Whilst in some cases it may be obvious that wiring is in an unsafe condition, in other circumstances wiring may still need replacing but may not give any signs that something is amiss. In the first instance, we advise getting an EICR completed.

This will give you the professionally obtained information you need to decide whether your wiring should be replaced. We recommend that your wiring is checked every five years, just to be on the safe side.

In our experience, older wiring (in a home that’s more than thirty years old), may not have the capacity to cope with the high demands of contemporary electricity usage. If you’re living in an older home, it’s likely that your wiring will need to be replaced sooner rather than later.

There’s always a chance that wiring will become defective, even if it’s been recently inspected. Signs that something could be amiss include:

• Frequent outages and circuits shorting out
• Flickering lights
• Intermittent power
• A burning smell, crackling, or burned areas around the trip switches.

If you notice any of the above, we recommend that you get it checked as soon as possible as the wiring can be dangerous, putting you and your family at risk.

In general terms, it’s legal for homeowners to complete minor electrical repairs and replacements. The type of thing that most homeowners might be able to do includes jobs such as changing the light fixtures “like for like” or replacing a light switch. Completing fresh electrical work, installing sockets, or carrying out any work involving the panel board needs to be carried out by a professional.

When carrying out work yourself, be aware that:

• Electricity kills. Even a minor shock may be fatal. Why risk it? If you decide to carry out a repair or replacement, always make sure the power is switched off before you start and that you take suitable safety precautions.
• If you’re not the homeowner or a qualified electrician, carrying out electrical work on a residential property is illegal.
• Work that you do yourself may not be covered by your home insurance. This means that if there is an electrical fire or similar event in your home which can be traced back to work that you’ve done, your claim may not be valid.
• When you come to sell your home, DIY electrical work may put off potential buyers.

If in doubt, we strongly recommend giving us a call. We will complete your electrical work safely, in line with relevant codes and regulations, for a competitive price.

We, at Alpha Electric, can complete anything from emergency repairs through to installations, lighting upgrades, panel upgrades, custom wiring, and inspections. We bring years of experience to the job, enabling us to provide solutions to complex or challenging electrical work as well as straightforward tasks.

We have particular expertise in completing lighting upgrades for homes across Burlington, Hamilton, and Oakville. As homeowners look for ways to reduce their energy bills, lighting is an obvious place to start!

LED lighting, for example, can reduce your lighting bills by up to 80%. It can also increase the amount of light you enjoy, lasts longer, and requires less maintenance than conventional lighting.

We can also upgrade exterior lighting, increasing your security and safety as well as providing an attractive feature to enhance your frontage.

If you need a panel board upgrade, look no further than our team, at Alpha Electric. A fresh panel board can reduce the risk of circuits shorting out as well as provide sufficient capacity for new sockets and circuitry to power all the appliances and gadgets a 21st-century property uses.

To find out more details about what we can offer or discuss your requirements in more detail, get in touch!