The Best Pick Reports Guide to the Types of Electrical Services for Your Home

Meter base

Found on the exterior of the house, a meter base is the electrical unit that contains the power company’s meter. Your home’s energy usage is calculated here. Many homeowners wrongly think that the meter base is the power company’s responsibility. It is considered part of the homeowner’s property, and it must be kept up to code.

Generators

An electrician can install a standby generator to provide power in case of an emergency, such as a blackout or a power interruption due to weather. While some people opt for small, portable generators, a qualified electrician can set up a whole-home generator to supply enough power to keep you safe and comfortable during any power outage.

Landscape lighting

Outdoor lighting can be a challenge both in design and installation; it requires the attention of a good electrical contractor.

Landscape and outdoor lighting can:

• Increase curb appeal by highlighting a well-tended landscape around the home as well as the home’s architectural features
• Enhance security by lighting up dark areas that might be attractive to criminals

Outdoor outlets

Outlets outside the home need to be carefully planned and protected from the elements. Extra outlets on the outside of the home makes it easy to power everything from yard and garden tools to entertainment equipment to party lights and rentals—bounce house, anyone?

Electrical Panels

The home’s electrical panel is what controls the electricity coming into your home and sends it out to every circuit on the system. The electrical panel is the heart of your electrical system and should only be entrusted to trained, professional electricians.

Only licensed electricians should be engaged to do work on your home’s electrical panel. Homeowners should NEVER remove the cover of an electrical panel due to the severe risk of electrocution.

Surge protection

A power strip will only protect those appliances that are plugged directly into it. By installing a whole-house surge protector, every electrical device in your home can be protected from damage no matter if the surge is small or large.

While lightning strikes are usually a top concern for most homeowners, there can be hundreds of small power surges happening on a daily basis.

While a lightning strike can be catastrophic, these smaller surges will slowly wear out the electrical and digital components of the appliances and devices in the home. A whole-house surge protector can be the key to saving money on equipment replacement costs over the years.

Arc fault breakers

Where wiring has been fastened or stapled too tightly, the electricity flowing though it can begin to arc through the metal fasteners and may overheat the wires, creating a risk of electrical fire. An arc-fault breaker will trip if an unsafe arc is detected by the device, breaking the current and protecting your home and family.

GFCI outlets

A ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is a device inside an electrical outlet that provides additional protection from accidental electrocution. When a GFCI outlet detects a difference in the amount of electricity passing through and returning back to the outlet, it immediately cuts the circuit.

GFCIs are now required by electrical code to be installed in wet areas of your home, such as the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. However, having GFCIs installed throughout additional areas in the home creates an even safer environment.

A professional electrician can examine your outlets and determine where additional GFCIs make good sense.

Troubleshooting

When you know there is an electrical problem in your house, but you can’t pinpoint it, that is the time to call in a skilled electrician to perform troubleshooting.

Outlets or switches that are suddenly without power, flickering lights, or regularly tripping circuit breakers are more than a frustration; they can be an indicator of a much larger electrical problem (or something small and easy to repair).

By inviting in a professional, he or she can easily get to the bottom of the trouble and offer solutions for repairs.

Attic fans

Heat rises, so the attic temperature in a house can often exceed 120 degrees. Having an attic fan installed will move the hot, trapped air back outside and help your cooling system work more efficiently.

An attic fan can:

• Save up to 30 percent on your energy bills
• Extend the life of your roof by keeping the shingles cooler
• Reduce the humidity in the attic by aiding evaporation

Ceiling fans

While many do-it-yourself ceiling fan kits are sold every day, most contractors will tell you that to get the safest, soundest installation of a ceiling fan; you should look to a licensed electrician for help. Even with kits that claim to be one-two-three easy, there can be a risk of electrical shock to the homeowner.

Ceiling fans are not only ideal for climate control in a room, but they can be an easy and relatively inexpensive way to give a room a fresh décor update.

Lighting fixtures

A professional electrician can install or upgrade any light fixture, but one should be involved if recessed lighting is in the plan. Recessed lighting requires careful planning, measurement, and wiring to make them as safe as they are attractive.

Lighting design has long been used as a way to change not only the look of a room but its emotional impact as well. By adding lighting at different levels and with various types of fixture materials—from glass to wood to stainless steel—rooms can take on an additional luxury and even improve in functionality.

Phone/computer lines

Licensed electricians also work on phone and computer cabling. From the bedroom to the basement, homes can be updated to support all of the household’s communications devices.

The right electrical contractor can quickly sort out your digital life with:

• A new jack for phone or internet
• Cable TV wiring
• Home entertainment system setup
• Wireless network setup