Tag: electricity

Electrical Safety Tips for Kids

electrical safety tips for kids

Knowing the basics of electrical safety allows you to protect your kids from dangerous electrical mishaps. One way to practice electrical safety is to childproof your house. However, if you have older kids, you can take a few minutes to sit them down and run down a list of electricity-related dos and don’ts. To help you get started, the pros at Roman Electric have prepared a list of important electrical safety tips for kids.

Tip #1: Water and Electricity Don’t Mix

As you already know, water and electrical appliances don’t mix. That is actually why we have ground-fault circuit interrupters installed in areas where exposure to water is high, such as your bathroom, kitchen, outdoor area or basement. If an appliance is exposed to a lot of water, the circuit interrupters, or GFCIs, will sense the difference in the current and immediately shut off the circuit. Now this is interesting and all, but you certainly can’t explain this to a kid! Try to make it a rule of thumb to keep water away from appliances. To make things fun, try playing this informative online game with your child.

Tip #2: Stay Away from Power Lines

Staying away from power lines means:

  • Not touching broken or fallen powerlines
  • Not climbing power poles
  • Not climbing or playing on trees close to power lines
  • Never flying kites near power lines

Those all seem like a lot of “Nos” and your child might react with a lot of questions. It’s important to tell them that exposure to power lines can put them at risk of electric shock or electrocution. If you are having trouble telling them about this in simple terms, watch this 2-minute animated video with them on electrical safety.

Tip #3: No Fingers Inside Outlets

Putting anything inside outlets, whether its your fingers or a pencil can be dangerous. This is a very easy way to receive electric shock, which can even be fatal. Make sure you include this in your electrical safety talk with your kids because it’s pretty tempting for little ones to stick their fingers into outlets and sockets.

Tip #4: Don’t Yank Chords

Yanking chords out of outlets can at best, damage the chord, the wire or the outlet. At worst, it can cause an electric fire or electrocution. Kids might be tempted to yank on wires, so make sure they know that this is a big no-no.

Child-Proofing Tips

Even if your kids are a little older, there is no harm in taking steps to child-proof your home.

  • Get plastic plug-in outlet covers for open outlets and sockets
  • Don’t leave charger chords around—wrap them up safely and place them somewhere out of reach
  • Store bathroom and kitchen appliances out of reach
  • Test your GFCIs every month!

Have any more questions about how you can teach your kids electrical safety tips? Get in touch with the pros at Roman Electric. You can call us at 414-369-3798 or schedule a service with us on our website!

How to Read Your Electric Meter

how to read your electric meter

Your electric meter is a device that tells you exactly how much electricity your household is consuming. Like the mileage display on your car, your electric meter tells you how much power your home has used ever since the meter was set up. There are different types of meters, but they all measure electricity consumption in kilowatt-hours and display total power used. While homeowners know they have an electric meter, they don’t often know how to read it. So, in this guide, the pros at Roman Electric tell you exactly how to read your electric meter, in addition to answering other questions about electric meters!

Where is the Electricity Meter Located?

Before you check your meter, it’s important to know where it is located. Usually the electricity meter is installed where the power lines enter your building. They are usually placed at either the side or the rear of your home. In some apartments, different electric meters will be grouped together.

What is The Meter Number?

Every meter has a unique meter number, in order to identify your home’s power consumption and bill you for it. The meter number is usually located on the face of the meter, usually at the bottom. If you must submit a meter reading to your utility company, it is important to know what your meter number is.

How to Read Your Electric Meter

While it is not necessary to read your electric meter, it’s very easy to do so. This is helpful to know if you would like to keep a personal record of your meter readings. Follow this step-by-step guide to read your electricity meter, specifically if you have an analog meter, since those are a little difficult to read:

  • On your analog meter you will notice 6 dials. Be sure to read the dials left to right.
  • The first dial will be labelled “10,000” the second “1000” the third “100” the fourth “10” and the fifth “1 kWh Per Div.” which means kilowatt hour. The 6th dial reads 1/10, which indicates a decimal place. So, for example, if the first dial is pointing at 4, the second is pointing at 3, the third at 5, the fourth at 6, and the fifth at 8, your reading will be 43,568 kwh. If the 6th dial is pointing to 1, the reading will be 43,568.1 kwh.
  • Sometimes a dial hand will be located at a point between two numbers—in this scenario record the lower number. If the dial is between 4 and 5, record 4.
  • The next time you check your electric meter, the reading will obviously be higher, since you will have consumed more electricity. If you want to check how much electricity you consumed during a certain period, you will have to find the difference between the last and current reading.

More Questions About Your Electric Meter? Contact the pros at Roman Electric!

If you have more questions about how you can read your electric meter, get in touch with Roman Electric! Call us today at 414-369-3798 or schedule an appointment online!

Creative Ways to Light Your Home

creative ways to light your home

If you are looking for a fun project to start off the new year, consider changing up the lighting in your home. Good and unique lighting can make your home well-lit as well as give off the ambiance you want! If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry. The pros at Roman Electric have come up with a helpful list of creative ways to light your home.

1. Solar Pathway Lighting

A shadowy, unlit home at night is both unsafe and aesthetically problematic. Plus, it makes it harder for anyone walking in the front yard a little harder to see, increasing the chances of tripping and falling. To prevent this from happening, add some solar pathway lights. These lights are inexpensive, come in a variety of styles and designs and since they are solar powered, they won’t take up any electricity. These great pathway lights can come with photovoltaic cells that absorb sunlight, which helps to light the bulbs at night. Lastly, these lights are easy to install as they don’t require any wiring or cords—simply stake them in the ground and they’re ready to go!

2. Add Under Cabinet Lighting to Your Kitchen

Task lighting is important for various rooms in your home such as your kitchen. Having areas where you work, cook or perform tasks, require decent lighting—hence the name “task lighting.” If you find that the lighting is poor in your kitchen, consider adding under cabinet task lights. Plus, when installed properly, undercabinet lighting can add a more contemporary feel to your kitchen. For this type of lighting, LED bulbs will most likely be the best option, since they use less energy and last longer. Plus, they are dimmable and, more importantly, don’t radiate heat so you don’t have to worry about sweating into your food.

3. Get Creative with String or Fairy Lights

If you want to add some creative lighting to your kids’ rooms, you can never go wrong with string or fairy lights. Here are some ways you can creatively light your own or your kids’ rooms with these fun lights:

  • Hang Them Around the Mirror

One way you can add a nice, unique ambiance to a bedroom is by hanging string lights around the mirror. Use damage-free hooks to properly secure the lights and make sure you use LED bulbs in plastic encasings. Incandescent bulbs with glass encasings are more vulnerable and can radiate heat.

  • Fairy Lights in A Jar

Fairy lights are smaller and thinner than string lights and can be battery operated. You can either hang them in different areas around your room or put them in a jar to create a small lamp for yourself!

  • String Up Lights with Photos

The combination of hanging up lights with photos is very popular, especially among young adults. It gives personality to rooms and creates a warm, cozy effect.

4. Use Candle Sconces for Soft Lighting

If there are areas around your home that would benefit with soft lighting, consider using candle sconces. Your bathroom could be a great place for this, since bathroom lighting is usually harsh and unflattering. Using candle sconces with battery operated candles will achieve softer lighting and more importantly, will require less electricity!

Light Up Your Home with Roman Electric!

If you want to learn more about different creative ways to light your home, get in touch with the pros at Roman Electric! Call us today at 414-369-3798 or schedule a service with us on our website!