B Informed

This weekend I read an article from www.smartmoney.com that irritated me. The article basically listed 10 ways that home security firms try to take advantage of their customers. Also, it was very poorly informed, things like this are damaging to not only Security Firms, but to their customers. I’ll run through some of the points that are wrong, misinformed or blatantly false:
“1. A little home security goes a long way”

Sure it does, no reputable firm would ever tell you that you could forgo the basics of protecting your home such as locking the doors and making sure the lot was well lit at night, etc as long as you have a security system. But security systems came into being for a reason, and anymore your security system is not designed to only inform the authorities of an incident. A good security system gives you peace of mind while you are gone, and can be designed to help you live more comfortably with many features such as automated timers for your lights, that only turn them on and off when you are away, or low temperature alerts that can warn you (if you leave for extended periods of time during the cold weather season) before your pipes break, smoke detection that can inform the fire department if you have a fire while you are gone, because a smoke detector going off in an empty home is as useless as a spare house key inside your house.

In the article Jonathan Dahl (the author) writes “Merely keeping the boundaries of your house well lit- perhaps with motion-sensor lights, which cost less than $100-will discourage most burglars. But since the majority of home break-ins occur during the day, when people are away at work, experts suggest a few additional precautions.” The precautions that he goes on to list are the standard teachings of every good security salesman. He got this information from Frank Santomorena, the founder of Security Experts. Frank is the security advisor on The Discovery Channel’s “It Takes a Thief”. I’ve seen this show, its cute, but not realistic. Good TV rarely is, and in this instance they are attempting to convince people that your home can be made into a fortress. This is not the case, and a security system will never turn it into one. If someone wants into your home bad enough, they’ll get in.

“2. The cops can’t hear your alarm”
Jonathan is right here, unless the cops are sitting outside your house, they can’t hear your alarm. HOWEVER, he continues to attack what he calls “so-called central station(s)”, by claiming that they can be “boiler room downtown to a concrete bunker in another state, and it may or may not be manned by your secuirty company, but rather a third-party subcontractor”.

Some clarification, even if the so called central station is located in a “boiler room” there are requirements that they must fufill to be legal, they have to have redundant back ups of their power systems, their phone systems, their computer systems, their actual operators have to have back ups on site, they have to be back ground checked, they have to have the ability to monitor your systems even in the event of a disaster that destroys their location. All of these redundant backups are designed to protect the customer.

For the record, B’s Electric is one of the companies that sub-contracts their third party monitoring. This allows us to have multiple central stations that specialize in certain types of security systems, commercially and residentially. This is how we are able to keep our costs as low at $14.50 per month.

In the next blog I will address the points regarding “This system is more trouble than it’s worth” and “The local police hate us”.

Rollie Chalou
General Manager

Design Build, it’s a trend that is becoming more common in the Electrical Industry. Even when an architect provides an electrical plan it is going to be subject to changes on the fly. Now don’t misunderstand, one of the great pleasures in our industry is working with an architect who has a vision and helping both the architect and customer see the results of their imaginations.

However, with the tightened economy occasionally a customer chooses not to have an electrical plan drawn up. That’s where it helps to have an experienced Electrical Contractor with 23 years of service in every aspect of the electrical field to work with. Design build has been a part of our business model since we started out in business, and we’ve only begun to scratch the surface.

With our security division B Secure we can also design any manner of security system a customer might imagine. And designing the infrastructure for the necessary low voltage cabling is an area where another electrical contractor might recoil, we have the tools necessary to install Category 5e, Category 6, or Fiber Optic Cabling and provide testing for connectivity.

An area where we expect to see expansion is the home theater arena. With the training and skill to install a technical oasis in your living room, basement, man cave, bedroom etc, you can feel like a rock star on the latest episode of Cribs without having 15 cars in the garage.

Everything at this point is Design Build when it comes to Alternative Energy Solutions.  From specifying what model of wind turbine would best suit your needs, to deciding how many kilowatts of production you will be getting from a solar panel array.  Working with the engineers, manufacturers, architects, utilities, and local authorities can be troublesome for the  customer.  When deciding if home generation is an avenue you would like to consider it is always best begin by asking a company with experience.

Design Build is a personal experience for both the customer and the contractor. Be sure to choose a contractor you enjoy dealing with, who explains what they can do for you and how they plan on achieving your goals.

Yes, we’re electrical contractors. We’re the guys you call when your plugs don’t seem to be working right, or your going to be renovating a room. But we’re also the company you call when you’re paying too much for Security System Monitoring. At $14.50 per month for a UL listed monitoring station you can save sometimes up to $300 per year. What could you do with $300 per year? If you have a security system, or know someone who does, and they don’t have B Secure monitoring, have them give us a call. We’d love to discuss their options with them.

Wondering if we can monitor the system you have? Of course we can, however in some instances we may suggest that you upgrade or replace your system because what was relevant when you had it installed 5 years ago may not still apply.

We’d love to hear from you, lets see if we can’t save you some money!

With the Holiday season in full effect, and the decoration well underway it’s important to know how to keep yourself safe. Between 2003 and 2007 The National Fire Protection Agency has concluded that both real and artificial tree’s were the cause of approximately 250 fires annually. Other holiday lighting related issues resulted in an additional 170 fires annually. One in every eighteen holiday fires resulted in a civilian death, and one in every ten holiday fires resulted in a civilian injury.

Using common sense can keep you safe this year. Your electrical outlets shouldn’t look like Clark Griswold’s from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. If you have an old strand of lights and the insulation on the wires are cracking, it’s time to replace them. Keep your Christmas tree hydrated and if it begins to dry out, only have the lights on when you are in the room.

Ensure this is a joyous time of year, and Happy Holidays

link to NFPA Holiday Fire Information:http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//PDF/Christmastrees_Sum.pdf

(originally posted on 12/2/09)

With Hunting Season upon us, now may be a good time to discuss how to protect your hunting cabin the 330 days a year when you aren’t there. Thanks to new advances in wireless security systems and cellular monitoring we can now protect your cabin even if you winterize it and don’t have a phone line.

For a quote on a security system for your slice of hunting heaven and how you can lower your insurance rates for it, give us a call @ 989.893.3220, and Happy Hunting!

(originally posted on 11/18/09)

So, B’s Electric has a facebook account and a blog now. Should be interesting, looking forward to finding more ways to connect with customers and business partners.

(originally posted 11/14/09)

No telling how much use this will actually get, but we’ll try to keep it updated as much as is useful.

(originally posted on 11/13/09)