connections to the device could be poor. Check to see if any circuit breakers have tripped, and turn off the power to the outlet before removing any covers.
- Circuit Breakers and Electrical Panels: Frequently tripped circuit breakers or a circuit that cannot be reset is probably responding to a problem in the circuit.
When it comes to electrical updates or repairs, it is often best to leave it to the professionals. Electrical contractors can help with this. Consider hiring an electrical contractor to make sure your home is up to date and as energy efficient as it can be. 
By Kimberly McMahon
