October 22, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Wiring Upholds Customer Safety and Satisfaction
BALTIMORE, MD—
According to the Copper Development Association Inc., remodelers can offer a higher level of safety and satisfaction to their customers by ensuring that residential wiring systems are inspected and upgraded when remodeling.
"Remodelers can play an important role in encouraging homeowners to replace worn or obsolete wiring," said Bill Black, vice president for wire & cable at CDA. "Safety tops the list, especially for older homes, but relatively new homes also can benefit from upgraded wiring. So many changes have occurred in the electrical codes, technology and lifestyles in recent years that any room or home undergoing remodeling is a candidate for rewiring."
The Copper Development Association gives these ten reasons for homeowners to consider rewiring when remodeling:
- Replace unsafe wiring in older homes to prevent loss of life and property.
- Install new ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) where modern codes require them, primarily in wet areas (kitchens, baths, garages, etc.).
- Install new arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) to avoid fires due to electrical arcing.
- Increase electrical load capacity of home, adding electrical outlets to accommodate modern lifestyles.
- Distribute video signals within the home.
- Network home computers with structured wiring.
- Listen to music anywhere in a home with whole house audio.
- Thwart intruders with electronic security systems.
- Enjoy conveniences of home automation.
- Protect against power surges, power outages and lightning strikes.
Many remodeling contractors employ electricians and communications wiring installers who specialize in retrofit wiring and can perform the necessary electrical wiring. Typically, rewiring is already a critical part of the remodeling project, e.g., in a living room that includes a new home entertainment system. In other cases, rewiring adds value to the project because it can be conveniently performed in tandem with other remodeling. And don't forget: rewiring the whole house, not just the remodeled portion where the walls have been opened up, often makes sense, both for the homeowner's well-being and for the remodeler's profitability.
For more information about rewiring existing homes with new electrical and communications wiring, go to the Building Wire page for information on a free brochure you can use as a consumer marketing tool, entitled Do You Need an Electrician? And, on the Telecommunications page is another, similar brochure covering structured communications wiring, entitled Is Your Home Wired for the Future? Both these tools are available in quantity.
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