When did you last consider having an electrical checkup for your home?

During the warmer summer months when we're less reliant on our energy supplies, you might want to consider taking the opportunity to have an electrician comprehensively check out your home's electrical systems. Think about it - you have your car serviced, you take regular health checks, you probably even have your mower serviced, so why not your electrics? Apart from increasing the life of much of your system, it's also a great chance to look at how you could be more energy efficient as well as tracking down potential problems before they become hazardous.

The best approach for this is to keep a list handy of any problems that you notice during the year such as light-pulls sticking or one bulb failing more frequently than others. Using this list, it's much easier to have everything handled in one hit, which will tend to be more cost effective for you. I should point out though, that having the list doesn't mean you should tackle the jobs yourself - leave electrical work to the professionals and don't take risks!

It's also worth having an annual evaluation of your electrical consumption needs. Would more power outlets be appropriate? Are you stringing multiple extension cables across a room to get around the problem of insufficient sockets? Are you using adapters to stack plugs into a single socket? Does your high usage keep popping circuit breakers? Could you use more lighting in certain areas? Whatever items you come up with, add them to your list and talk to your electrician about them.

The next step is to find an electrician who can give you an estimate and evaluate them to ensure you're happy with them working on your electrics. The best way to find a good local electrician is to simply search on your town name and the word "electrician". For example, if I live in Bristol, I'd go to Google and type:

"Bristol Electrician"

Anyone who's made the effort to get a good ranking on the first page of Google is at least serious enough about their business to warrant a phone call!

Once you find someone, it's worth asking a few questions, such as:

• How long have you been in business?
• Do you specialize in any areas?
• What are your rates?
• What would be a "ballpark" estimate for this job?

Depending on your job, the best price may not be the best fit. This often correlates with experience, and that is a matter of your personal preference.

Finally, once the job is set up, you'll need to prepare your home for the electrician's visit. Clear away any fragile items, home decorations and furnishings. Also make sure that the electrical panel box is clear and readily accessible. This will save the electrician time, which will save you money! Once the visit is complete you can rest assured that your home's electrical safety has been optimized and you will be operating at an efficient level.