In order to save on your electric bills, you must take care of each and every electrical segment of your home. Often, the homeowners forget about the inspection of the minor electrical fixtures which in turn leads to peaking electric bills.

Most often, the heating and cooling devices of your home end up consuming a major share of the monthly power consumption. The homeowners feel helpless against such a scenario as the use of such devices becomes a necessity for them. Though you cannot stop using such equipments (air-conditioners, electric fireplaces, heaters, coolers etc) but you can work towards their higher efficiency.

Electrical Outlets

The insulation of your electrical outlets and switches is one such issue that must be well apprehended. The electrical outlets and switches deprived of proper insulation lead to drafts which in turn reduce the efficiency of the heating or cooling devices of the concerned room. Well-insulated outlets and switches would maintain the warmth of a heater or the low temperature of an air-conditioner. Consequently, the power consumption by the concerned device would be dropped and you would have to pay a lesser electric bill.

In order to insulate such electrical outlets and switches, switch off the breaker switch from the main electrical breaker box. You can detach the main electric fuse to cut off electricity as well.

Take out a voltage tester or a digital multi-meter and test the corresponding outlet or switch for electric current. No glow in the neon bulb of the tester apparatus confirms the absence of electricity and allows you to move ahead with the proceedings.

Now, purchase the required number of insulating pads from a local home improvement store. If you want to save some money on the purchases then you can make your own insulation pads from foam board. However, make sure that the size of each pad complements the size of the respective outlet or switch board.

Now, remove the face plate of the concerned electrical outlet and detach the wired connections. Before you unplug the wires from their terminals, note down the wiring schema of the outlet. This diagram would help you with the wiring setup later. Take one of the foam pieces and pass the wires through the hole of the foam segment. Place the pad against the wall and attach the wires to their respective terminals.

Place the face plate back on the wall and wipe off the cover with a piece of cloth. Turn on the power supply to check the efficiency of the setup.

Scott Rodgers is a renowned author who has been authoring on electricians contents for a long time now. His exemplary guidance has given motivation to a host of workers, ranging from Glen Head Electricians to Rockville Centre Electricians.