"I unscrew the light bulbs in my house if I see the kids leaving the lights on in their room," says Arnold Schwarzenegger. "Every time they leave the lights on, one more light bulb goes. And eventually within a week, they end up in a dark room... Now they don't ever leave the lights on anymore." While we don't all have to be as extreme as Arnold when it comes to saving electricity, there is a certain duty that can fall...

Circuit breakers and fuses are at the apex of your home’s electrical system. Though they essentially do the same job - protecting your home from electrical overloads - it’s done in completely different ways. Your air conditioner is on full blast, every ceiling fan is spinning, the television is blaring, the oven is heating up for dinner, a power tool is making noise in the garage, and someone’s taking a hot shower. Then, without warning, it all stops: power overload. In this...

Around 18,200 home fires each year are caused by electrical wiring, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, causing 120 deaths and 530 injuries, and not to mention $450 million in property damages. Keeping your home and family from becoming a part of this statistic is our main goal at Mister Sparky with consistent electrical wire inspections every time you move into a new home or once every 5-10 years, especially for older homes. If you're not completely sold on getting an...

You're planning on getting rid of your cold floors forever. Great, because in Houston, no matter the temperature outside, our floors are still cold in the mornings! Now you may be looking into different options, supplies, etc. but your biggest question is how many technicians will I need to have involved: a plumber, electrician, an HVAC technician? Well we can't answer for the other two, but we can give you a better idea on whether or not you'll need an electrician...

Our homes, whose sole purpose at one time was to simply protect us from the elements, are well on their way to becoming "living," smart devices that learn our habits and adjust the environment around us accordingly. Home automation is the now, and there are an unbelievable amount of ways to tap into this technology and lead your home into the future. Smart Lighting A smart lighting system gives a homeowner the ability to experience their home "in a different light." WiFi-enabled, LED...

It’s obviously no coincidence that more electrical problems, especially electrical fires, occur during the colder, winter months. In fact, it’s estimated that over 28,000 house fires ignite in the U.S. each year because of electrical issues – with most of these occurring in December, January, and February. A majority of these sometimes-fatal catastrophes can be attributed to faulty electrical systems, as well as common unawareness about the dangers of using space heaters and other heating devices improperly. It really comes...

Tis' the season for ghouls and cavities! The Mister Sparky electricians never stop their interest in keeping Houston families safe from freak electrical accidents, even if that means sharing a few images of scary electrical jobs that you should never settle for! Really Frightening Rewiring Rewiring jobs, like the one posted above, show the carelessness other technicians tend to exhibit when they're in a hurry or have many other clients to run to. Besides signs of overheating, some of the...

Because Texas is so large, energy consumption is well beyond any other state in the nation. As a result of electrical use being so high, there are similar problems that many residents face. Precious Lone-Star humidity If there's one thing southeast Texans don't miss when they're out and about traveling, it's the ridiculous humidity we suffer from year-round. Not only does this weather effect our sweat glands, it's also considered a culprit to A/C issues. Mugginess builds up and eventually...

So we all know what smoke alarms are and that they are supposed to be inspected fairly often, but how many times have you tested your detector this year? It's quite common to skip the monthly testing because we simply forget or some may even consider it to be a waste of time however, Mister Sparky wants you to know that examining your detector once a month is not only safe for you and your family, but it's also easy...