Buying Guide for Standard Electrical Outlets
Standard electrical outlets offer you plenty of benefits of having them in your home. You can use them for plugging in appliances and electronics. They make life easier for you and help you to save money. The standard electrical outlets are a well-established method of distributing electricity to areas in a home or an office. They are designed and manufactured to meet all applicable national and local electrical codes and requirements.
But, when it comes to electrical outlets, there's a lot of confusion out there. Maybe you're used to your wall outlets being standard, but there's a wide variety of electrical outlets available to consumers with different kinds of outlets found in different countries. In this post, we'll try to shed some light on what these different kinds of electrical outlets are and what sort of situations they're most useful for.
Benefits of Standard Electrical Outlets
Offers Multiple Connections at a Time
Sometimes it's nice to be able to charge several devices at the same time. Standard electrical outlets provide this functionality. Most of them offer three or 4-way outlets that offer multiple connections at a time.
Various Automatic Features
Today, standard electrical outlets come with various automatic features like voice control that offers hands-free usage and a countdown timer that automatically turns off devices. Most of them also offer various adjustable light levels that make them ideal for hallways, kitchens, and nurseries.
Energy Saving
It is a commonplace for people to want their homes to have the most modern gadgets and appliances to improve their lives. One of the main areas that people focus on electrical outlets is because of their energy-saving features. Compared to other outlets, standard outlets can save up to 20% of electricity and are ideal for residential and commercial usage.
Safe for Kids
Standard electrical outlets are safe for kids because they stay securely in place. They don't allow wires to come into contact with food, hands, or other items. Hence, they are a perfectly safe choice for your home. The outlets are tested to ensure that they meet the appropriate safety standards, and most of them are manufactured to match the industry standards. Besides, they are also lightweight, making them suitable to handle by children and adults alike.
Factors to Consider before Buying Standard Electrical Outlets
Amperage
It's important to know the maximum amperage rating of a new electrical outlet before you purchase it. It's easy to buy the wrong outlet and not realize it until you decide to use it. Sometimes it's not until you are in the middle of work and realize that you can't plug something into the outlet. Or that you have to unplug a lamp to move it to another outlet. So, make sure you check the amperage before buying a new outlet.
Compatibility
Standard electrical outlets have been around for some time. But the one thing that users still complain about is that the outlets are not compatible with many electrical products, including power strips. So, make sure to check the compatibility of the outlet before buying.
Residential vs Commercial
Residential outlets are installed in a building you own, including your home, while commercial outlets are in big buildings such as office buildings. Why the difference? Commercial outlets are intended for commercial buildings that receive power from the power company, such as shops and restaurants, and are fully protected from power surges. Residential outlets are for homes and generally do not protect from power surges. So, make sure you are buying the right one for the intended purpose.
Quality
If you are a frequent electrical outlet user, you don't want to buy a defective product. You want to buy a product that does what it is supposed to do. To make sure the outlets last for years, we advise you to pick the one made of quality material that will not rust, crack, or break. We also recommend buying them from trusted brands to ensure that you are getting the right product.
Conclusion
The Type of Outlet you choose for your home will greatly impact how it looks and the functionality of the power and convenience items you can install. This is why it's important to choose the right one. You can also do some market research before buying. Besides the pointers listed above, we also recommend checking the warranty, brand popularity, and product reviews.
To know more about your buying options, do look at some of the best products listed in our featured section above. We review and recommend those products based on their quality, performance, and durability.
