In today's fast-paced and competitive work environment, finding ways to boost productivity and enhance creativity is essential. While we often focus on boosting our workflow and improving our skills, we often overlook, the impact of our physical surroundings on our performance. One often forgotten element that can significantly influence the office atmosphere is lighting, particularly accent lighting. Let's shine a spotlight on your office mojo exploring how accent lighting can make a remarkable difference in your productivity and eye strain. 

For most of us, the extent of our troubleshooting knowledge is asking, "have you tried turning it off and back on again?" While this is often some decent advice, it can be difficult to know exactly what problems your electrical system or fixtures may be having.

We put together this short guide on ways to check on a couple of the most common electrical issues that most of us will face in our homes. Always remember to perform regular safety checks on your home's electrical system too!

Picture this: You and your friends and family are enjoying a backyard barbeque, a summer get-together, or just hanging out on the deck. Sounds great right? Yes – except that something is missing… 

Have you ever been relaxing in the comfort of your own home, only to begin hearing an irritating, faint buzzing sound when you flick on the lights? Well, you're not alone - buzzing lights is one of the most commonly searched topics for home lighting issues. There are a couple of reasons why your lights may be making noise, and it typically revolves around incandescent and fluorescent lighting – LEDs rarely make noise, unless your dimmer is having issues. 

As we become more conscious of our energy consumption and its effect on our energy bill, utilizing the latest technology to increase the energy efficiency of our homes becomes more and more valuable to homeowners. In the past, you may have associated products that were described as energy efficient as products that may not be as powerful or inferior. 

Whether you got a new kitchen appliance, game console, or other electronic devices this past holiday season, or just need some good safety tips heading into 2023, we can all benefit from a few tips and reminders about electrical safety in the home.

With the arrival of the winter solstice, there is no time like the present to prepare your home and family to stay safe and comfortable in the event of a wintertime power outage. In 2020, it was found that only 5% of American households have installed generators, according to Generac. 

As we enter late fall and early winter, some of us have already begun to replace air conditioning with heating, or perhaps make use of space heaters. As we become more dependent on heating within our homes, the risk of house fires can increase as well. While there are a variety of reasons fires can occur within a home, there are a few steps one can take to improve their overall fire safety and reduce fire risk. 

October is finally here! That means that the leaves are changing color, the air is crisp, and the likeliness of seeing a 25-foot-tall Snoopy in your neighbor's yard is going to be higher than ever! Whether you're someone who likes to go all-out on Halloween lawn decorations, or you just enjoy something more minimal, everyone can benefit from a few safety tips when using electricity this season. 

Either you've heard it a hundred times or you've already made the switch – but somewhere along the way you've heard that you should switch to LED lightbulbs. In fact, LED bulbs have slowly taken over the market, with just over half of all light sources in the world being from LEDs.

If you take a quick look around your home, or perhaps even just one room, you might find that a lot of your outlets are in use. From phone chargers to televisions, blenders, hairdryers, and more, we use lots of devices to keep our lives going these days. What you may not have known is that many of these devices can increase your power bill when plugged in, whether or not they're actually in use – this is something called phantom power. 

Did you know your ceiling fan can actually change directions?

That's right, not only can you change the spinning direction of your fan, but doing so can actually impact how hot or cold air moves in each room in your home. Finding ways to reduce the strain on your heating and air conditioning system can not only let it work less hard to do the job, but it can elongate the lifespan of your system too, and one of the best ways to let your ceiling fan do some of the work.

Whether you're a new homeowner or have been in your home for decades, performing routine safety checks on your home's electrical system is key to keeping your property and family safe. Electrical problems cause nearly thousands of injuries and deaths each year, on top of up to $1.3 billion in property damage. Following this brief home checklist is one of the first steps in creating a safe electrical system in your home.

In the past few years, people have become more aware and worried about crime in their neighborhoods. According to a Gallup poll, the percentage of people who are worried about crime and violence has increased 11% since 2020, and 51% of people said that there was more crime in their area in 2021 than there was in 2020. With tensions and fears growing among everyday Americans, it's important to keep in mind that there are ways to keep yourself, your family, and your home safe. A security system can make a substantial difference to your neighborhood's crime rate and your own sense of security.

Security systems are an essential tool for any homeowner. Not only are entry sensors, glass break detectors, and motion detectors important for deterring break-ins, but sensors attached to a security system can also detect fires, floods, and carbon monoxide. These sensors not only detect problems within or around a home, but can also contact the appropriate agency to get help as quickly as possible.

Last month, H&H Electric & Security LLC's Fred Hawkins and his wife Cindy visited the annual Generac conference. Each year, Generac hosts a conference for electrical specialists to keep up to date on standby generators for the home. This month, we'd like to share some of what we learned from the 2022 Generac conference, as well as share a few of the other fun details of the trip! 

Nowadays, it is easier than ever to call up a company or go online and receive a box containing the various bits and pieces that make up a security system within a few days. These do-it-yourself systems put the power of installation into the hands of the consumer, but those systems do not necessarily share the benefits of one installed by a professional who is licensed in Georgia.

During the Winter months, it can become a challenge to keep electric bills low. Between holiday decorations, keeping a home cozy in otherwise freezing conditions, and spending more time with lights on as we see less of the sun, it's no wonder that electricity bills can bulge during the holiday season. 

That said, there are measures you can take to maximize your savings during the winter months. By controlling and optimizing the load your electronic devices impose, you can stay warm without worrying about your wallet!

When it comes to electricity in the home, many homeowners may be unaware about many of the design choices and features that make our electrical infrastructure so useful. We've taken some questions we've heard over the years and compiled them to provide you with a handy resource!