Temperatures are still mild enough that you likely aren’t thinking about the implications of snow and ice just yet, but now is actually the perfect time to start considering it, and deciding what you’re going to do about it when it hits.

A driveway heating system will help you with the inconvenience of shoveling snow and the safety concerns involved with walking on icy surfaces, but what about your roof? Winters are particularly harder on roofs than any other season, especially if you have an asphalt or shingle roof.

The buildup of ice and snow adds weight to your roof that it is not designed to handle. Your roof is your home’s first line of defense against inclement weather, but it can only take so much pressure. The ice that forms in the winter creates ice dams—formed from melted snow refreezing and creating a blockage—as well as gutter ice.

Gutter ice can cause gutters to become too heavy and rip away from your home. Not only does this mean you’ll have to repair and/or replace your gutters, you may also have to contend with the property damage that this could very well leave behind.

Even without ice as a factor, snow itself poses a risk to your roof. This is especially true if you have a flat roof, or an older home with a weakened roof structure already. The problem is that as the snow builds up, it creates too much weight, and your roof can crack or even collapse under all the strain.

The solution to this problem is having roof heating cables installed. These cables do just what the name implies: they keep your roof warm so that snow and ice never have a chance to buildup. Rather, it melts upon impact and drains from your gutters and downspouts just as rainwater would.

Why slave over a hot stove to provide healthy meals to your family when you could be saving time and money by using a microwave oven instead? In many cases, the microwave will use less energy than your range or oven and still create a delicious meal.

Radio Wave Technology

Using a microwave can save you anywhere between 30 to 80 percent in energy compared to your stove, according to the California Energy Commission. The devices work by using radio waves to excite water molecules in food, heating it from within. For many food items, that's a lot faster and more cost-effective than applying heat directly via a range or oven.

For example, the Energy Center provides a comparison of the average cost of cooking a casserole using various methods. The microwave is by far the quickest and cheapest, finishing the job in 15 minutes for a cost of 3 cents in energy. Meanwhile, the standard oven is actually the least efficient cooking method, taking an hour and burning up 16 cents in energy costs. A few cents might not sound like a big difference, but over a year the savings add up.

Great for Small Meals, Defrosting

The microwave won't save you energy in every situation, but they're perfect for small portions like side dishes and leftovers. If you try to make a large meal in the microwave, however, you can end up cooking it unevenly or not getting the desired texture, and the more food you heat at once, the less efficient microwaves are compared to the stovetop. For specific tasks like defrosting a piece of meat, on the other hand, a microwave is a great solution.

There’s another bonus with using a microwave in the summertime: it won't heat up the kitchen, so you don't put extra stress on your air conditioner to offset the rise in temperature.

For safety's sake, make sure you only use microwave-safe containers, and never put metal in the microwave.

Choosing a Microwave

Unfortunately, the federal Energy Star program does not certify microwaves at this time so you have to do a little more research to discover the most efficient models. Energy usage is fairly consistent across different brands. However, you can cut down on consumption by purchasing the smallest model that will meet your needs. Look at the wattage label, which will tell you exactly how much electricity it draws, and try to find one at 800 watts or fewer.

New microwaves are also far more efficient than older models. Look for devices that have variable power settings, temperature probes and sensors that can tell when the food is done cooking.

Microwaves aren't a perfect solution for every meal, but they are an important tool in the arsenal of any energy-conscious homeowner.

Call local Mister Sparky® for more energy-saving tips.

Indoor Generator Provides 20,000 Watts of Stored Renewable Energy to a Ranch Home, Even When All External Power Supply is Unavailable

Dallas, TX  December 30, 2011– Doug Kerr is the proud owner of a stretch of land located in the rural area of Kaufman County (Texas) where the air is fresh and the hustle and bustle of city life is non-existent. One thing Doug’s land doesn’t have, however, is a city power grid. Traditionally, to gain access to power in an area that hasn’t already been included on the electrical grid, you can pay the local electrical provider a large sum to run new electrical service to your location, or be forced to use noisy, polluting, and high-maintenance fuel-powered generators.

Fortunately, Doug found a much better option when he called ElectricMan Inc., a local Dallas and Plano electrician. ElectricMan Inc. is the exclusive North Texas provider of the Indoor Generator, a system that utilizes the latest technology in power storage, partnered with reliable renewable energy options to pioneer electrical independence not only for off-grid applications, but any residence or business that could benefit from more reliable electrical service and lower electrical costs.

Using a vertical access wind turbine, ElectricMan Inc. takes advantage of the abundant wind rolling across Doug’s land, from any direction, to provide a consistent source of electricity for the custom-built Indoor Generator unit installed in his home. The Indoor Generator system itself contains 20 maintenance-free deep-cell AGM batteries capable of storing 20,000 watts of on-demand power—enough electricity to run the household for an entire week or two, even if the wind doesn’t blow at all.

Keeping in mind that no matter how reliable your system is, a backup power plan is always important. The Indoor Generator is also compatible with an external gas powered generator that will run and charge the system at the same time in the event of an emergency, or the unlikely case that the wind doesn’t blow for an extended period of time. This is where the innovative versatility of the system makes it uniquely capable to reliably power a home. With thousands of programmable commands, the Indoor Generator has the capability to utilize multiple incoming power sources, and automatically switch between options such as grid power if it is available, stored battery power, wind turbines, solar panels, or a gas-powered generator, dependent upon what option is readily available and efficient.

The innovations that are integrated into the Indoor Generator system now give any home or business access to a constant supply of clean power, increasing safety, security, and longevity of electrical systems and appliances, while providing the opportunity for electrical independence to anyone.

About ElectricMan Inc.

ElectricMan Inc. is a licensed Dallas and Plano electrician serving the Dallas/Fort Worth area with 27 years of experience in electrical repair and installation, offering fast 24-hour service for residential and commercial needs. ElectricMan Inc. is now offering state-of-the-art backup power systems that exceed current emergency power standards while also providing a homeowner or business owner with the ability to have multiple options for emergency power, as well as the option to switch to the most efficient power supply available during normal usage to reduce energy costs in the long run. Call ElectricMan Inc. today at 972-792-7270 for a free quote on your next electrical project!