Nothing is more important than your family's safety. That's why you need to make every effort to identify and eliminate fire risks in and around your home, particularly in your electrical work. Faulty wiring, delayed maintenance or carelessness can lead to a disaster that can cost you your home and endanger your life. Read on to learn more about the most common causes of electrical fires and how you can prevent them.

Power in Percentages

Electrical failures contributed to about 47,700 home structural fires in 2011, according to a report by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Those fires resulted in 418 deaths and $1.4 billion in damage. Clearly, the stakes are high in making sure that the electrical work is safely installed in your home.

According to the NFPA's report, 48 percent of home fires caused by electrical failure were started by the electrical distribution and/or lighting systems. Of that 48 percent, 63 percent were started by wiring, 20 percent by lighting, 11 percent by cords and plugs, and 6 percent by transformers and power supplies.

Fans caused an additional 6 percent of electrical fires, washers and dryers another 6 percent, space heaters 4 percent, air conditioning 4 percent, water heaters 3 percent and stovetop ranges 3 percent.

Don't Become a Statistic

The good news is that electrical fires have declined steadily since the 1980s. Modern technologies and building techniques have lowered the risk of fire and kept everyone safer. However, there's no reason to be complacent when it comes to safety. To decrease your risk of falling victim to a fire caused by your electrical system, follow these tips:

Keeping Your Family Secure

Stay vigilant about maintaining your electrical equipment and follow all safety recommendations to reduce your risk to a minimum. If you are concerned that your home is at risk of fire, have a qualified electrician inspect your electrical work and point out any danger areas without delay.

Reduced Utility Bills Ceiling fans can reduce your overall energy expenses by as much as 30 to 40 percent. While the actual operation of the ceiling fan is not going to decrease the room’s temperature, the draft will make that room feel much cooler. You can reduce the thermostat because the room will feel much cooler.

Adding Style Ceiling fans are style driven, which are available in various styles, designs, finishes and so forth to complement the room’s décor and style. They can be used as a room’s focal point or make a statement in your room’s style and appearance.

Versatility for any Room Ceiling fans are versatile, so they can be used in virtually any room of a home. The more fans that are used throughout your home, the greater the overall savings on your utility bill. They can be used in bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms or screened-in porches.

Functional Illumination When you use a ceiling fan, you get functional and attractive illumination. If you want to take advantage of general illumination, choose a ceiling fan that has a built-in light or one that offers easy installation of a light kit into the fan.

Year-Round Value While many people think about ceiling fans for warmer months, they can also be used to help circulate warmer air during the cold months. Therefore, ceiling fans are great for all seasons, and can be used in a variety of climates.

Fixing things around the house is what you do when you own a home. You probably enjoy taking matters into your own hands and fixing the little things. It is gives you a sense of pride when you look at a project you took on and finished it. You can say you fixed that or you built that. There are some projects that are too big for you to possibly handle yourself so you call a contractor in the business who can paint the exterior of your home, install new cabinets or take care of some of the landscaping issues. This too is a part of home ownership—knowing when to call for help. Electrical repair on new installation of fixtures and appliances is also best left to a qualified electrician like those at The Electric Connection.

It isn’t about pride. It is all about safety. Handling electricity is dangerous and you should never attempt it unless you have adequate training, like an electrician certified in the state of California. There are some dangers associated with electrical repair work in the home.

*Completing work yourself without the proper licensing could void your homeowner’s insurance policy. If there were an incident, you may not be covered.

*The risk of electrocution is very high when you are not familiar with wiring basics. You risk severe injury or even death.

*It will end up costing you more money to fix a mistake that was made in a DIY situation.

*You risk violating city codes and having to pay a fine, tearing out everything that was done and hiring a licensed electrician to complete the work.

*Fire is another real possibility when you undertake your own electrical repairs. The fire may not start right away, but it is a silent threat that can and will strike without warning.

Your home and your safety are worth spending the extra money to hire a professional. Don’t put your life at risk or risk the lives of your family members because you think you are going to save a few dollars. You won’t. Call The Electric Connection today and let us help you safely take care of any electrical work in your house.

Appliances can make for exciting and valuable additions to your home; however, they use a lot of electricity and can ultimately take a toll on your electrical system. As a Plano TX electrician is called to help install the appliance, the importance of appliance installation safety is ignored and the awareness of potential dangers and mistakes in installation is minimized. As a result, things that at the time of installation seemed trivial in the long run can cause significant problems.

Ideally, with the help of a www.electricmaninc.com. Also, feel free to ask your questions in the comments section of our blog and we will get back to you soon.