New Year, New Habits: Simple Steps to Electrical Safety

January is a time for New Year’s resolutions. Your goals likely revolve around losing weight, improving finances or maybe even just being more present with your family. While all of these are great goals and obtainable, resolutions are hard to stick to. Forbes Health conducted a survey and found that the average resolution ends within just four months. One resolution that isn’t hard to accomplish is making your home electrically safe. Here are five electrical safety tips to follow this new year.

Regular Inspections. Make it a routine to have a licensed electrician come and check your home, especially if lights start to flicker or outlets stop working.

Upgrade Lighting. Yes, LEDs cost more up front. But they use a fraction of the energy than normal bulbs and last much longer – resulting in a cheaper electricity bill for your home. LEDs also produce less heat and reduce the risk of electrical fires. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that 51,000 electrical fires happen every year.

Reset GFCI Outlets. This is something you can do every month to meet your new resolution and avoid frustration in the future. Set a reminder on your phone for the first of the month to reset your GFCI outlets. Press the test or reset button and make sure the outlets trip and reset correctly. If they do not, contact your electrician to have them replaced.

Discard Damaged Cords. Unfortunately, cords are not built to last forever. Check the cords on your appliances, electrical devices and extension cords to make sure they are in good condition. If the cord happens to be frayed or cracked, toss them out immediately.

Educate Family Members. Make sure everyone in your household, especially younger members, know basic electrical safety practices. Teach them the importance of not overloading outlets, as well as responsibly using appliances. Make sure they know to report any electrical issues they may come across back to you.