Basic safety checks you can do around the home include the following:

• Lights – all lights including lamps and ceiling fixtures must be inspected. Make sure your light bulbs match the wattage required. Bulbs with a higher wattage than necessary can overheat instantly.

• Electrical heating equipment – if you have any portable electric heating equipment then best to check if it has a national or professional seal of approval to guarantee you are using the right product. Always keep heaters away from combustibles. Make sure your family stays out of its way as well.

• Adapters – all adapters must be properly grounded when attached to power cords. Your electrician can tell you more about this but you also have to ensure that the grounding ware or metal tab on the adapters is always connected to the central screw on the cover of the outlet.

• Cords – see if there are any cords that are damaged, cracked or frayed. Replace them immediately. Also, make sure no combustibles are near the chord. As much as possible keep rugs or furniture away from the cords. All extension cords must also have safety covers.

Are you constantly surprised to be getting only bigger home electricity bills every few months? Wondering if you can do anything about it?

Fortunately, you can.

There are excellent ways to save on your home electricity bill –  and better than just relying on your energy provider to cut their fees (we wish!)

Consider energy-efficient lighting – If you have old lighting in your home, you may be getting bigger bills due to their higher energy consumption levels.

Use dimmer switches to control lighting – Dimmer switches enable you to control the amount of energy that your lighting fixtures use. These switches are designed in a way that enables them to work like flip-type light switches that works by turning the fixtures off and on.

Improve family and household habits – Some of the habits of your family members can help in reducing your domestic energy consumption.