Home technology is advancing in leaps and bounds. It can be difficult to know where to spend your home upgrade dollars. When electrical upgrades are on your list, consider some of the ideas we’ve listed here.
Electrical Outlet Upgrades
Hidden Outlets
Hidden electrical outlets hit all three criteria you may be used to make decisions about electrical upgrades. Our favorite places to install hidden outlets include entertainment centers, closets, under kitchen cabinets, on bathroom vanities, and in vanity drawers.
They are highly functional. An outlet attached to the side of a vanity or inside a bathroom door provides extra outlets for your electric toothbrushes, hairdryers, and more.
They eliminate clutter and hide cords, improving aesthetics, and eliminating the unsightly appearance of electrical cords. Are you struggling to hide the cords from your TV, game console, and other entertainment area appliances? Are they running around every baseboard in the living room? Image if they were all plugged into the entertainment center, behind closed walls or hidden inside drawers. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Hidden outlets are also a great safety feature. Outlets inside drawers or cabinets are not going to be temptations for little fingers to explore.
Recessed Outlets
Recessed outlets are a great functional upgrade. Not only do they look great, but they eliminate problems like “floating furniture†syndrome. If you’ve got a sofa or other furniture pulled out from the wall so you can get plugs into your outlets, a recessed outlet solves your problem. If you want your flat panel television to mount flush against the wall, but don’t want to hardwire it, a recessed outlet is a simple and inexpensive solution. Try them outside. Outdoor recessed electrical outlets fade away into the background.
USB Outlets
We’ll be surprised if in a few years most people haven’t upgraded many home and business outlets to include USB.
Plugging your USB into an adapter and plugging the adapter into a wall outlet is just inefficient. Plus, those bulky adaptors take up way too much room on wall outlets and power strips.
USB outlets are functional and help eliminate unsightly, bulky adaptors.
Some of our favorite places to install USB outlets are in the bedroom next to the nightstand, in the office, in the kitchen, and in the family room.
In older homes, you may have to increase the depth of your junction box to accommodate USB outlets. Be sure to check amperage to make sure you can charge multiple devices at the same time. Give us a call, we can help make sure your USB upgrade delivers the results you expect.
In older homes, you may have to increase the depth of your junction box to accommodate USB outlets. Be sure to check amperage to make sure you can charge multiple devices at the same time. Give us a call, we can help make sure your USB upgrade delivers the results you expect.
HVAC Upgrades
HVAC upgrades are one of the biggest home improvement projects many of our clients take on. Here are a few of the latest trends that we think are going to catch on. Whichever HVAC upgrades you are doing, it is critical to make any required wiring updates prior to installation.
- Smart Thermostats can deliver almost immediate energy savings, plus they help keep your home comfortable and cozy, regardless of the weather outside.
- Ductless cooling and heating units that have been popular in Europe and Asia for years are gaining a foothold in the United States. They’ve become incredibly efficient and are much less expensive to install than a ducted system.
- Radiant floor heating is easier to install and more effective than ever, making it one of the most popular upgrades we’re seeing in new home builds and remodeling projects.
We have been using Daniel and his company for several years. They provide excellent service and respond to last last-minute electrical problems quickly. They take care of all of our electrical circuits on house renovations during the HVAC installation. If you’re looking for a great company choose Daniel and his team. – Dustin Bloom
That’s just the start. Stay tuned for our next article where we’ll explore home lighting upgrades including spotlights, security lighting, LED lights and more. And don’t forget, give Asbury Electric a call when you want to make upgrades. Our team of professional electricians is here to help, and we’ll always treat your home like our own.
