Did you know that dryers are the second highest energy-consuming appliance in most homes? And lint build-up is one of the major causes of the over 15,000 dryer fires that occur each year. This article gives you tips for keeping your dryer safe and for saving energy too. Why Is Dryer Care So Important? Washing and drying clothes is not typically a task that most people enjoy. It never ends, and if you have a large family, your washer and dryer are likely running constantly. And a dryer takes a lot of energy to operate. The annual cost for operating a clothes dryer is about $85 a year and can go up to $170 a year depending on the frequency of its usage. In most homes, the only household appliance consuming more energy is the refrigerator. Further, your dryer is an expensive item to replace, and as we mentioned above, the risk of a dryer fire is all too real. The good news is that there are things that you can do to keep your dryer operating safely, reduce energy consumption and extend its useful life. So read on. Safety Tips You may have heard the truly scary stories of clothes dryer catching fire because of lint accumulation. Here are some things you should do for the safety of your dryer. The first is to clean your dryer's lint filter trap after each load. In addition to helping keep your dryer safe, it also helps keep it performing efficiently. Clean your vent pipe of lint. Also, check your vent pipe. It is recommended that you use the straightest and shortest duct available. Flexible ducts can be a potential safety concern as they can be crushed or restrict the airflow, and may not be able to withstand high temperatures from the dryer. Keep a fire extinguisher in the same room as the clothes dryer, near the door where you can access easily in an emergency. If you are not confident of how to properly clean your dryer, check your vent pipe, etc., then do not hesitate to call in a professional to give your clothes dryer a thorough cleaning and inspection.

The latest electrical updates are all about smart use and energy-efficient convenience. Smart thermostats, security features and LED lighting offer excellent features to keep your home feeling safe and modern. Compare these common fixtures to see how a qualified electrician can update your home. Smart Tech Smart home systems offer easy customization of your home. The latest thermostats allow you to automatically adjust the interior temperature as you come and go throughout the day. This can dramatically reduce your utility bills without affecting the comfort of your home. Energy-Efficient Lighting LED lighting is another great way to reduce your bills and provide vibrant, comfortable lighting throughout your home. Select warm lighting for your bedrooms and brilliant white lighting for your living room or kitchen for tailored lighting.

Protecting your home from low temperatures and pests means eliminating even the smallest cracks near main entry points. Start your home maintenance in March by examining the seals around doors, windows and vents in order to determine whether there are gaps that must be repaired. Other areas in your home that may require a bit of extra caulk include tiled floors and showers.  Once you have identified the problem areas, select an appropriate type of caulk. For most of your indoor needs, siliconized acrylic sealant will do the job. If you’re working in a bathroom, pure silicone may be a better bet. With a few quick touch-ups, you can keep your home free of unwanted moisture, pests and cold air. You may even find you save money on your next utility bill!

Refresh your outdoor living area with new outlets. As one of the most convenient electrical updates, outlets can improve the safety of your yard and offer convenient plug-in points for your lawn care equipment and outdoor entertainment. Enjoy an updated yard with the help of a professional electrician and new outlets placed in safe and accessible locations. Convenient Electrical Usage Remove all those extension cords from your lawn and enjoy outlets placed where you need them most along your deck, patio or throughout your yard. Electrical lines can be buried by professional electricians, so you can enjoy electricity at any area of your lawn without the use of extension cords and other temporary options. Choose GFCI outlets to protect yourself and keep the party going with outdoor lighting, devices and more.