Every change of the season comes with the colder winter months of November through February. You probably have a variety of memories and thoughts about these months, whether it’s the inevitable snowfall and the winter sports that come with it, the number of popular holidays in that time frame, the potential of seeing cross-country family members, or maybe even just a tasty cup of peppermint hot chocolate. But what you probably aren’t thinking about is your home’s electrical system. It provides a necessary utility to your family and your home when you need it most, but most of the time it’s the type of responsibility that when out of sight, is out of mind.
But in reality, your electrical system is one of the more important things to consider as temperatures start to drop. Your home probably stays nice and warm during the colder months due to your heating system and a variety of other electrical systems, but what if it were to fail? The idea of having a home with no heat on a cold winter’s night might seem like a scary one. But you can take the steps to avoid a situation like this. Taking the time to prepare your electrical system for the winter can give you the peace of mind you need regarding your home’s readiness for the cold months. And with a professional electrician like one from our team at IKON Electric in Northern Illinois, you can get the professional inspection that ensures your home is electrically ready for winter. Keep reading to learn about just a few things you can do to prepare your electrical system, or contact our team at IKON Electric today to schedule an inspection.
Effective Lighting for Shorter Days
One thing that comes with the colder months of winter is the shorter days. Throughout most of the United States, winter months bring the sunset around 4 or 5 p.m., which means practically the entire day after work is spent in darkness. During this time, the need for reliable lights and electrical connections for your lights is paramount. Coming home from work to a dark house, or having to spend a cold evening entirely in the dark sounds pretty miserable. Before the winter months roll around, check the light bulbs and the electrical connections for lights in and around your home, both inside and outside. That way, you won’t have to worry about ineffective or unreliable lighting when you need it most.
Check Heating Systems and Thermostats
Another important thing to check and prepare for is your heating systems and your thermostats. It is likely that your heating system has some electrical connection and/or component that it requires in order to properly heat your entire home. Your thermostat also requires an effective and reliable electrical connection in order to control the heating systems within your home. While these systems are usually reliable, the absolute last thing you want is to discover a faulty connection or a dead battery when you need these systems most. Make sure to replace the batteries on your thermostat, and inspect your heating systems, like your furnace, your water heater, or any electrical space heaters and ensure that they are working properly.
Check Smoke and CO2 Detectors
This is another aspect of the colder months that you may have not thought of: smoke detectors and CO2 detectors. Unsurprisingly, the likelihood of fires or dangerous CO2 leaks are much more common during the winter months. With all of the fireplace usage and interior space heaters, fires are much more likely. And with the sealed nature of your home during cold months, any CO2 emission will struggle to vent and could put your family in danger if it fills up your sealed home. Give yourself the peace of mind you need, and ensure that your smoke detectors and CO2 detectors are electrically connected, or have fresh batteries for the upcoming winter season.
Optimal Energy Usage
Another important factor to consider during the winter months is optimizing your energy and electrical usage. During winter, there are less natural ways to get air flow, use natural lighting, and keep a comfortable temperature, and so we have to use a variety of electrical lights, appliances, and heating systems in order to keep our home comfortable. However, all of this electrical usage can start to build up on your utility bills, and in order to prepare for the winter months, you will want to optimize your energy usage for peak efficiency. Other than using energy efficient bulbs and limiting electrical usage as much as possible, optimizing your home’s energy usage during winter is probably much easier said than done. But with a high-quality inspection from a trusted local electrician like one of our electrical specialists at IKON Electric, you can be assured that your home’s electrical system will be fully optimized to keep your home ready for winter, and also help protect your wallet.
Electrical System Winterization in Northern Illinois – IKON Electric
As you can see, there are more than a few things to consider regarding your electrical system as the winter months start to show up. The more you do to prepare your home for winter, the less you will have to scramble and panic when you need your electrical system most. And that’s what our team at IKON electric is here to help you do. Our professional electricians have decades of combined experience providing quality electrical service to homes all across Northern Illinois, as well as commercial and industrial businesses. Give us a call today and see how our team can start helping you.