3 Electrical Upgrades You Can Do Without an Electrician

Electrical upgrades in your home quickly become complicated as you deal with wires and electrical connections. The services of an electrician help with some of the major upgrades, but a number of smaller upgrades are easy to handle on your own.

Learn about a variety of electrical upgrades you can complete in your own home with hardware supplies and tools.

1. Bulb Upgrades

One of the easiest improvements to complete in your home is upgrading the light bulbs. Light bulb upgrades provide a lot of advantages. For example, you may choose to change the type of light temperature in your home. The light temperature you choose for your home will change the overall look of a room.

The temperatures are often broken down into three zones known as soft white, cool white, and daylight.

Smaller lamps and night lights should use soft white to create a relaxing mood when you need a little bit of light at night. The cool white offers a nice blend between the two and is an ideal temperature option for laundry rooms or closets. Add some brightness and vivid light to the home with the installation of daylight bulbs. The bright bulbs mimic the sun and will fill a room when used on overhead lights.

When you upgrade the bulbs in your home, select bulbs with better energy efficiency. An LED bulb uses very little power and will last for years when compared to a standard bulb. And when you upgrade all the lights in your home, you may notice a decrease in your electrical bill.

2. LED Light Strips

Small LED strips provide illumination in various parts of the home for convenience and safety. For example, you may add LED light strips down the hallway of the home. At night, the LED strip provides guidance without turning on full overhead lights.

In a closet or dresser, the lights provide extra illumination to see clothes, shoes, and accessories. The lights may have a battery pack or plug directly in the wall. Use non-damaging tape or adhesive to keep the lights on the ground.

3. Home Theater Upgrades

Technology constantly changes in the home and simple upgrades will ensure your home theater operates with the best possible specs. One upgrade to consider for your home is an HDMI cable. However, not all HDMI cables are the same. Newer and faster cables can support 4K television and high-speed streaming services.

These newer cables, known as high-speed HDMI cables, can be used for every device connected to your home theater to provide optimal picture and sound. If one of the cables is slower, the speed and performance could impact the rest of the home theater system.

Additionally, consider a dimmer switch for your home theater. A dimmer switch allows you to set the mood. For example, you may want to lower the lights for a movie but still have enough illumination to see snacks or meals while you watch.

A dimmer switch installation replaces a standard light switch. To install one, first turn the power to the room off. Then remove the traditional light switch, and match the colored wires to the dimmer switch. Each wire has a specific color, so you should be able to easily match them up. You may need some extra tools for your dimmer switch installation, including a pair of pliers and a wire nut.

Once the installation is complete, install bulbs with dimmable features. Not all bulbs dim and the packaging will indicate if the dimming feature is included.

For all your upgrade needs, visit us at Koontz Hardware. We have all types of supplies and experienced employees to help you with any home improvement project.