Newsletter

With the changes in the seasons, McGrew Electric urges everyone to keep electrical safety in mind when preparing your home for the fall season. A little safety planning could prevent devastating property loss, injury or death due to electrical accidents. Keep these tips in mind.
 
Outdoor Safety

• Be especially careful not to let ladders, trimmers and other tools and equipment come in contact with overhead wires.
• Unplug and safely store battery chargers that won’t be used.
• Safely store warm weather tools like lawn mowers and trimmers drained of fuel, and check cold weather tools and their power cords for unusual wear and tear. 
• Keep dry leaves swept away from outdoor lighting, outlets and power cords.
• Use a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) in series with your extension cord or be sure the outlet you connect to is protected by a GFCI.

Indoor Safety

• Avoid overloading outlets, and never force a plug into an outlet if it doesn’t fit.
• Don’t run electrical cords under rugs or carpets. If they overheat, they could cause a fire.
• Use extension cords only on a temporary basis; they are not intended for use as permanent household wiring.
• Don’t use appliances with frayed, cut or damaged cords; they can cause a short or fire.
• Water and electricity don’t mix. Don’t place any electrical appliances where they might come in contact with water.

 Energy Efficiency

Fall is here, and those cold winter nights aren’t far behind. Don’t wait until winter to think about how you can use energy more efficiently. Keeping your home comfortable during winter weather can be easy - and less expensive. Follow these simple tips, many of which you can do yourself.

• Ensure that your attic is well insulated. Weather-strip and caulk to stop leaks around windows, doors, exhaust fans and other places where pipes or wires pass through walls.

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents. Remember, the sun goes down earlier in the evening during the winter months, so you will be using more energy for lighting during this season. Compact fluorescents use up to 75% less energy than incandescent light bulbs.

• Install a water heater insulation blanket to reduce heat loss from your water heater.

• Remember to replace your furnace filter monthly to keep it operating efficiently.

• If you have ceiling fans, remember to change them to reverse spin, to distribute the warm air in the room evenly.

• Consider installing a programmable thermostat to save energy during this heating season.

• Run your dishwasher only when it’s full. Try turning it off after the wash-rinse cycle and letting the dishes air dry.

• Wash your clothes in cold water.

• Before you use the clothes dryer, check the lint filter to make sure it’s clean.

SURGE PROTECTION – A WISE INVESTMENT

Whether it’s the storm season or the middle of summer,

installing surge protectors around your home is a wise investment.

There are instances where the flow of power is interrupted:

a wind storm for example or an automobile striking a utility pole.

When electric service is restored following an outage, there is

a natural “surging” of electricity back into your property. The

end result could be damaged electronic equipment and/or

appliances, such as television sets and other sensitive

electronic equipment.

A surge protection device allows you to plug-in your

valuable electronic equipment and appliances, thus 

reducing the risk of a power surge damaging your property.

 Call our experts for all your electrical needs!

Be sure to mention Discounts...

10% OFF Surge Protection

$100 OFF Generator Install 

$20 OFF All other Service Calls