As the witches, ghosts, and goblins fade into memory and you finally emerge from your Halloween candy sugar coma, it’s time to look ahead to the end of the year and the celebrations with family and friends that are sure to ensue. Is your home company ready? We’ll let you handle putting clean sheets on the beds and making sure the fridge is well-stocked with everyone’s favorites, but we hope you’ll let us help out with some safety tips and suggestions to keep your home in top shape this holiday season.
Inspection Time
As you’re writing your holiday guest list, put your Austin electrician right at the top. Invite your electrician out for a full safety inspection before your guests arrive. Your electrician will assess your outlets to make sure they’re ready to handle the extra load of holiday lights and other electrical decor. They’ll also take a look at your electrical panel to ensure it’s in good shape. While your electricity may function just fine on a normal day, the added stress from houseguests, decorations, increased kitchen use, etc., might be more than your panel can handle. Get it checked out now — the last thing you want is to trip a breaker in the middle of cooking your Thanksgiving meal. Finally, have your electrician check your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they’re functioning properly.
Outlet Upgrade
If you own an older home and haven’t already upgraded your kitchen and bathroom outlets to GFCIs, now is a great time to do so. These outlets are especially important in locations near running water, and your kitchen and bathrooms are most likely to incur additional use during the holiday season. Talk to your Austin electrician about modernizing old outlets as an added safety measure this season.
Let There Be Light
How easy is it for guests to find your home on a cold winter’s night? It might be worth making some improvements to your outdoor lighting scheme. Especially if you’ll be hosting older relatives or anyone with mobility issues, it’s important that curbs and steps are well-lit and easy to see on dark nights. You might consider installing additional lighting at these points and around the entryway of your home. If you’ve been thinking of using a sensor for outdoor lights to save energy, we strongly encourage checking out dawn-to-dusk sensors, which automatically switch on as it gets dark and turn themselves off again in the morning. Not only will they ensure your guests have an illuminated path to your door, they’ll also deter thieves (‘tis the season, unfortunately) throughout the night.
The holidays are stressful enough without worrying about whether your electrical system will support your dazzling holiday display or if Great Aunt Mildred will fall trying to navigate your walkway in the dark. Give yourself the gift of peace of mind and let us keep your home safe and happy this season, so that you can focus on giving your family a holiday experience they’ll treasure for years to come.