Kilowatt Heating, Air Conditioning and Electrical Blog: Archive for the ‘Electrical’ Category

Old, Outdated Wiring That May Be in Your House

Monday, October 18th, 2021

The oldest homes in Southern California are much younger than the oldest homes on the East Coast. That doesn’t mean we’re free of problems that come from older construction styles, outdated plumbing, and wiring that isn’t up to the standards of modern electrical loads and which may not be safe. At least we don’t have the troubles of knob-and-tube wiring, a frighteningly unsafe style of household wiring that electricians still find in homes in places like New England.

If you live in a house that’s more than 40 years old—and you’ll still find plenty of those in Southern California—you may have outdated wiring. Call a Sherman Oaks, CA electrician to check on the electrical system to see if it needs updating. In fact, we recommend you call us, because we’re older home specialists: we understand how best to bring a vintage home into the 2020s.

Tags: Electrical Wiring, Sherman Oaks
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Why We Recommend Upgrading to LED Lights

Monday, September 20th, 2021

Are you thinking about making some big lighting changes to your house? Changing old and tired lighting decor can enliven your home, but it’s also an opportunity to do much more: upgrade from old incandescent lights to LED lights.

LED stands for light-emitting diode, and these lights work using semiconductors rather than running electricity through a filament. This isn’t new technology: the first LED lights were developed in the early 1960s. For many years their primary use was commercial. Gradually through the ‘80s and ‘90s, they emerged as a replacement option for standard lightbulbs. Today, you can purchase LED lights from your local grocery store.

If you want a full upgrade for your house to LED lights, you’ll need the assistance of a skilled professional Burbank, CA electrician. We recommend you give this upgrade serious thought, and below are the best reasons:

Tags: Burbank, indoor lighting, LED Lights, outdoor lighting
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We’re Older Home Specialists: Here’s What to Know About Rewiring an Older Home

Monday, July 26th, 2021

Although Southern California doesn’t have homes of the same age as you’ll find in, say, New England, there are many houses more than 50 years old here that families happily call home-sweet-home. Older homes can continue to be great places to live, but they have special requirements for their care. This is where having an older home specialist for HVAC and electrical needs is extremely helpful.

Not every electrician in Sherman Oaks, CA or serving Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley specializes in older homes. We do. If your home was built pre-1970, you may have thought about its rewiring needs. We’ll go through several things you need to know about older home rewiring.

Tags: Electrical Wiring, Sherman Oaks
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Let’s Talk Generators—They’re a Big Topic Now

Tuesday, June 1st, 2021

Southern California hasn’t traditionally been a location where generators for homes are common. People often think of generators as useful for places that experience extreme winters and unpredictable storm seasons.

But that’s changing, and generators are now a big topic for So. Cal homeowners. We work with generators and we’d like to recommend that 1) you install a generator for your house, and 2) you have a whole-house generator installed rather than rely on a portable one.

Tags: Burbank, generator installation, Whole House Generators
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What Does an Attic Fan Actually Do?

Monday, April 19th, 2021

The term attic fan might be confusing to people at first, especially anyone who lives in Southern California, where attics are narrow spaces rarely used for anything more than storage. Why have a fan placed up there?

But attic fans are installations that can help create better energy efficiency and comfort for an entire house. If your home doesn’t have an attic fan, we recommend taking some time to look into the possibilities of having one installed.

First, we need to get into more detail about what an attic fan is.

Tags: attic fans, Sherman Oaks
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Signs You Need Electrical Wiring Repairs

Monday, April 5th, 2021

Some home repairs you can delay for a while, but electrical wiring repairs are not one of them. When you have a warning of electrical issues with the wiring in the house, call for a licensed electrician to look into the problem and find a solution. Do not attempt to do a DIY inspection or repair: the safety hazards are simply too high, and it will cause your house to violate the local electrical code. Stay safe and have the job done right: call our electricians for the work.

To help you know when it’s time to call for a West Hollywood, CA electrician, we’ve put together a list of a few of the biggest warning signs of wiring problems in your house.

Tags: electrical repair, Electrical Wiring, West Hollywood
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Is It Time for an Electric Panel Upgrade?

Monday, January 25th, 2021

The electric panel is one of the most important parts of the electrical system for your home. Possibly the most important, because it is the “central station” for the electricity from the grid entering the house where it is divided into different circuits. Breaker switches in the panel help to protect the electric system from electric shorts in the house.

No electrical panel will last forever, and at some point, you will need to have your current one replaced. Not only do these panels wear down, they can also be made obsolete because of the changing electrical demands in a house. In this post, we’ll give you some guidelines for when you should consider calling us for electric panel and circuit breaker upgrades in Studio City, CA or elsewhere in our service area.

Tags: Electric Panel Replacement, Studio City
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Your Ceiling Fan Can Also Help in Cool Weather

Monday, December 14th, 2020

Ceiling fans are common parts of many homes in Southern California, and for good reason. A ceiling fan during the summer helps immensely with the heat, and at a much lower cost in electricity than running an air conditioner. Homes still need to have an effective central cooling system for the intense summer days, but a ceiling fan helps people feel cooler so the AC won’t need to run as much. On average, ceiling fans make it feel as if the temperature in the room is up to 10°F cooler than it is.

But here’s a little secret: those same ceiling fans in your house that you use throughout the summer—they can also help in cooler winter weather. Many homeowners don’t know this, but it’s a simple trick.

Tags: Burbank, ceiling fans, electrical installation
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Do You Need to Upgrade Your Home’s Electrical Panel?

Monday, October 19th, 2020

The electrical panel for a home is the crucial “switching station” for the building’s electrical system. It’s where electricity from the municipal grid enters the home and divides into the separate circuits to power appliances and lights around the house. Breakers in the panel protect the system from overload, tripping to cut off the voltage flow when it spikes.

The panel does a major job for a home, and it’s important that the one in your home can handle your daily electrical demands and operate safely. But if you have a damaged or outdated panel, call an electrician in Van Nuys, CA to examine it and see if it’s time to install a new one. We have the certified electricians for the job. We specialize in helping to make upgrades for older homes.

Tags: circuit breakers, electrical installation, Van Nuys
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Updating the Electrical System of a Vintage House

Monday, October 21st, 2019

One of our specialties as an electrical contractor serving Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley is working on older homes. Southern California may not be New England—we don’t have nineteenth-century homes here. But “vintage” doesn’t have to stretch back to the gaslight era. Many houses built before 1970 have specific requirements when it comes to electrical services (as well as HVAC services, which we also handle).

There’s no wrong time to arrange for Van Nuys, CA, electrical upgrades to your vintage home. But the best time to have a major electrical system overhaul is during a home renovation. You can make the wiring, outlets, panels, and more a part of an extensive renovation project. The results may not make a significant cosmetic change, but the difference in electrical performance and safety is massive. Expert electrical upgrades pay off for many years to come.

Below are important electrical upgrades and changes to have done as part of an extensive renovation.

Tags: Electrical Wiring
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