As Electrical Outages Increase, How to Be Prepared

You may still see remnants of snow in the corners, shady areas, and parking lots of your neighborhood, as the effects of one of the biggest snowstorms in our states recent history lingers on. State emergency officials estimated that there were over 133,000 utility customers without power across North Carolina due to the storm. Whether or not you believe climate change is contributing to more extreme weather episodes, there is no doubt that major electrical outages are becoming more common across the United States - Major weather-related power outages have increased from 5 to 20 each year in the mid 1990s to 50 to 90 each year during the last five years. While changes in the electric transmission grid and maintenance practices might explain some of this increase, there is evidence to suggest that more frequent weather and climate extremes are also likely contributing.

Electrical outages not only make homes uncomfortable in extreme temperatures, they also cause a great deal of monetary damage. Businesses that must shut down lose revenue, while costly damage can occur from frozen pipes and food spoilage. Water damage from busted pipes can cause tens of thousands of dollars of damage if undiscovered in second and vacation homes. Here are a few tips that can prevent costly damage to your home or business during power outages:

• Keep a flashlight handy.
• Unplug sensitive electronics that can suffer damage when power is restored.
• Use surge protectors to help protect your appliances and electronics. Keep in mind that not all power strips are surge suppressors, and different surge suppressors provide different protection.
• Close off unoccupied rooms.
• Keep your refrigerator or freezer closed as much as possible.
• Turn off electric ovens, ranges or space heaters that may have been in use when the outage occurred.
• Consider an automatic standby generator to maintain electricity to your home or business during power outages, keeping both contents and inhabitants safe.

The experienced consultants at Beco Electrical can help you decide whether you need a whole home generator or partial home generator, and offers a variety of standby generator systems to fit your individual needs. From Generac exterior natural gas powered generators to interior battery powered generators, the newest technology will send real time operational updates to your mobile device, so that you know your generator is there when you need it. 

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Electricity, Technology, and Rethinking the American Dream

As a provider of electrical services in the Triad of North Carolina, Beco is continually coming across emerging technologies that are designed to make life simpler. If it generates, runs on, or saves electricity, Beco is interested in how it works, and how it can make the lives of our business or residential customers better.

From the most basic tasks to the way we communicate, work, play and pretty much every other aspect of our lives there has been a constant stream of new technology. It seems to be constantly changing, but how has that had an impact on the way we view the products in our lives? How does that impact the way we live and want to live?

Take for example Postgreen Homes, an innovative company that rethinks the traditional way of how we look at living space:

“These are not your average American homes. Their focus is not on more bedrooms, more bathrooms or more square feet. They do not try to mimic the past. They do not aim for mass appeal. They are homes for people who want something different, something more responsible, something better.”

The unique Postgreen homes approach can be seen in the 100 K Home project, creating homes that place great emphasis on design and green certification, passive and active energy, water, indoor air quality, and quality construction. Here were the basic details of the project:

Here are some interesting highlights of the project:

·      New construction homes built on reclaimed infill lot of only 18 x 60 feet.

·      Each features 2 stories totaling just 1,000 square feet.

·      2 beds and a bath.

·      Cost of only $100,000 or just $100 per square foot!

·      Each unit is LEEDS certified as well as other
green practices.

Nobody likes change, but it is often because of fear of the unknown and fear of inconvenience. However, seeing is also believing, so providing someone an example of what you are trying to accomplish in your ideas and plans people will react more positively to a physical example. The 100k project is a shining example of this. Perhaps examples such as this will help some to rethink how we live and work with emerging technologies.

Beco is dedicated to providing exceptional electrical services throughout central North Carolina, but also at providing resources to make our customers lives more convenient and productive. Over the next several weeks, we will be exploring a series of electrical products that exemplify the best in innovative design, but have a real world application for homes and businesses.

Stay tuned for the next big idea...

For more on Postgreen homes,  click here.

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The iPhone 5, and How its Technology Affects Triad Electrical Services

As many of you may have read last week, Apple had a big announcement-pause-they released two more I-phones.  As someone whom experienced dial-up internet and phones that were attached to the wall, I am able to reflect on the changes in society since the release of the original I-phone.  While I may be speaking to a reader who laughs at my references mentioned as a humorous nod to feeling old at 25, I would reply that during my lifetime we have experienced more shifts in the entire framework of society than at any other point in history. As an electrical contractor in North Carolina, Beco has certainly seen its share of advances in technology. A professor once joked that when they wanted to know how to make strawberry jam they would have to call around to friends and family and that if no one knew how to make strawberry jam than there goes that idea but now you have the whole world at the tips of your fingers. 

The true importance in this story is the I-Phone 5C.  The 5C is touted as “beautifully, apologetically plastic,” and with its price half of the other new I-Phone 5S, is undoubtedly aimed towards emerging markets like China or India.  When the I-Phone was first released, it was a technological breakthrough. Today, that technology has  completely changed the way we communicate, obtain information and do business.  Competitors using the Android operating system have caught up and even surpassed the iPhone's capabilities in some peoples minds, but now Apple has been able to provide all the ease and productivity at a lower cost. The same is true for Beco, which has gone from only one location decades ago, to providing electrical services not only in the Triad of North Carolina, but across the entire state. 

There is no need for an economics lesson here, but this is just another example of the power of mass production. Due to the huge market for smart phones, Apple has been able to drive down the production costs. Remember when I said that the original iPhone technology completely changed the way we communicate, obtain information, and do business? Just imagine what its impact can be when the cost of entry is even lower.  For example, starting a business (especially retail and the restaurant industry) has become much more attainable with the invention of technologies such as 4Square and PayPal, eliminating expensive computer software and equipment. The other less obvious effects are seen once you lower the cost barriers to technology and more people are able to utilize these products, as well as learn about them and even utilize them to create other useful products. 

Now take the iPhone 5C and apply it to other products that have price barriers, but could provide significant benefits to society such as renewable energy.  We look to continue this conversation with an exploration of the learning thermostat- which I will address in the next post. 

Check out this smart energy product: Introducing Soccket by Uncharted Play, where thirty minutes of play can power an LED lamp for up to three hours.

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Light up your Life with Electricity, North Carolina

We live in a fast paced world that demands efficiency and order but it is important to not let monotony take over your life.

My name is Ryan Saunders, and I work for Beco Inc. Electrical Contractor in High Point, North Carolina.  I am 25 years old, and have been with the company for a little over three years.  It is an exciting time to be involved in my industry, as electric cars are making a comeback, automation and wireless technologies are gaining foothold, renewable energy is on the rise, and design is bringing color to otherwise dull places.

Our customers recognize us as a longstanding and reputable company that provides quality electrical service, always putting the customer first.  Being a company of innovation and technology, Beco Electrical wants to maintain a strong community presence through social media and the web as a way to keep the conversation going and keep you, our customers, up to date and informed.

We hope you will monitor our journey as we launch this new blog The Current. If you have a question or comment, please feel free to participate and give us ideas on how to improve both this blog and our service offerings. Share what you think is cool, and more than anything, we hope you learn something new that might be able to benefit your everyday life.

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