Summer is one of the best times of year to do some work on the old homestead and make some quality of life improvements for your family. That includes projects for both the indoors and outdoors.
While home improvement projects can be done during any season, the warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours just lend themselves to making improvements.
And some electrical projects help you get through summer’s heat while taking the best advantage of the season. And there are many projects that won’t bust your budget, but will make a marked difference in your home.
Here’s some examples of summer electrical projects.
Install Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are a natural for summer as they circulate air, cool your home and help reduce air conditioning costs. The fans have also become a decorating staple – complete with lighting – and can add a nice touch to any room.
Ceiling fans have actually become one of the most widely used cooling devices in American homes. While a typical air conditioners uses 3.500 watts of electricity, a ceiling fan typically uses about 60 watts. If ceiling fans can help you turn off the AC for even a short while – say late at night – it can mean substantial savings on energy use.
Fans don’t actually cool air, however, they simply create a breeze that makes it feel cooler. But that’s kind of the point and ceiling fans can allow you to set your AC temperature higher, again saving money.
Most fans have a clockwise and counter clockwise setting. During the summer, set the fan to clockwise so that it blows air downwards, creating a breeze in the center of the room (This can vary on some models depending on how the fan blades are aligned). In the winter, reverse the air flow upwards to circulate heat throughout the room. That means ceiling fans can help reduce heating costs in the winter as well.
Outdoor Lighting
Some outdoor lighting serves an important function such as lighting entranceways, areas for trash disposal, pools, driveways and other places you simply need to see. They provide added security and help you see what you’re doing.
But outdoor landscaping is also a perfect place for accent lighting or ambient lighting. Some projects, such as lining walkways or patio lighting do double duty. Others can be purely decorative.
If you’ve invested in your home’s landscaping, then you’ll want to show it off. Most outdoor landscaping lights today are low voltage and won’t have a significant impact on your electric bill thanks to low energy LED and halogen choices.
Landscape lighting can also highlight your home’s architectural features and draw attention to prized plantings and trees.
Try placing spotlights under trees or architectural features to light them from below and create an ambiance around your home. Use outdoor fixtures to light up flower beds, garden walls and focal points in the yard.
For patios and decks, consider recessing lights into patio walls or permanent fixtures around you outdoor recreation space. We can help you design the perfect plan for your yard and ensure that outdoor fixtures meet safety requirements for being exposed to weather.
After all, you work hard on your yard and there’s no reason to stop showing it off just because its night.
Dimmer Switches
While modern LED, CFL and halogen lights don’t give off as much heat as out-of-date incandescent lights did, summer is a season for soft lighting after the sun goes down. Dimmer switches allow you to adjust between a soft relaxing light to a brighter light when needed.
Recessed Lighting
Much like dimmer switches, recessed lighting in a room can help you create layers of light rather than relying solely on standalone lamps. By creating soft background lighting or specific task lighting in the kitchen or bathroom, recessed lighting gives you options and also modernizes the appearance of your home’s interior.
Build an Outdoor Kitchen
While more than just an electrical project, outdoor kitchens have become very popular for outdoor entertaining. Along with your grill, you might want to consider a mini-fridge and coolers as well as properly lighting the space.
Whenever adding outdoor or indoors wiring or fixtures, always call trained professionals like Eric Krise Electrical Contractors for installation.