The holidays should usher in a season of celebration and family togetherness. However, problems with your home’s electrical system can turn your happiness into worry. Let’s look at some reasons that highlight the importance of electrical maintenance before the holiday season begins.
1. Electrical Fire Prevention
When you have your home’s electrical system professionally maintained, you lower the risk of a fire starting. Fixtures like outlets and light switches can spark and catch upholstery, wood or other flammable materials on fire without proper upkeep.
2. Power Outage Prevention
A power outage can also quickly put a damper on your holiday merriment. When the power goes out at home, you may have to wait for hours for it to come back on, depending on the cause of the outage. Professional maintenance lowers the risk of your system failing and causing an outage that can interrupt your party.
3. Prevention of Electrocution
When you fail to maintain your home’s wiring, circuits, outlets and other electrical fixtures, you could put yourself and others in the home at risk of electrocution. Damaged wiring in an outlet can shock someone who plugs something into it. This risk also increases the liability you could find yourself responsible for as a homeowner.
4. Longer Equipment Lifespan
An appliance like your stove or refrigerator failing can ruin your holiday spirit. You not only have to go without using this appliance when you need it the most. You also bear the financial burden of having it repaired or replaced. Electrical maintenance can prolong the lifespan of your electrical appliances.
5. Mobile Device Protection
When you have guests in your home, you take on a certain amount of liability for their mobile devices. If they plug in their device to charge, only for a power surge or short circuit to ruin it, you may have to replace that device for them. You can mitigate these risks and provide your guests with safe mobile device charging with professional surge protection.
6. Decoration Protection
When you go all out to decorate your home for the holidays, you can protect your decorations from damage with electrical maintenance. Lights that get too hot, circuits that trip or power surges can ruin strands of lights, melt decorations made of plastic and overheat and shatter those made from glass. A faulty system can ruin your home’s festive look and leave you frustrated and angry after spending so much time decorating it for the holidays.
7. Energy Efficiency
All the light strands, inflatable Christmas characters, electric trains and other decorations that you plug in can run up your utility bill during this season. When you want to save yourself some money and keep that bill more affordable, it can help to ensure your electrical system can efficiently and safely handle the extra load.
8. Identification of Hidden Issues
At first glance, you may have no idea that anything is wrong with your home’s wiring. However, it could have hidden issues that manifest themselves when you are busy hosting your holiday guests. You should find out sooner rather than later what issues your system has. You can resolve them and ensure your home is ready for your guests by scheduling a routine electrical inspection.
9. Overload Protection
Your guests should have access to the outlets in your home, whether they need to charge their phone or plug in some type of medical device. You may find people using most of your outlets and power strips. Your system must be able to accommodate the additional load put on it. An electrician can make sure your system can handle this extra load without causing problems like tripped breakers.
10. Support for Holiday Activities
Your electrical system must also support the extra activities you will take on as a host. For example, you may need to use your oven more than usual to prepare your holiday meal along with other small appliances like mixers, toaster ovens and warming plates. You may also have to run your furnace more than usual to keep your guests warm. A professional can inspect your electrical system and expand your breaker panel if need be.
11. Emergency Repair Mitigation
The last thing you may want to contend with during the holidays involves calling an electrician for emergency repairs. Waiting for an electrician to arrive can negatively impact your schedule. It can also cost you money that you might prefer to keep in your bank account or put towards gifts. Early maintenance can reduce the need for emergency holiday electrical repairs.
12. Insurance Compliance
Many homeowner’s insurance companies require clients to keep their electrical systems properly maintained. To be on the safe side, you can have yours inspected and maintained before the holidays. You will have proof that you have the system professionally maintained if you must make an insurance claim for a ruined mobility device, electrical fire or other mishap that your system causes.
13. Comfortable Atmosphere
Professional service can also help you create a comfortable atmosphere in your home. It ensures you can turn on and use lamps and overhead lights in your home without them flickering on and off because of faulty wiring. You can also plug in and enjoy the lights on your tree or window, knowing they should stay on and shine brightly because of the well-maintained condition of your home’s electrical system.
14. Smoke Alarm Installation
If you need new smoke alarms installed, you should take care of this task before the start of the holidays. Having these fixtures in place before you host guests in your home can give you peace of mind. An experienced electrician can install and test them for you so you can better protect your home and guests during the busy holiday season.
15. Focus on Your Guests and the Holidays
Keeping your electrical system maintained allows you to focus on your guests and any celebrations you plan. Problems like a power surge, tripped breakers, sparking outlets, and burn marks on your walls or floor draw your attention away and cause you to worry rather than enjoy yourself. You could also miss out on moments like seeing your loved ones open gifts because you must contend with electrical problems.
16. System Upgrades
Finally, a licensed and insured electrician can upgrade your home’s electrical system. This upgrade can include a variety of tasks, such as adding more outlets and breakers to accommodate your family size and the people you plan to host this season. It can also include replacing old or damaged wiring, tightening loose outlets, installing a new breaker box and bringing the system back up to code.
This critical service not only provides you with safe and convenient use of your home’s electricity. It can also help you qualify for tax credits when you file your taxes the next year. Your electrical service could help you make an application for electrical upgrade tax credits.
Contact Us Today
No job is too big or too small for our team at Finch Home Solutions. Our business guarantees your satisfaction. We also offer 24/7 emergency repair services. Our team provides the services you need for your electrical system this holiday season, including electrical panel expansion, inspections, lighting upgrades, surge protection and more. Contact us at Finch Home Solutions in Shakopee, MN, to learn more about our electrical services today!
