It can be both exciting and overwhelming to purchase a new home, especially when it comes to maintenance for your new house. One of the first things you should make yourself familiar with is your home’s electrical system. Being on top of electrical issues and ensuring your home is safe and energy-efficient are imperative to having a positive experience living there. Here are five tips to help ensure that life in your new home is trouble- and worry-free.
1. Learn About Your New Home
When purchasing a new home, it’s important that you familiarize yourself with the breaker box. You want to know how to cut off the power when it’s necessary. This should be done to prevent electrical shock whenever work is being conducted. It should also be done immediately whenever there is a noticeable electrical hazard. If you are unsure how to operate the breaker box, contact your local electrician to learn about when and how to turn the breaker box on and off as well as any necessary annual maintenance the box requires.
If you have purchased a home that is over 30 years old, you may need some electrical upgrades. Homes with older electrical systems may not be able to handle the demand created by modern home appliances and technologies.
You should also check out all the home’s appliances and outlets to see if there are any issues. Just these easy steps can reduce your energy bill, prevent potential fire hazards and help keep both your home and family protected.
2. Play It Safe
As you move in your belongings, you will be searching for outlets to set up your entertainment systems, game consoles and desktop computers. If you find that you don’t have as many outlets as you thought, you may be inclined to overload the ones you do have, which is a major cause of home fires. To prevent a fire, avoid plugging more than two appliances into an outlet. Appliances that will be used all day long, like a refrigerator or air conditioner, need to have their own dedicated circuit or outlet.
You should also make sure you have enough smoke detectors throughout the house as well as a few fire extinguishers. Having these fire-fighting tools in your home will help to reduce fire-related injuries and accidents. Learn to properly operate and maintain this fire safety equipment by getting the right training from the manufacturer or your local fire department. It’s also important to test all your smoke detectors once a month and replace the batteries two times a year. Your fire extinguishers should be inspected once a year as well.
It’s also vitally important to child-proof your new home. Remember that electrical codes change frequently, and tamper-resistant outlets are required in all new homes. Also, an unused outlet can be very tempting and harmful to a curious child, so you should always install outlet protectors in order to keep all the children in your home safe. In addition, tuck away any cords that someone could trip on.
3. Develop a Routine
It’s important to remember to schedule routine maintenance for your electrical system. If you neglect its maintenance, it can cause you to incur high energy bills and appliance breakdowns. Hiring a skilled and licensed electrician from Arc Angel Electric to provide proper maintenance can help keep you from having these issues.
Routinely look for signs that your electrical system may need some updating. When you first move into your home, make sure your electrical system meets code requirements and learn how to identify any issues like flickering lights, hot outlets or even smokey odors coming from an outlet.
You should familiarize yourself with all the wattages for your fixtures and appliances. This can help keep you and your home safe. To save money on your electric bills, it’s important that you use the correct wattage for a light bulb. If you have a light fixture that doesn’t list a required wattage, use a 60-watt bulb. This is true unless it is a ceiling light fixture, in which case, you should use a 25-watt bulb.
4. Make It Energy Efficient
A new home should get a no-cost home energy assessment that will tell you how much energy it consumes as well as loses. Regardless of what season it is when you move in, a home energy assessment is a helpful way to begin your life in an energy-efficient home. The assessment will provide you with recommendations on how best to update the home and save money on your energy bills.
You should install some energy-efficient light bulbs, which will actually pay for themselves over time. You can also get faucet aerators, advanced power strips, LED light bulbs, programmable thermostats and showerheads that will save you water. You can have your no-cost home energy assessment done either before you move in or after, and all these energy-efficient items can be installed before or after you unpack.
When choosing light bulbs, make sure to choose CFL or LED, which are the most energy-efficient types of bulbs on the market. Both of these bulbs are inexpensive, durable and long-lasting. Keep in mind that LED bulbs do not contain mercury like CFL bulbs, so they are safer to use in your home and also easier to throw away safely.
An energy-efficient home also needs an HVAC system that has been serviced recently to ensure the system’s health. Before you move in, check the HVAC system’s stickers or read the seller’s disclosure to find out when the system was last serviced. Knowing this is important when you are trying to understand your HVAC system and learn about any previous maintenance and repairs. This is crucial in determining how much energy and money the system might be wasting each day.
5. Find a Good Electrician
When moving to a new area, it’s important to find a local electrician that is both reliable and trustworthy. If there’s an emergency, it’s helpful to already have a dependable electrician to call immediately. It will save you both money and time. Creating a relationship with an electrician from Arc Angel Electric will make repairs and regular maintenance easier to deal with.
You can begin with requesting that a certified local electrician from Arc Angel Electric inspect your home’s entire electrical system, which is particularly important in an older home. An electrician can look for signs like tripped breakers, blown fuses or areas where the wiring has deteriorated. These indicate the need for a wiring upgrade. Necessary repairs can be performed right away and ensure that your new residence is protected from a dangerous electrical hazard.
Professional Expertise
After purchasing your new home, you can rely on our team at Arc Angel Electric for the complete range of electrical inspection, installation, maintenance and repair, including smart home automation, surge protection, lighting, electrical panels, generators and electrical vehicle charging. For more information, contact one of our locations in Cumming, GA, or Bluffton, SC, where certified electricians offer comprehensive services for both commercial and residential buildings.
