Electrical Outlets

---

Every day, the average home relies on electricity to do practically everything. From operating the fridge, to watching television, to switching on lights, families rely on reliable electricity for virtually all of their everyday home functions. However, without outlets one will not be able to make use of electricity in one’s home.

Broken outlets or outlets that don’t give enough capacity to an apparatus are disappointing and can even be perilous. The repair or upgrade that a family needs for their outlets can be easily taken care of by their local professional electrician.

Regardless of the age of your home, it might benefit from upgrading the electrical outlets. From USB to GFCI and smart outlets, outlets have had many advancements since the old standard two-pronged models were installed in homes. Consider whether any of the outlets featured below might be good for your home.

This style of the modern outlet has a switch in the place of the second port. The switch can either stop or allow the flow of electricity from the outlet, so no matter what it is powering, it doesn’t have to be left on all the time. Rather than unplugging the gadget, you can just turn the outlet on or off.

The purpose of a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter outlet is to halt the flow of electricity when a short circuit or ground fault is detected. These are required in kitchens and bathrooms because they protect from water electrocutions. They look a lot like a regular outlet, but have two buttons that help to reset it once it’s tripped. If you have an older home, you may not have these installed near water sources, but it’s an easy fix. Just call in a professional and have them installed to protect your family.

Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter AFCI outlets have been standard equipment in newly constructed homes since 1999, but older homes may not have them. The purpose of installing AFCI outlets at the electrical panel is to keep electricity from jumping, or arcing, from one wire to another, which is a common cause of home fires. A professional electrician can install AFCI outlets in an older home, and would do so either at the breaker box, or right at the beginning of each circuit so the whole line is protected.

There are certain appliances that need more power in order to run than the average outlet supplies. In areas like the kitchen or laundry where energy-guzzling appliances are used, you may find 20A outlets. While they look very similar to regular outlets, 20A outlets have a small perpendicular slit to the left of the prong opening.

If your new appliance needs more power then you may enlist the help of an electrician to upgrade some of your outlets to the 20A styles.

There are a lot of modern devices now that can be used by plugging into USB cords. Fortunately there are now outlets that come with integrated USB ports. A USB outlet can have 2 regular ports and 2 USB or 4 USB ports and no regular ports. Depending on what your family’s requirements are and the areas of the home where the outlets are needed, you can choose between these options and have the electrician install exactly what you want.

Instead of making use of a switch to be able to control a device, when you have a smart outlet, all that you need to use to control the device plugged there is an app or a smart home speaker. Smart outlets make it convenient to remotely turn devices on and off while also allowing homeowners to set daily schedules.

When you’re away from home, you can set your lights to turn on and off at specific times, which makes it appear that someone is home. A homeowner can set schedules for outlets in order to lower energy bills by increasing their efficiency. Smart outlets cost more than the standard two-prong variety, but they offer far more in the way of applications and benefits.

If you have an outlet that isn’t working or one that has a visible burn mark, you should have it inspected immediately by an electrician. Those who are not acquainted with the home wiring and electrical system should not take the risk of trying their hands at correcting the faults, especially if problems already exist. To avoid these risks, contact your local electrician for help with any electrical job required.