When you think of home security you likely think of alarms to alert you to home invasions, or sensor lights to warn you of movement outside your property. While these are both very important components of home security, comprehensive and automated home security goes far beyond burglary monitoring systems. We can also alert you to—and protect your home from—natural elements such as flooding and extreme temperature changes with temperature and flood monitoring.

Flood monitoring is an alarm device that is integrated into your comprehensive home security system. Flood sensors can not only activate a local alarm, but can also notify a central station that is monitoring that residential alarm 24/7.

Flood damage is actually among the most common homeowner insurance claims, as well as one of the most expensive. A water sensor can not only detect water coming from a flood due to inclement weather, but also that from plumbing systems. In fact, there are flood sensors available that will automatically shut off your water if your pipes break open.

You can place flood sensors near all your major plumbing fixtures or even in your attic in order to detect a leaky roof. Undetected leaks, and floods, can lead to the development of mold, mildew, and other contaminants that can be harmful to your home and to your health. Additionally, flood damage can result in ruined carpets, warped wood floors and furniture, damaged cabinetry, and more.

Other areas of your home that can benefit from flood sensor placement include your basement, bathroom or laundry room. Most of these flood detectors include an external component and can operate as a temperature sensor as well. This allows them to function in cold environments.

The weather is heating up, and with it, so is the load on your electrical system. Don’t let the stress pile up. Protect your electrical system – and your wallet – from the stresses of summer with the help of these simple tips.

Is your electrical system bearing the burden of your poor appliances choices? Don’t become a victim of “operator error” by overlooking these seasonal adjustments to appliance use:

Heating and cooling comprises about 30-50 percent of your electric bill, making it one of the biggest stressors on your electrical system. However there are many ways to reduce that stress, including…

Your refrigerator is among the largest consumers of energy in your home. Keep a lid on energy consumption by…

The water heating is typically the third largest energy expense in your home. The hotter the temperature of the water, and the more it is used, the harder your electrical system is forced to keep up with the heating demands. Summer is hot enough! Cool your use by…

Hanging clothes on the line rather than running the dryer, the second largest energy-consuming appliance in your home, can keep your home and energy bills from becoming too hot to handle.

Using your stovetop or oven in summer’s heat can really put a strain on your air conditioner and electrical system. Save some dough and maintain comfort by firing up your grill instead.

Today’s homes use a multitude of gadgets and appliances that can cause a considerable amount of stress to your electrical system. Give your system the TLC it deserves:

Turning off items that are not in use rather than letting them run such as lights, laptop and mobile devices, TVs, radios, and more can take a lot of pressure off your electrical system. How much? Lighting in the average home accounts for 12 percent, and electronic devices another 10-15 percent. Whew!

Vampire power can really drain you, sucking up five percent of your power bill or more – all for nothing. Among the biggest offenders putting a strain on your electrical system (even when they’re turned off): TVs, computers, microwaves, cell phone chargers… anything with a power adaptor, indicator light, standby function, or clock. Unplug these items or plug them into a power strip, flipping them off when they’re not in use.

Your electrical system can suffer stress from issues outside of your home as well. Are you closing your eyes to these electrical stressors from your home’s great outdoors?

Outdoor lighting fixtures are heavily used and a great place to take a load off. Updating to more modern technology for outdoor lighting such as motion sensors, timers, and photocells for sensing daylight, in addition to CFL and LED bulb technology, can not only save a pretty penny in energy wasted on unnecessary illumination, but boost security as well.

Is the outdoors infringing on your indoors? Your home’s thermal envelope – the outer walls, windows, doors, floors, ceiling – may need support in the form of adequate insulation and air sealing to keep your home comfortable and help you avoid the stress of unnecessarily high energy bills. Ease the hardship on your wires and your wallet by putting this on the top of your priority list.

Electrical system all stressed out? Contact Mr. Electric today!

There’s an old saying that goes, “A good man is hard to find.”  Thankfully, that doesn’t have to be the case when you’re selecting a Dallas Electrician to perform electrical repair.  By selecting a licensed electrician, you can be assured that you’re going to receive competent, safe, superior service.  So how can you find out if the electrician you’re considering is licensed?

Anyone who performs electrical work in Texas must be licensed, whether it’s general electric repair or specialty electric jobs.  There are various types of electrician’s licenses, including:

There are also different licenses for businesses, which require the inclusion of various levels of electricians, as well as liability insurance.  When an electrical business is licensed, they will display their license number on vehicles and websites.  This is perhaps the best way to find out whether the electrician you want to hire is licensed or not.  Thanks to the internet, it’s easy to look up a specific company and find their license number.  Your electrician should have his business’ license number displayed on his vehicle as well.  Be sure to look for a Texas Electrical Contractor License (TECL) number on the work truck or car. For example, our TECL number is listed right on our homepage and on all of our vehicles, so everyone who visits will know we’re a licensed, insured electrician Dallas residents can depend on.

Hiring a licensed electrician means that your home will be as safe as possible.  All licensed electricians are required to attend continuing education courses, so they have the most up-to-date information to service their clients.  So, the next time you need a Texas electrician, do a Google search or visit the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to find a properly licensed electrician who will do the job right.

One of the hardest parts of electrical work is accessibility. In some situations, adding a new outlet or replace old wiring can require nearly tearing your walls apart. There is a solution, however: Open building can make things easier by focusing on flexibility, ease of access and disentanglement of systems. If you’re building, renovating or putting an addition on your home, try incorporating open building principles to make it simple to change or upgrade your electrical system.

Total Flexibility

The big picture when it comes to open building is to keep the support structure of the house separate from the interior fill-out. This construction style also keeps wall spaces accessible and strives toward total flexibility. After all, chances are you'll have to replace one or more of your internal systems before you need to rebuild the whole house.

That means infill systems like your wiring are separated from others like plumbing and insulation so it's not difficult to access and remove them. So if you need to remove outdated wireing, add new circuits or upgrade your whole system to comply with local code, there's no need to gut your house. Instead, you remove some panels, install the electrical with no fuss and pop the panels back into place. No need to break through drywall or struggle with ducts and pipes that are in the way.

Rational Form of Design

The open building concept is being driven by the Open Prototype, a collaboration between MIT and Bensonwood Homes to build and test various models for open building principles.

“The simple act of disentangling the wiring from the structure and insulation layer allows you to upgrade, change, or replace a 20-year-lifespan electrical system when new technology arises without affecting a 300-year structure,” Bensonwood Homes founder Tedd Benson said to Ecobuilding Pulse. “Open Building provides a more rational form of design and construction that supports long-term sustainability for buildings with increased shell longevity, and more control and flexibility for the homeowner.”

The idea is to ensure that the home of today is ready to adapt to the needs of the tomorrow's homeowners. “We can’t predict what people will need and want in their living environment,” Benson said. “Open Building principles respond to occupants’ changing needs rather than force the occupants to conform to a preconceived design.

Today, most property owners look for ways and means to make their properties more energy-efficient. It’s why people insulate their homes using the latest materials, are choosing appliances with a high WELS rating and opt for green building materials when they are constructing their homes. One more effective way to improve the energy efficiency of your home or commercial establishment is to opt for LED lighting systems.

Many people avoid replacing their older CFL bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs because they feel the latter are too expensive. While it’s true that the up-front cost of LED bulbs is 5-6 times higher than standard bulbs, the cost factors can’t be looked at in isolation. Here are some other facts that will help you make a more well-informed choice about the type of lighting to use.

Unlike conventional bulbs, LEDs don’t have any filament that can burn out and they emit a very cool light which goes a long way in reducing residential and commercial air- conditioning bills. These bulbs get illuminated when the electrons move through a semi-conductor and release visible light.

Though the initial costs of LED lights are higher than other conventional types of lighting, you end up saving a significant amount of money in the long term. Regardless of whether you need commercial or residential LED lighting, transitioning to LED light bulbs is a smart choice. Today, a large number of homeowners and commercial establishments are switching to LED lighting.

Many people wonder whether LED bulbs are able to provide as much illumination as incandescent bulbs or CFL bulbs do. In order to understand this, it’s important to understand a little more about how the light intensity of a bulb is measured. Lumen (a measure of the light intensity) is the simplest (though not perfect) measure of lighting efficiency that any lighting sources produce for every watt.

A traditional incandescent bulb provides 13 lumens per watt to light a room. A fluorescent globe provides around 60 lumens per watt. In comparison, an LED bulb provides 80 lumens per watt. As you can see, even when it comes to illumination, LED bulbs stand a head above the rest of the lighting options.

Apart from the illumination and energy-efficiency factors, there are some other distinct advantages to using LEDs on your commercial or residential property.

The need of the hour is for energy-efficient alternatives and LED lighting is a revolution in lighting. No matter which way you look at it, you stand to benefit from switching to LED lighting. For any more information about LED lighting and for any type of commercial or residential electrical jobs, call Allround Electrical’s friendly team today at this number – 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address or by filling out this contact form.

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