Older Home? Electrical Updates To Make Thing Easier, More Comfortable, And Safer

24 May 2016
 Categories: , Blog


If you live in an older home, your electrical system may also be old and ready to be updated. Below are three upgrades you should consider making to make your home more comfortable and make things easier for you and your spouse. One of these upgrades will help make you safer in your home.

Add More Outlets

There are likely not enough outlets in your home. If so, you are very limited on what devices and appliances you can add to your home. For example, you may want to add more lighting to a dark kitchen and other areas in your home. To take care of this problem, you can add some more outlets. Besides adding standard plugs in the walls in your kitchen, living room, etc., there are other outlets you should consider that you may not think about. Some of these places include:

  • Walk-in master closets
  • Under kitchen cabinets
  • Inside bathroom linen closet
  • Exterior plugs to hang Christmas lights without using an extension cord
  • Hall closets
  • Low on the wall on the side of your bed so you can turn the lights off and on without having to get out of bed.

Walk around each room and see where it would be convenient for you to have more outlets.

Install Electric Radiant Floor Heating

Radiant floor heating is a great way to keep your feet warm on cold mornings, as well as provide you with more heat. One type you can choose is electric radiant floor heating. With this system, there are electrical cables installed in the floor. Some systems use mats made of electrically conductive plastic. The mats are placed on the subfloor beneath the floor covering.  This type of heating is more efficient than a forced air heating system because no heat is lost through the duct system when the HVAC system is running. It is also great for people that have allergies, as dust, pet hair, etc., will not blow around the home. The heating can actually heat the entire room because the warm air travels up to the ceiling and then the air travels downward.

Upgrade Outdated Electrical Wiring for Your Safety

If the electrical system in your home is outdated, this can lead to fires. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, approximately 25,900 residential home fires were reported by fire departments, and these fires were responsible for 280 deaths. Over time, connections can loosen, switches and receptacles wear out or come loose. This is especially true for homes that are older than 40 years old that has older electrical wiring.

Hire an electrician to come to your home and install the outlets and electric radiant floor heating. They can also replace all of the wiring in your home.


Share