With the conclusion of the holiday season a few weeks away, it is a good idea to get an idea as to how to put the lights and decorations away in an organized manner to help you find everything you need for next year and in optimal condition, because it will be here before you know it. As you look to where to start the thought may occur to you that getting out the Christmas paraphernalia was way more entertaining than putting it away. The lights on the other hand, may have been the only frustrating experience. The detangling and bulb checking likely took hours. To keep the entire process fun for next year and to spare you the grief of detangling, we at Sentry Electrical have listed some tips and suggestions to store your lights more efficiently.

1) Inventory the Christmas Lights. Detach the lights and string them out lengthwise. The side the plugs in is known as the male side, and the end that gets plugged in is the female end. Ensure they are all detached, leaving them plugged in turns it into more of a hassle than it needs to be. After all the strands are stretched out, test them individually to ensure all the bulbs are still in working order; this includes any extra lights that might be unused. If you can test the extra strands that are currently tangled, do so and if more than half are not lit up, don’t bother taking the time to untangle them and toss them out; do not take up space on items that are broken. If you find that you have too many lights that are still operating, you can always donate them if there isn’t enough space.
2) Use Plastic Hangers. Avoid wired hangers; they are not conducive to this project. The heavy duty plastic or wooden hangers are optimal. Use a hanger for every strand of lights to keep it neat and organized. Where the wooden hangers cost a little more, they are the most durable. This method gives you the choice to hang or simply store the lights. To wrap extension cords or lights, start by taping one end of the strand to the either the lower right or left hand corner of the hanger; duct tape is the best adhesive to keep the strand in place. Keep the cord taunt and avoid allowing any slack as you wind the strand around the hanger. Keep the cord tight to avoid tangling but not too tight that it is too stretched. Use more duct tape or a rubber band to hold it in place.
3) Christmas Light Storage. Storing them after they are neatly wrapped is essential as well. To increase the organization, place a flat cardboard in between the layers of lights within the box or crate you store them in. Safety is an important element to consider as well. When removing the lights from heights, use a sturdy ladder safely and do not over extend yourself. Do not yank the cords out of their sockets, but gently pull them out. Properly secure the lights and extension cords carefully in optimal locations; away from moisture for example.

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When designing the lighting in your home, you will be working with three basic types of lighting: ambient, task and accent. All of the lighting found within your home falls into one of these three categories. Today, Sentry Electric is here to define each of these categories to help you in making lighting decisions for your home.

Ambient Lighting Examples

Ambient lighting is possibly the most important form of lighting in your home. This is the artificial light that will replace sunlight. This form of lighting will illuminate your entire space and is known as general lighting in a home. Many people aren’t happy with general lighting and are interested in adding the other two layers of lighting to help enhance lighting even more. Some of the forms of ambient lighting you may find are: ceiling fixtures and chandeliers, lighted ceiling fans, torchieres or sconces and recessed ceiling lights. Once you have a good base of ambient light, you can start making plans to work on other lighting choices.

Office Desk, Under Cabinet & Other Task Lighting

Places that you may find task lighting comes in handy are areas that you need to concentrate on specific tasks. You may choose task lighting in your kitchen, office or even bathrooms. You want this lighting to be free of any shadows or glares that could get in the way of the project you are working on. Task lighting should also be very bright so you have better vision when it is on and won’t have to worry about straining your eyes. Some forms of task lighting include: desk or table lamps, pendant lighting, directed track lighting and vanity lights.

Indoor Accent Lighting

Accent lighting, when used right, can be used to create a certain mood in any room. Not only is it great for setting the tone of a room, but it is used to highlight different architectural features found in your home. When there are design accents around the room, accent lighting can spotlight them and draw attention to artwork and other important objects. Some forms of accent lighting you may see are: directed track lighting, can & up lights, niche lighting, picture lights, wall sconces, light bridges and more.

Home Lighting Designs for New Builds

When you are building a house, laying out the lighting design is exciting. You have a completely clean slate to work with. There are a couple considerations you should make when you are selecting the lighting for your home. You should consider how the room is going to be used, appropriate fixtures, energy efficiency as well as cost.

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No matter what lighting features you have chosen for your home, you want to make sure they are installed correctly. The lighting experts at Sentry Electric have the experience and resources to create a beautiful space for you using light. We can consult with you about your lighting goals and vision for your home and create a home that has the lighting of your dreams. Call us today!

Fall and winter is not just the cold season, it is also the holiday season. Needless to say this is the time of year where people see a sudden drop in the bank account as they shop for gifts, fine food, and even travel expenses. Just because you have the additional expenses doesn’t mean you have to cut down on the essentials. We at Sentry Electric would like to offer some tips and advice on ways you can save on energy costs without sacrificing the holiday indulgences on activities and making memories.

Ways to Save on Heating Costs & Conserve Heat in Your Home

1) Seal the holes, gaps, and cracks. Inspect your home and look for places where the home is leaking the heated air you already paid for. These places are common utility cut-through for pipes, gaps around chimneys, around windows and doors, recessed lights in insulated ceilings, as well as unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Weather stripping is the optimal solution around windows and doors in addition to the caulk, and all the other places need to be proper sealed with caulk or more intricate repairs.
2) Maintain heating systems. The central heating system should be maintained by a professional to ensure the unit is operating at maximum efficiency and energy is not being lost due to insufficiency. Additionally, ensure you replace the furnace filter monthly.
3) Water heating. A good safety tip to avoid scalding hands and to save money on water heating costs is to lower your water heating costs turn down the temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees.
4) Cost effect Christmas lights. To reduce the cost of traditional decorating, replace your Christmas light display with LED (light-emitting diode) holiday light strings. In addition to LED lights, invest in Christmas light timers to help defray the costs.
5) Traveling. When you leave your home from holiday traveling for a weekend or more, be sure to unplug the unnecessary appliances and electronic devices, even these things turned off will draw power.
6) Invest in power strips. For every day us, invest in enough power strips around the house that can cut the power at the flick of a switch when you are away at work or sleeping.
7) Optimize sunlight. The sun can help heat your home, even during the winter. Open up the curtains for the south-facing windows during the day as the sun will contribute to warming your home as well as maximize the lighting without using lights in some cases. Don’t forget however, to close up the curtains after the sun has set to ward off the cold.
8) Treat drafty windows. During the cold months, you can better retain the heat on those drafty windows by taping a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on the window frame. To help keep the cold out and not use extra cost in heating to compensate, ensure the windows are tightly sealed. For aesthetics and a little more cost, invest in custom tight-fitted insulated drapes to those windows that still feel chilly. To further improve the energy efficiency, there are additional window treatments or even energy efficient window replacement options.
9) Adjust your thermostat. Most homes are outfitted with a programmable thermostat these days, be sure to adjust your settings. Keep the thermostat as low as you can be comfortable, during the hours the house isn’t empty and people are awake. Turn the thermostat back 10-15 degrees for around 8 hours to save 10% a year on your heating bills while everyone is asleep or out of the house.

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Call Sentry Electric for a specialist to come to your home and perform a comprehensive energy audit. At the conclusion, you can where all the energy costs is being used, and our expert will offer some solutions to help reduce the energy consumption to help you save some cash. Contact us today!

With the Christmas holidays right around the corner, many will begin to decorate their home with lavish light and holiday displays. Most Christmas lights and the displays will require the use of electricity. To ensure that your lights and other holiday decorations don’t short out or cause an unwanted fire, Sentry Electric will share a safety checklist you can use to ensure that your home stays safe and one that will reduce if not eliminate the possibility of an electrical fire.

Christmas Light Safety Tips

1. Inspect each strand of lights that you will be using, both inside and outside of your home. Check for broken or cracked sockets and frayed or exposed wires along with any loose connections. If any of the strands of light have any of these problems, don’t use them or you will risk a fire hazard.
2. Avoid connecting the lights together while you’re hanging or wrapping the lights around a tree. Instead, unwind the lights and stretch them out. Inspect the plugs and then plug them in all together before hanging them.
3. Lights that can be used for either inside or outside use should have been tested for safety. Lights that have been tested and approved will be labeled with a (UL) or Underwriters Laboratories right on the box.
4. Lights on the tree should never make direct contact with the tree or the needles. The bulbs can create enough heat to start a fire. You can use paper clips to help keep the bulbs away from the needles.
5. Always unplug all lights and electrical decorations, both indoor and outdoor, each time you leave your home or go to sleep for the night.
6. When buying an artificial tree that is pre-lit, check the label and make sure it clearly states that it is flame resistant.
7. Make sure that cords and plugs stay dry and out of water. Additionally, make sure that the plugs don’t make contact with metal objects to prevent blow outs or electrical fires.
8. Often extension cords are used for elaborate outdoor and sometimes indoor decorations and displays. If you’re using extension cords, make sure that they are UL approved.
9. Before using your extension cords, inspect them first. Make sure that none of the wires are exposed. Additionally keep the cords away from any heat sources.
10. Don’t cover any of the cords with door mats, rugs, or other materials that are not approved to be used. Don’t feed extension cords through windows or squeeze them through door ways.
11. Never over use one outlet. Often over using a single outlet causes sparks which often results in electrical fires.

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Many fires break out each holiday season and cause house fires. This ruins such a joyful holiday. Due to the extra demand on your home power usage, you will want to make sure to take every precaution and make sure your home is safe. Sentry Electric hopes with this checklist that you make sure your holiday display is safe and that you won’t have any mishaps this holiday season. For all of your commercial and residential electrical needs, contact Sentry Electric today!

With each season there are common problems. The hot summer months usually mean that your AC unit will need some work to keep it going. The spring time is bad for allergy sufferers. The fall is the start of the holiday season and the winter is cold! The needs that you have with your electricity also changes. There are some problems that occur more often in the winter when you are dealing with your electrical outlets and more. You need to be aware of the most common troubles so that if they happen to be a problem in your home you are prepared and know what to do. It is also good to know so that you can do what you can to prevent a potential electrical hazard.

Sentry Electric Lists Common Electrical Problems That Occur in the Winter Months

Overloading Electricity Circuits: The winter time means there are additional items that will be plugged in. This is extra holiday lighting, cords for interior decorations and even heaters to try and stay warm. Adding all these extra items to the outlets in your home can end up overloading the circuit. The problem is that one circuit in your panel may be overloaded more so than the others. This is why you want to try your best to spread out the electrical use if you can. You can easily determine if you are overloading a circuit if it trips often. If this happens you need to rethink your outlets or call out an electrician and have another circuit added. We can come out to the house and look at where the needs of more outlets are and look at the circuits to see where an addition can be made.
Moisture On Electrical Connections: There is a huge problem in the winter months when water or other forms of moisture disrupt the electrical connections. Everyone knows that water and electricity don’t mix and that is why all the electrical devices you use have a warning label to keep away from water. Besides the label when you are plugging in something in a room such as a bathroom or a kitchen there are also GFCI outlets. The outlets are made so that if there is a shock to the electronic device that is plugged in the circuit will separate and pop open. This has saved people from being electrocuted. If you have other areas that don’t have this GFCI on them and they get wet the entire circuit can be fried. This will require an electrician to come out and identify the problem as well as replace the wires and circuits that have been damaged by the water or moisture.

Electrical Inspections, New Circuit Installation & More in Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk, Westport, Southbury, Stamford, CT & Fairfield County, Connecticut

Sentry Electric offers professional electrical wiring and custom lighting services. Contact us for all your electrical needs!