Although some companies are returning to pre-Covid work arrangements and requiring their employees to report back to the office, there has been a major shift in our culture. More Americans than ever are working from a home office space and communicating over Zoom and Skype. Remote work can provide benefits to a diverse group of people: parents who need to keep an eye on young kids, people with disabilities, people with long commutes, and people who thrive in a calm environment. The best way to ensure you are successful when working from home is to set up your home office workspace in a way that provides safety, security for you and your work, and efficiency. Follow these tips and make sure your office’s electrical system is helping you get the most out of your time at home.
Tip #1 – Increase the Number of Outlets
Depending on your line of work, there may be many electronics that are required during the course of a business day. The printer, fax machine, computer, and lighting were all maintained by your employer, but that responsibility now falls on you. The office space you have at home probably lacks enough outlets to efficiently and safely power all the devices that are mandatory in the current technological era. There are a few solutions, with one of them being highly preferred.
Adding power strips or surge protectors to the room to increase the available outlet spaces is the first option tried by many. This solution works in the short term and might work depending on the type of devices being powered, but it always comes with risks. Overloading an outlet by plugging electricity-intensive devices into a singular power strip can trip a breaker or lead to a fire.
Increasing the number of outlets in the room is always the best solution. Installing new outlets is possible in most areas of a room, so you can always place them nearby your essential devices to help organize and hide wires to your liking. In the process of rewiring the room for new installations, your electrician can also check the condition of your wiring and determine if they seem prone to failure in the near future.
Tip #2 – Prepare For Electrical Mishaps
Commercial office spaces have more robust electrical systems and backups, such as generators, ready to withstand anything that might threaten the integrity of the electrical system. At home, that is not always the case. Massive storms or hurricanes, especially here in Florida, run the risk of knocking out your power and erasing all of your unsaved work. To combat this, homeowners should keep two devices on hand – a connected, charged power source and a portable generator. The charged power source can stay connected to your system and provide those few extra crucial minutes needed to save your work. At the same time, the generator can help you continue working and functioning as usual even if the rest of your system is inoperable due o damage to power lines or any other scenario. You should also employ best practices and have your work always and often, reducing the losses if your power does go out.
Tip #3 – Focus on Airflow
Florida summers are not conducive to large amounts of electronics in one room. Too many electronics in close proximity, without proper airflow and cooling, can reduce their speed and efficiency and cause fires. In addition to our first tip, which focused on the overall electrical draw of the office devices, it might be wise to move the devices not commonly used to a different area of the house, decreasing the strain on the cooling and electrical system of one single room.
Need to upgrade the electrical system of your new office space? Look no further than Promise Electric. Promise Electric offers professional residential electrical services to the greater Sarasota area.
