Decreasing Energy Usage Within Your Home

As a homeowner we often use an extreme amount of energy without even considering where it is all going to.  In this article we will look into the ways in which we use energy throughout our homes on a daily basis and how you may be able to address the largest areas of waste within your home.

Appliances and electrical components that use a lot of power are often referred to as electrical vampires.  These appliances rack up high energy bills not only when they are being used but as they are plugged in and sit waiting to be used.  This wastes energy and increases home energy bills.  To avoid the extra expense consider using power savers on the following pieces of electrical equipment within your home.

Video Game Consoles

Who doesn’t enjoy unwinding at the end of the day with a game shared with the family on a video console?  Although video game consoles are a great way to unwind they are a huge draw on the energy within your home.  If the console is plugged in it is drawing energy.  So even if you are not enjoying the console it is using energy.  Even when a console is turned off if it plugged in it is expending approximately one watt of energy.

Laptop Computers

It is almost impossible to believe but a laptop uses more energy than a desktop computer.  Laptops have many different components that are running within together in one place.  This means that the system need additional energy over that off a desk top computer to function.  A desktop, on average, uses about three watts of energy whereas a laptop runs on about nine watts while it is turned off.  Consider though that a desktop also uses electricity to run speakers, monitors, scanners, modems and USB hubs.  When deciding which source is a better use of energy for your home consider the entire system as a whole and not each component separately.

Cable Boxes

Cable boxes may seem completely innocent as they sit on top of the television console waiting to be used however they are one of the worst electrical component offenders when it comes to energy usage in your home.  When off, on average a cable box uses about twenty eight watts of power.   While in use a cable box uses about thirty watts.

If you are concerned with the amount of energy that various electrical components are using while plugged in and turned off or turned on there is only one way to eliminate the issue and that is to unplug it.  As a homeowner you may be looking for a solution that does not require you to unplug and plug in appliances as they are used within the home.  In this case an easy, straightforward solution is the addition of power strips.  A power strip in the off position only uses about a single watt of electricity which is far less than any of the above components.

J&P Electrical is a full service electrical equipment company.  At J&P, we supply contractors, end users and supply houses with new surplus, quality reconditioned and obsolete electrical equipment. Contact us today at https://jpelectricalcompany.com for all of your bus plug, circuit breaker, switchboard, fuses, disconnects and more.

Key Factors In Preventative Maintenance Programs

There are so many important factors to consider when working within a manufacturing setting.  One of the most important aspects arguably is preventative maintenance.  When electrical equipment doesn’t include a variety of moving components many industrial managers overlook machinery maintenance; this is however the incorrect thought process is.  All electrical equipment requires regular maintenance to be scheduled.  In fact when electrical systems lack moving parts they report a failure rate of up to three times more than systems with preventative maintenance programs in place.

When discussing the failures in electrical distribution it is important to remember the two culprits responsible for about half of all failures.  Loose wiring and part connections as well as exposure to moisture are both major issues that cause equipment failure.  Both issues can be managed with a comprehensive electrical preventative maintenance program in place.

There are five key factors that are relevant when introducing such a program to your team and facility.  An established electrical maintenance program can benefit a manufacturing facility in a number of ways including increased employee safety, increased production, decreased down time, increased customer service and so many more benefits that come with equipment throughout the facility running as expected.

Important Preventative Maintenance Factors

• Employees Qualified to Oversee and Execute your Preventative Maintenance Program

It is important to hire or train employees that are in charge of the preventative program.  Each piece of equipment requires specific testing and maintenance.  Employees should be thoroughly trained to ensure electrical safety practices and procedures are followed.

• Regularly Scheduled Equipment Maintenance

It is crucial that components in machinery are inspected, tested and serviced on a regular basis.  With regular record keeping manufacturers will be able to develop a detailed plan based on component failure.  This will allow for a detailed maintenance program to be established.

• Informed Decisions on Electrical Component Replacement

The only way that informed decisions can be made is with proper information and understanding of the problem that exists.   This requires education and information on the current electrical systems currently in place.  Employees responsible for preventative maintenance should have access to testing reports and educational material.

• Maintenance Performance

There does come a time that schedule performance will require a machine to be shut down.  The nice thing about doing it in this manner, rather than waiting for it to break is that you can control the timing.   Scheduled outages can be done when production is low during holiday breaks or decreased production.

• Clear Concise Methods in Record Keeping

In order to track the work that is done and the timing of break downs a plan can be established to prevent equipment failure during peak manufacturing times.  Work should be performed and electrical components replaced when needed.  Tracking the results will lead to identifying problem areas so that they can be corrected before the problem occurs.

Preventative maintenance is a cost effective way that improves the efficiency of both employees and equipment.  Neglecting electrical machinery is costly.  A program that is in place to establish guidelines on maintenance helps with this.

JP Electrical is a full service electrical equipment company.  At J&P, we supply contractors, end users and supply houses with new surplus, quality reconditioned and obsolete electrical equipment. Contact us today at https://jpelectricalcompany.com for all of your bus plug, circuit breaker, switchboard, fuses, disconnects and more.