Electrical

Whether you are home or not, appliances such as your refrigerator, electric water heater, air conditioner and electric heat use electricity, unless you turn them off when you are gone. Remote-controlled appliances continue to use electricity in the “off” position, unless the power to the appliance is disconnected.

To lower a utility bill, you must use less energy or kWh (kilowatt hours). Some easy ways to use less energy are to turn off the lights and ceiling fans when leaving a room, set your thermostat at a slightly higher temperature in the summer or a slightly lower temperature in the winter, reduce hot water use with shorter showers, and wash clothes in warm or cold water. You can also use compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs instead of traditional light bulbs and unplug phone chargers when not in use. The largest energy users in the home are heating and air conditioning, followed by water heating.

1. Tripped circuit breaker –
   It’s common for a single circuit to trip, causing the outlet you want to use to stop working. Check the panel and reset any breakers that are not on. When a circuit breaker trips, the knob doesn’t always flip to the opposite side. Sometimes it sticks somewhere in the middle or so close to on that it’s hard to see it’s tripped. If a circuit continues to shut down, you likely have a problem with overloading it. See if you can unplug some items, or call in an electrician to make the necessary changes.
2. GFCI – 
   Modern building codes require outlets near sinks to be either a ground fault circuit interrupter—GFCI—or protected by one. These outlets will shut down by themselves when they detect a short or overheat, rather than causing the breaker to flip off. If an electrical outlet in your bathroom or kitchen stops working, reset all GFCI outlets in that room. A GFCI that pops will also cause all outlets further down the line on the same circuit to stop working. Sometimes an outlet in another room is wired on the same circuit, especially in older homes, and a tripped GFCI in your bathroom is shutting it off.

Yes, and it happens for a number of reasons. Wires have resistance, which means that when current flows through them, some amount of voltage gets ‘used up’ to make the current flow. This means less voltage for your various loads (lights, toaster, etc.). If you have loads that turn on and off, then the voltage supplying your lights will change, and the lights will flicker. Many loads have ‘inrush current’ and draw lots more current when they are first turned on; on startup they will cause significant voltage drop in the supply.

Proper design of your electrical system can minimize but not eliminate flicker. For example, large loads should be on their own circuits, and some should be on 240V circuits. Since your main supply wires have some resistance, you will still get some flicker even when these loads are on different circuits. Properly designed, you may not be able to notice the flicker, but it will still be there.

A breaker is a safety device. It is designed to protect not only the equipment but also the wiring and the house as well. So when it trips, there is a reason, and it should be taken seriously.

One very common cause for breakers to trip are loose electrical connections; this can easily be corrected by tightening them. Try one time to reset it by turning it to the “off” position and then back to the “on” position. Do not just keep resetting it and ignoring the situation. By tripping, it is trying to tell you something.

While it may be just a weak breaker or the result of a thunderstorm, always remember that you are dealing with high voltage, high amperage and possibly high temperatures, which can cause serious damage to life and property. Note that breakers should not feel hot to the touch. If it is hot, it indicates a problem and not to be ignored. For example, if when you reset it and it immediately trips, that is usually indicative of a direct short. Do not try to reset the breaker again.

GFI is an abbreviation for a Ground Fault Interrupter. It is a specially-designed outlet normally used in locations where moisture can accumulate, such as kitchens, baths and laundry areas, to protect you from electrical shock. A GFI measures the resistance on the “positive” and “negative” loads connected to it; if there is more resistance in either of the two loads, the GFI trips. The GFI has a built-in circuit breaker to reset once the problem has been resolved.