Tis the season for holiday decorations.  Whether you’re going full Griswold and covering every inch of your home’s exterior in holiday lights, or keeping it modest, you need to keep some safety precautions in mind. Your home is designed to handle a particular amount of electrical load, and when you exceed it, danger and potential problems increase. If you’re looking for an electrician in Omaha to answer electrical load questions, give us a call, it’s not worth risking injury or damage to your home.

Holiday Electrical Safety Checklist

  • Inspect Electrical Decorations Before Use – Always check for cracked or damaged sockets, loose or bare wires before plugging those decorations in. Loose connections may cause a serious shock or even start a fire. 
  • Avoid Electrical Overload – Overloaded electrical outlets and faulty wires are a common cause of holiday fires. Avoid overloading by plugging in only one high-wattage device into each outlet at a time. 
  • Incandescent Lights – Never connect more than three strings of incandescent lights at a time. More than three strands may blow a fuse, or cause a fire. 
  • Keep Christmas Trees Fresh – A dried out Christmas tree can become a serious fire hazard especially when it’s covered in lights. Make sure to water your trees daily and slow down the drying process.
  • Protect Cords – To avoid shock or fire hazards, cords should never be pinched by furniture, forced into small spaces, placed under rugs, located near heat sources, or attached by nails or staples.
  • Unplug at Night – Before you head to bed or leave your property make a habit of turning off any decorative lights and extinguishing any burning candles. Half of home fire deaths occur between the hours of 11 pm and 7 am (NFPA).

Happy Holidays from Your Omaha Electric Company

Stay safe and enjoy the Holiday season. If you’re planning on upgrades to your home in the New Year or need some re-wiring work to get your home safe give us a call and we’ll help you out. 402-731-1220 Omaha, 402-464-4333 Lincoln.