Industry News & Friendly Advice
Penny Electric Blog
Solar Thermal Power – How The Ivanpah Solar Power Facility Works
One of the most important things to know about solar thermal (heat) power is that it's carbon-free, which means that it emits no carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides or sulfur oxides -- which are all gases that scientists believe contribute to...
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Hydroelectric Power – How The Hoover Dam Works
Most people who visit Las Vegas make it a point to make the 30 mile drive on Highway 93 East to get a firsthand look at one of the true engineering marvels in the U.S. -- the Hoover Dam at Lake Mead. Even though the Hoover Dam is a major...
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The Most Common Electrical Hazards in Las Vegas
We residents of Las Vegas and Southern Nevada may not have to worry about snow or ice storms cutting power to our homes, but that doesn't mean we're immune to electrical problems that can be dangerous, and even life-threatening! Some of these are aggravated by our...
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The Cost of Solar in Nevada: Things to Consider
2016 was a stellar year for the U.S. solar industry. The market doubled from the previous year and solar added more electric generating capacity than any other type of energy. This was a first and a sign of what is to come. Experts predict the U.S. solar market will...
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Are Power Generators a Good Investment? What to Consider.
In Southern Nevada, the incidence of power outages are less common than they are in the tornado-prone Mid-West or the hurricane-vulnerable East and West coasts. That said, if you own a business that caters to the public, the last thing you need is a power outage,...
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Tips for Stopping Rodents from Chewing on Electrical Wires
The thought of having rodents running wild in your home while you sleep is abhorrent to nearly everyone. They multiply quickly and spread disease through the droppings they leave everywhere they go. As is that weren't reason enough to want to eradicate them, they also...
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Basic Safety Guidelines for Using Power Strips
If you’re like most people, you need to power more than one electrical device at a time, so you use a power strip. Also known as power taps, power strips are lengths of electrical sockets that are designed for powering multiple appliances. Unfortunately, many people...
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21st Century Electrical Upgrades: USB Charging Ports
These days everybody in the family has a "device" -- whether it's a smart phone, a tablet or a laptop -- and regularly charging our devices has become as much a part of life as brushing our teeth or cooking dinner. As a result, USB ports are becoming as common and...
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Ways To Reduce Your Summer Power Bill
According to the National Weather Service, the average high temperature last summer in Las Vegas was 99 degrees in June, 104 degrees in July, 102 in August and 94 in September—but that’s only half the story. There’s also the number of days which reached at least 100...
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Electric Vehicles (EV’s) – Are They Worth It?
In 2015, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) passed a major milestone, with the number of such vehicles surpassing the 1 million mark worldwide. Almost half of those new vehicles (477,000) were manufactured in the previous year. Three countries—the United States, the...
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Common Electrical Problems in Older Las Vegas Homes
When it comes to keeping your house up to date, most features in need of repair or renovation are visible, and therefore you know when the work is necessary; shingles may be missing from the roof, paint may be scuffed or chipping on the walls, watermarks may be...
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How a Commercial Electrician Can Save Your Business Money
With energy savings, efficiency, maintenance and back up / power redundancy, many businesses actually have the opportunity to save money with the help of a licensed electrician. Below are six ways a commercial electrician like Penny Electric can help acheive this...
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Electrical Outlet Upgrades: Modernize Your Home
These days it seems everyone in the family has a smart phone. Then there are the laptops, ipads, and smart TVs. Sound familiar? They're some of the many reasons it pays to upgrade your home's electrical outlets so that they're in sync with today's electronics-crazy...
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Basic Electrical Tips and Requirements For Wiring Offices
Setting up a business office can be complicated and overwhelming, particularly if someone has never done it before. One of the main tasks is proper electrical wiring. If you’re considering opening an office, here are some basic electrical tips and considerations,...
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Ways to Reduce Your Winter Power Bill
Spring and fall in Las Vegas are the best times for your power bill. You can leave the windows open to catch a fresh breeze, and there's nothing that can't be solved with a blanket across your lap, or by carefully choosing which shirt to wear that day. When the...
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What Landlords Need to Know About Electrical Safety
Electrical fires are among the most deadly fires faced by U.S. residents. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), they account for more than 51,000 fires each year and nearly 500 deaths, not to mention well over a thousand injuries. And in...
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Electrical For Detached Buildings, Sheds and Garages
Does your Las Vegas home include a detached garage, a shed, or perhaps a separate building that you use as a studio or a workshop? If so, how are you providing electrical power to your detached building? If you're getting by with extension cords run from the house to...
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Dramatic Lighting Upgrades To Improve Home Value and Function
Unfortunately, many Las Vegas homeowners don’t realize just how much they can improve their home’s appearance and functionality by upgrading their lighting fixtures. By just adding a few simple lighting upgrades, you can significantly increase the value of your home,...
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The Benefits Of Ceiling Fans in Las Vegas Homes
Today's Las Vegas homes combine the ingenuity of materials and techniques originally conceived of by Native Americans, with modern technology such as air conditioning and ceiling fans. It's this wise combination of old and new that make desert homes comfortable even...
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Electrical Home Safety Inspections: A Must When Purchasing an Older Home
Home renovation television shows are inspiring many people to invest in older homes. Older homes tend to have a charm and character about them that newer homes lack. But just how safe is an older home? In this high-tech age of computers, smartphones, large screen TVS...
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Knowing When it’s Time to Call an Electrician
No matter how handy you are around the house, dealing with electricity is rarely a good job for a DIYer. Sure, you may have single-handedly installed a new toilet or sink in the bathroom, not to mention doing a pretty professional-looking job tiling the floor and the...
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5 Steps to Childproof Your Home against Electrical Hazards
As a parent, your major concern is to keep your children safe from harm, both inside and outside of the home. Children face a variety of dangers indoors, from choking hazards to poisonous substances stored under the sink or in medicine cabinets to injuries sustained...
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What Causes Circuit Breakers to Keep Tripping
If you’re like most people, you probably don’t give much thought to your circuit breakers until you lose electrical power. However, it’s the circuit breakers that protect a house or building from having an electrical overload, which can not only damage appliances but...
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Home Security Outdoor Lighting Tips
Outdoor lighting is your first line of defense against prowlers or intruders. Security lighting discourages prowlers and unwanted guests from entering your property (Dark clothing and dark skies are a burglar's best friends!). In addition to warding off intruders,...
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Smoke Detector Installation and Maintenance
You can significantly reduce chances of injury or death with the proper installation and maintenance of smoke detectors in your home. In fact, since smoke alarms were introduced and have become required in most states, fire fatalities in the U.S. have significantly...
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Appliance Hacks For Power Savings
Whether a person is interested in saving money or saving the planet, one step in their mission is minimizing power usage at home. There's much more to be done than adjusting thermostats and turning off the lights. Here are some power saving tips that go a long way to...
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Hiring An Electrician: The Checklist
When you decide to hire an electrician for work around your home, it's important to choose one that's going to meet all of your needs. You should always use a licensed and experienced electrician and this means having a checklist to ensure you're able to vet them...
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DIY Vs Handyman Vs Licensed Electrician: What You Need To Know
When you need electrical work done within your home, your business, or anywhere else, you have options available to you. Understanding DIY versus handyman versus licensed electrician will help you to determine how to get the work done, and ensure that the work is done...
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Holiday Lighting Safety Tips
DIY holiday lighting installation is common. You want your property to look great, and this might include hanging lights off of your gutters or shingles, adding lighted decorations on the lawn, and more. There are quite a few lighting and electrical tips to follow in...
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Which Lightbulb Saves the Most Money?
When figuring out your household budget and looking for ways to cut costs, lowering energy consumption is a great place to start. We make it a point to turn the lights off when we leave the room, we may upgrade to Energy Star appliances and then hope to see a drop in...
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Programmable Thermostats
We decided to research this topic at Penny Electric because there seems to be disagreement as to whether or how programmable thermostats result in a cost savings. We also wanted to see how the dynamic and exceptionally hot summers in Las Vegas / Southern NV could...
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Avoid Unlicensed Electricians
Your home or business is often one of the largest investments you make. Never place that investment in the hands of unlicensed contractors who are not properly trained and certified in their respective fields. Despite the economic impact on those making an honest...
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