Economy settings have become a standard option on nearly all modern appliances. They purport to put the decision about energy conservation in the consumer's hands: Do you run the machine in its normal mode, or use the most economical setting to burn up less power and marginally reduce your contribution to carbon pollution and climate change? Eco-settings give manufacturers bragging rights that they are doing their part to produce more efficient electrical work. However, some people question whether economy settings really do anything to reduce our electricity consumption, and suspect they might even be counterproductive. Read on to learn why.

Economy vs. Standard Settings in Your Electrical Work

You see economy buttons on all kinds of electrical devices and appliances these days, from televisions to video game consoles to bigger-ticket items like washing machines and dishwashers. These settings offer energy savings of 10 percent or more, and generally are legitimate; although there have been isolated reports of manufacturers attempting to deceive energy testing measures, usually the economy settings are included in good faith, with companies preferring to avoid legal or reputational consequences if they are caught manipulating the tests.

However, eco-modes only save energy if people use them. And in many cases, people choose not to, for a variety of reasons. For one thing, the performance of various appliances under eco-settings might simply be unsatisfactory. For example, some people complain that reduced power settings on their television leave them barely able to see the screen. There are also reports of clothes dryers that don't dry clothes and dishwashers that don't wash dishes. Reduced power settings don't save any energy at all if you have to run the appliance twice.

Don't Be Fooled into Buying an Inefficient Device

That's not to say that all economy modes don't make the grade, but their overall reputation can suffer from a few bad apples. If consumers hear that the lowest power setting in a neighbor's dishwasher doesn't get the job done, they might be reluctant to try that option in their own unit, even if it's a different make or model.

What's more, the ratings system used by the federal Energy Star program takes into account the economy setting mode when making its decisions. That means you could purchase a piece of equipment that has the coveted Energy Star certification, only to find out that you don’t like the conservation settings and are less than satisfied with the purchase.

Finding the Most Efficiency in Your Electrical Work

One way to ensure that you are buying an appliance whose economy setting meets your needs is to read online reviews, in lieu of simply relying on the Energy Star rating. If you need help picking out high-efficiency appliances, or need help with any other electrical work, contact a trusted local electrician today.

The electrical field is one that has seen a number of remarkable discoveries over the decades. One very important lesson has been the aspect of grounding of electrical currents. It’s true that we need electricity for almost everything in our daily lives and can’t even imagine a world without it. However, it continues to be one of the most dangerous elements on earth. If you haven’t already properly grounded your home’s electrical systems, you are taking a significant risk by not doing so.

Every electrical circuit has an active wire which supplies power; there is also a neutral wire which is responsible for carrying the power back. There is a third wire (grounding wire) that can be attached to the power outlets & the electrical appliances and devices; this wire is connected securely to the ground in your breaker box.

This third wire is the additional path that the electrical current can pass through to be safely returned to the ground, in case there is a short circuit; this prevents any harm being caused to anyone. In the event that a short circuit occurs, the current flows through into this grounding wire and it’s when you notice a tripped circuit breaker or a blown fuse in the electrical main board on your property. If this wire hadn’t been grounded, it would have resulted in a fatal shock.

This is one of the most important reasons to ground electrical currents. It’s the best way to protect your family members from electrical surges when they are operating any electrical appliances in the house. In case a lightning strike causes an electrical surge on your property it can result in extremely high electrical voltages in your system. When the wiring has the proper grounding, all the excess electricity gets diverted into the earth, rather than burning everything that’s connected to your electrical system.

When your installation is grounded, it becomes very easy for the power to get directed exactly to where you need it; this allows the electrical currents to efficiently & safely travel across your home’s electrical system.

A properly grounded system makes it much easier for the power to be distributed in the right amount to the right places. This plays a significant role in ensuring that there is no overload in the circuits. The earth becomes the common reference point for all the different sources of voltage in an electrical system.

One of the primary reasons why grounding is extremely effective in keeping you safe is because the earth is an excellent conductor, and electricity always takes the path that has the least resistance. When you ground your electrical system, you are giving it a path that it can easily take, rather than into you; this can potentially save your life.

If your home’s electrical system isn’t properly grounded, you are just risking the appliances and equipment that are connected to your system, being burnt beyond repair. If the situation gets out of control that can also result in a fire risking your property and causing physical injury, sometimes even death.

There’s certainly a lot to be enjoyed about a Florida winter season. The mild weather, the festivities—it’s all quite nice. But just because the season brings some advantages doesn’t mean you have nothing to be concerned about regarding your home’s electrical! There are some challenges unique to this time of the year, and at Hoffman Electrical, our team is dedicated to ensuring you’re completely prepared.

This post is the second in a series on energy-efficient lighting. We’re reviewing all kinds of spaces in homes and businesses to help you save energy.

Here are a few simple suggestions to save energy and hard-earned cash with your restaurant lights: 

Update Your Light Bulbs

Still using standard incandescent light bulbs? The fastest, simplest thing you can do to save energy is to update them. Whether they’re the ubiquitous A19 lamps, reflector lamps for your track lights, chandelier light bulbs in hanging fixtures, or decorative globe lights in the bathroom, you have tons of new energy-efficient options: