Summer means Happy Times...

And possibly a few Electrical Repairs or upgrades…

Texans will soon start to feel the effects of summer. In fact, summer will be here before you know it! The Temps in South Texas typically

arrive a bit preseason, and the one thing we can count on is that it will be a long and hot one!

This special time of year also brings with it some major electrical challenges for any residential home. When you factor in school closures for summer, the kiddos are home and inside to beat the heat, and more folks are working from home offices than ever before. Add in the installation of EV Car chargers in residential homes, not to mention those summer projects that require high powered electrical tools, or even new appliances that utilize a large amount energy! To sum it up…that’s a lot of energy usage, and in light of this, we can experience some electrical overloads. 

Those especially at risk for electrical overload are residential homes that rely on gas-powered heaters for winter and electrical AC units for those hot summer months. The cooler months are much lighter on electrical usage for these homes when they burn fuel for heat, however, the demand on the electrical system with the AC running during the heat of summer; will require quite a bit more electrical consumption.

Below is a list of items in your residential homes, and the percentages of energy they use in most residential dwellings: 

Electric Air Conditioner or Electric Heater: 47% of energy use.

Electric Water heater: 14% of energy use.

Washer and dryer: 13% of energy use.

Lighting: 12% of energy use.

Refrigerator: 4% of energy use.

Electric oven: 3-4% of energy use.

TV, DVD, cable box: 3% of energy use.

Bolt Electric, in San Antonio has many years of experience in assisting with residential summer electrical repairs. Some of the most common residential electrical issues we receive calls for during summer are: 

• The Home’s Air Conditioner System is tripping the Circuit Breaker:

The air conditioning system’s compressor; uses more electricity than almost any other residential household appliance, using on average 3,500 watts; per every hour of use. 

Keep in mind that a circuit breaker will typically trip because there has been an exception in the electrical circuitry for the appliance; that shuts the actual breaker off to protect it from causing damage to the electrical system, or causing a fire. 

When this happens, we recommend calling on your HVAC pros to see if the issue causing the trip, may be caused by the AC unit first and foremost. If it isn’t the air conditioning system causing your issue, there’s another concern, possibly with the electrical panel, or the breaker itself. They can let you know if you should reach out to an experienced and licensed electrician in San Antonio to come out and troubleshoot the issue to find the solution. Then, reach out to Bolt Electric for service.

• Flickering Lights when Air Conditioner comes on:

This is a call we receive fairly often, however the majority of the time it doesn’t have anything to do with the AC unit at all. If you notice the lights in your house flicker whenever the air conditioner’s compressor comes on (this being the component that uses the most electricity), is indicative of a power surge in the electrical system.

In the event you are experiencing this type of issue, we recommend reaching out for a service call to perform some troubleshooting, as there may be problems with the electrical panel that should be addressed sooner rather than later.

• Tripping Circuit Breakers throughout the residence:

Your home’s electrical system is put to the test each summer, due to higher temperatures. Couple that with newer appliances, more people home during the daytime, and requiring more electrical demand on your Service Panel/ Circuit Breakers.

If your house is running into regular problems with tripping circuit breakers, your electrical system may be showing you signs that it is outdated and/ or may be in need of repairs, upgrades, and depending how long it’s been in place; a complete replacement.

• Citywide Brownouts and blackouts:

The higher electrical demands of summer often place immense strain on the Texas power grid, which will inevitably lead to brownouts and blackouts. Let’s take a look the differences between them. 

A brownout: is when the utility restricts voltage flow to residential homes, which means a house with less power may experience dimming lights.

A blackout: is a full, unintended power outage. If you notice signs of a either of these outages, we recommend you reduce electrical use as much as possible during the outage and unplug sensitive equipment to keep them from being damaged by any surges this may cause when the power is restored.

If you’re looking to protect your appliances and sensitive electrical devices from Power Surges such as the above mentioned, we strongly recommend looking into having Whole Home Surge Protection installed in your Service Panel. This device will aide in blocking electrical surges from entering your electrical system. As of 2020, whole home surge protection was made part of the NEC electrical code for all residential dwellings.

For more information regarding Whole Home Surge Protectors:

boltelectricsa.com/protect-the-heart-of-your-home-with-whole-home-surge-protection

Our experienced and trustworthy electricians on Team here at Bolt Electric in San Antonio; can assist you with the above mentioned

issues you may experience with your residential electrical system.

Our electricians in San Antonio; are very well versed in residential electrical panel upgrades, replacements, as well as troubleshooting and repairs.

We specialize in both Commercial and Residential Electrical Maintenance/ Repair, in and around the San Antonio area,

 and we can’t wait to work with you!

BOLT ELECTRIC, LLC

18847 REDLAND ROAD, SUITE 105

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78259

(210) 545-2658