1. Presented by
San Miguel Power Association

2. How does your home use electricity?
Home Power
Electricity plays an integral role in how our homes operates. Whether
watching TV, turning on the air conditioner, or charging a cell phone, we
rely on our home’s electrical system to provide us with power when and
where we need it.
By understanding the basics of how electricity is distributed around your
home, you can help manage the demands placed on your electrical system
and keep it in safe working condition.

3. Home Power
How does your home use electricity?
8%
31%
12%12%
11%
9%
9%
8%
Refrigeration
Heating
Cooling
Water Heating
Lighting
Electronics
Appliances
Other

5. The Basics
How does your electrical system work?
The electric meter, mounted outside, is where electricity enters your home.
It’s used to measure the amount of electricity your home uses.
CAUTION: Feel free to take your own readings, but tampering with an
electric meter is extremely dangerous – and illegal!
The service panel is the central distribution point for delivering electricity
to switches and outlets throughout the house.
Breakers shut off power to specific circuits or the entire system.
The entire electrical system is grounded to the earth with a wire and
underground rod. This adds critical protection for anyone working on
the system, plugged-in appliances, and the system itself.

6. The Basics
What’s inside your service panel?
Service panels are equipped with either FUSES (older systems) or
CIRCUIT BREAKERS (modern systems) that protect the wires in each circuit
from overheating and causing a fire.
Blown Fuse?
Unscrew the blown fuse and replace it with one of the same amperage rating.
Never use a replacement with a higher amperage rating!
Tripped Breaker?
It’s probably a result of too many appliances running on one circuit.
1. Unplug the appliances in the room
2. Find the tripped breaker in the service panel:
it will have switched to OFF or be somewhere
between ON and OFF
3. Switch it fully OFF, then ON. Power will be
restored to the room.

7. The Basics
A little inside information…
Each circuit breaker contains a permanent metal strip that heats up and
Bends when electricity moves through it. If a circuit is overloaded, the strip
Bends enough to flip the switch and shut off power!
There are two types of circuits…
120-volt circuits use one phase of electrical service to power
standard appliances
240-volt circuits use both phases of electrical service to power
larger appliances. These outlets are rare, but check for one
behind your clothes dryer.

8. The Basics
Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs)
“Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter” may be a mouthful, but the new devices
replace standard circuit breakers and provide enhanced protection against
fire hazards known as arc faults – caused by damaged, overheated, or
stressed electrical wiring or devices.
Without AFCIs, these hazards may be hidden until it’s too late.
The absence of AFCIs in service panels is among
the primary residential hazard associated with
burns and fire-related injuries.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Each year, home electrical fires take the lives of 480 people, injure more
than 2,000, and destroy more than $868 million in property.

10. Home Wiring
What kind of wiring system is in my home?
About one-third of homes in the U.S. are at least 50 years old, many of
which were built with electrical systems that are no longer safe and may
be considered fire hazards.
It’s important to identify how your home is wired to address hazardous
situations before it’s too late…

11. What kind of wiring system is in my home?
Knob and Tubing Wiring: 1800s – 1930s
This was designed as an open air system that used ceramic knobs to
prevent wires from contacting a home’s wood framing and sparking a fire.
CAUTION: This system is considered
unsafe by today’s standards.
The system is not grounded, and is
susceptible to damage from aging and
botched renovations.
Home Wiring

12. What kind of wiring system is in my home?
Aluminum Wiring: 1960s – 1970s
As the price of copper soared in the 1960s, many homes were wired with
aluminum instead.
CAUTION: Aluminum is highly responsive
to temperature fluctuations, and is more
likely to become loose over time as a
result (a fire hazard).
Consider updating your system or other
options if yours is one of the two million
homes wired with aluminum between
1962 and 1972.
Home Wiring

13. What kind of wiring system is in my home?
Grounded Electrical System: 1940s – present
In a complete circuit, electricity always seeks to return to its source. This is
why there are at least two prongs to a plug: one sends electricity into the
appliance, the other sends it back out to complete the circuit.
Grounded systems give electricity a third
option (a third prong, for appliances). If an
appliance short circuits, the current will travel
through the ground wire—literally a wire near
your service panel that leads to the ground—
and not through an unsuspecting person who
comes in contact with that shorted appliance .
If your home is not grounded, contact an electrician to upgrade your system.
Home Wiring

15. Electrical Outlets
Electrical outlets are where you most often interact with your home’s
electrical system. Modern outlets have a round hole for the grounding
conductor. (Remember grounding?) The circle slot is connected to the
ground wire.
Does your home have grounded outlets?
Do your outlets look like this? They’re grounded – and safe!
Do your outlets look like this? They’re not grounded, and pose
a potential hazard!
Consult an electrician about updating your home.

16. Electrical Outlets
Tamper-Resistant Outlets
Every year, 2,400 children are injured from inserting household objects into
electrical outlets. Tamper-resistant outlets look like standard outlets, but
have an internal, spring-loaded shutter mechanism that only opens when
equal pressure is applied simultaneously to both shutters.
Household objects most commonly placed in outlets:
HAIRPIN
32 percent
KEYS
17 percent
PAPER CLIP
5 percent
FINGER
12 percent
Other common items: jewelry, tools, plugs, pins

17. Electrical Outlets
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters
Since the 1970s, ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) have saved
thousands of lives and have helped cut the number of electrocutions in half.
These outlets:
Prevent deadly shock by quickly shutting off power to a circuit if the
electricity flowing into the circuit differs by even a slight amount from
that returning.
Should be used in any indoor or outdoor area where water may come
into contact with electrical products
(kitchens, bathrooms, garages, outdoors).
Should be tested once a month to ensure they’re working properly!

18. Electrical Outlets
How to test your GFCIs
Testing your GFCIs is easy!
All you need is a nightlight or outlet tester:

20. Demonstrations
San Miguel Power is always happy to provide safety demonstrations for
emergency response crews, classrooms, local businesses, and other
organizations.
We have a high voltage demonstration trailer that allows us to educate the
community about power line safety. Our demo illustrates the effects on the
human body if it comes in contact with a power line
Please contact Tom Loczy, (970) 864-7311 ext. 120 to schedule a
demonstration.

21. Contact Terry Daley, (970) 626-5549 ext. 203