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ELECTRIC NOTES
WATCH OUT FOR ELECTRIC SYSTEM OVERLOAD
An overloaded electrical system in your home can create a serious shock and fire hazard. Nationwide, millions of homes have outdated electrical wiring and are at risk—particularly older homes.
The wiring of many homes is not equipped to properly handle and support today’s increased electrical demands. Homes at least 30 years old, which account for more than half the homes in the U.S., are likely to have wiring that was designed to handle only about half of the electrical demands of today’s residents.
Overloaded electrical circuits and faulty equipment and wiring can cause not only inconvenient power outages, but also hazardous conditions that could result in injury or even death.
Watch for these warning signs. If you notice any of them, you should have your home inspected by a professional immediately:
• Lights often flicker, blink or dim momentarily.
• Circuit breakers trip or fuses blow often.
• Cords or wall plates are warm to the touch or discolored.
• Crackling, sizzling or buzzing is heard from outlets.
A home electrical inspection to find and correct hidden hazards could prevent many tragedies. The time and money spent in having a qualified electrician check your residence and perform a few home repairs and upgrades are small compared to the protection and safety such a visit may provide to your family and home.
No matter the season or age of homes, residents should be vigilant and check for electrical hazards such as cracked or fraying electrical cords, overloaded outlets and circuits, and lamps and light fixtures with inappropriate light bulbs. Also, make sure smoke alarms are placed and functioning properly.
KEEP PETS SAFE FROM SPOOKS THIS HALLOWEEN
Halloween can be scary enough for kids and their parents. Imagine how your pampered pet feels.
As you transform your quiet abode into a spooky, haunted house with electric lights and decorations, use caution when furry friends are afoot. Follow these tips to keep your pet safe on the scariest night of the year:
• Position strings of lights, wires and cords so they’re off the beaten path—and out of the way of children and pets. Curious pets might try chewing decorative lights, putting them at risk of electric shock or even ingesting shards of glass.
• Batteries also pose a risk for pets. Although they’re fun to bat around on the floor because they roll, the ingredients in batteries are toxic to pets and children.
• Save the candy for the kids. Chocolate can kill your dog or cat. It’s toxic to them. Keep candy wrappers out of the way also, as aluminum foil and cellophane can cause vomiting and intestinal blockages.
• A jack-o-lantern may look like a yummy treat to a pet, but after sitting outside for a few days, yours will probably grow bacteria that could be a problem for a pet that nibbles on it.
• Avoid lighting candles in any area your pet might frequent. Excited pets can knock them over. Plus, cat hair can catch fire in a split second.
• Save the cute costumes for your kids. On a pet, a costume can be restricting and make it hard to hear and see.
• Doorbells and screaming children are especially frightening to some animals, so keep them inside in a quiet, secure area.
TURNING OFF SOME ELECTRIC MYTHS
Looking for ways to reduce your energy use is a great way to save money and do something good for the environment. Although there are a lot of good ideas out there, there are a lot of misconceptions as well about what is really effective. Here are a couple of the most common myths and the facts to set you on the right path.
Myth: Computers, monitors and other office equipment will use less energy and last longer if they are left running all the time.
Fact: Turning equipment off overnight does not shorten its life, and the small surge of power that occurs when some devices are turned on is much smaller than the energy used by running equipment when it is not needed. In fact, leaving computers and other office equipment running overnight and on weekends wastes significant amounts of energy and also adds to the wear and tear on the equipment.
In general, turn off equipment you are not using or make sure that energy-saving features on networks or individual machines are enabled. Some office equipment, including printers and scanners, feature small transformers that use energy even when the equipment is turned off. Plug all such devices into a power strip so that they can be shut down completely with one flick of the switch.
Myth: I should run my central heating/cooling unit around the clock to avoid an increased demand charge from the “spike” that occurs when the equipment starts.
Fact: Although turning on AC equipment will cause a power spike on the order of fractions of a second, this period is not long enough to have any impact on demand charges. Demand charges are based on the average power used in a facility during 15-minute periods. The spike from turning on such equipment does not significantly affect this average.
Not only are there no significant demand savings from running air-conditioning equipment continuously, but there is also a significant downside. Equipment life can be considerably shortened, and unless the equipment is designed to operate at continuously variable capacities, it likely will not be able to properly match the cooling or heating load and will waste energy and potentially decrease comfort.
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