Daylight Savings Time officially starts this Sunday and Mister Sparky has some springtime electrical safety tips for you! According to a new survey by Mister Sparky®, homeowners don’t check their smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors as often as they should. As you go throughout your house changing the clocks in your home, it’s also a good time to test your home safety equipment. A recent national survey conducted by Mister Sparky [1] found:

  • 41% of homeowners say they test their smoke alarms each month
  • 34% don’t check smoke alarms monthly or replace the alarm every 10 years, as recommended by the National Fire Protection Association
  • 66% of homeowners have a working carbon monoxide detector
  • 43% of homeowners in the south do not have a working carbon monoxide detector
  • A higher percentage of households with children (71%) have a working carbon monoxide detector

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are installed outside each bedroom and sleeping area and the alarms are interconnected so when one alarm sounds they all sound. They also recommend these are tested at least once a month and replaced every ten years.[2] While our survey results found many people are following the safety recommendations, many others are not. If you need installation help, call a licensed and qualified electrical professional. For more information on electrical safety issues for homeowners contact us.

Mister Sparky Electrician NWA, America’s On-Time Electrician in Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville services the Northwest Arkansas area with a team of licensed electricians. In addition to flickering lights, some of the electrician services provided by the company include electrical outlet/switch repair, ceiling fan installation, lighting installation, aluminum wiring repair, landscape lighting installation and home electrical inspections.

The survey was conducted online by Research Now with 1,000 consumers. All are 18 years of age or older, a head of household, homeowners and participate in the decision-making process about the electrical systems in their homes. The data was collected between October 21 and 26, 2015.