Monday, May 25, 2015

WHAT!!! You charge to come out??

What's the purpose of the trip charge?


If we were given a dollar for every time we're asked this question, we probably wouldn't have to charge for it. I get it, it can be misunderstood at first, however business owners should have a better understanding. Bottom line, in order to run a sustainable business, we must take note to this fraction of our operating cost. If homeowners understood what it takes to run an electrical contracting company, this cost wouldn't be an issue, at all. In fact, it would actually be a deal. 




What does this fee cover?

In order to get a state licensed electrician with the proper hand tools, equipment, and supplies to your doorstep, this fee is the cost for this. 
As an Electrical Contractor operating in the State of Alabama, we are required to be licensed by the state, county(s), city(s), hold a master's license, hold a bond, provide general liability insurance and worker's comp, administration, continual education, association fees, and so many more expenses.


Associated cost:
• State Contractor's License
• Master Electrician License
• State Business License
• City Business License
• City Bond
• General Liability Insurance
• Workers Compensation
• Vehicle Insurance
• Tools and Equipment 



The alternatives:




Jack of all trades

Please remember, this is a skill craft, it requires licenses and continual education. It is the law, believe it or not. Contrary to what the JOAT says. You know the old saying, jack of all trade but a MASTER of none. This is your home or your place of business. Besides, this can have your insurance cancel. Please be wise in this matter. I need not say much on this subject. 


Companies that don't charge these fees

They are most certainly going to either get it on the job itself, try to compromise the requirements, or run themselves out of business. It's impossible to honor any warranties or repeated great service without this structure. The cost of operation is imperative to any business. The average service call is $75. Believe it or not, this is a small fee to come to your home or place of business.



Saturday, May 9, 2015

It's Time to Retofit Your Lighting!!!


Why now is the time? The pricing of LED lighting has come down tremendously. You are saving money instantly. Now, who don't want to save? Yes, the cost is way more than the standard bulb, initially. But the payback is at least 2-3 years.


So, look at it like this, you and your neighbor just replaced your bulbs at the same time 3- years ago, they used the standard incandescent bulb and you used our LED bulb. Now the average home use up to 4 hours of lighting in the main rooms after school and work. The rooms are, the living room, kitchen, 1 or 2 of the kids bedrooms, and bathrooms(s). Of course, some rooms are left on all night. So let's look at the math:


Your home: 
$3 a LED bulb (bulb life 15,000 hours)
1,460 hours of usage year one. Note: This bulb is still burning
$1.32 energy cost year-1 (9w at $.10 a kWh)
 $4.32 total cost spent

Neighbor home: 
.75 a Inc. bulb (life 1000 hours)
$8.76 energy cost year-1 (60w at $.10 a kWh)
$10.26+ total cost spent


This is basic arithmetic. Keep in mind, the cost of power usage is more than 10 cents. But, you get the point. You're simply paying more with the standard bulb. And the additional plus, is that, the LED bulb is eco-friendly. So, it's a win-win all around. Now, re-adjust your budgets and go out and retrofit your homes and businesses.


Contact us through email for your Energy Audit. Thank you. 

Thursday, January 8, 2015

WHAT!!! I can't use my heater...


Why is my power company telling us not to use my heater, are you kidding me?
Simply put, too much demand at one time.  Just like in any other industry, a demand that's not supplied properly may resolve to outages. Kinda sort of like a tripped breaker or blown fuse in your house.



How is this so, did they not know we all have heaters?
  Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure, I'm sure you heard of this around election time. Well, here it is in living color. This is first hand experience. These power systems were put in place at a time when much power wasn't used. 
  Now, we face a situation where the demand is high. If, we haven't re-stock the shelves(per-say) for the overflow, we will come up short.



 

You mean to tell me they don't have enough money to handle this? 
I can't answer that one...that's another blog. I'm out of my league with that one. 


 
Can it be fixed?
Of course, in the famous words of an electrician, "You need to rewire this."