Thinking about outdoor living often brings patios and fire pits to mind. In fact, when most homeowners think about outdoor living, the winter months may not come up. If winter months are considered, it's as a time to close off and shut down the outdoor living areas. Before you shut your outdoor living spaces down for the colder months, there are some electrical upgrades that you can request from an electrician. This upgrades can help you enjoy your outdoor living areas year round, especially in colder climates. Here are a few of those upgrades and what to know about each one.
Heating Units
One of the leading upgrades is to add heating units to the outdoor living area. These heating units can be built into the wall of the outdoor area or into the pillars if you have an open patio style area. These heating units operate in the same way an indoor heater does but have several additional safety features. For example, the outdoor heating units have an automatic shut off if the temperature reaches a certain level. This automatic shut off helps prevent overheating and can reduce the chances of fires. You may also have timers attached to the heating units as well so they only kick on at night during hours you would be using the area.
Electric Retractable Screens
You probably already have retractable awnings for your outdoor living spaces. What you may not have are retractable screens. These screens can be placed on a roller system that is triggered by an electrical switch. When the switch is activated, the screen can roll down and drop on all sides of the patio. This allows you to have a seasonally closed in patio that you can enjoy with installed heating units or an electric fire pit. The retractable screens can also be set on a timer to retract down at sunset and move back up and store during the day at sunrise.
Outdoor Sensor Lighting
You may have a beautiful enclosed patio with built-in heating systems and safe fire pits. What you may not have is the right lighting. You don't want a bright light overhead, because this could ruin the ambience of the environment. What you may want instead or sensor footpath lights. These can go around the seating area, at the door entry to the patio, and along the path around the patio. When they sense someone walking by or someone in the area, the lights kick on and softly illuminate the area.
If any of these electrical upgrades sound ideal for your outdoor winter living area, contact your local electrician. They can help you with pricing and with scheduling the electrical work. They can also send out multiple electricians for larger jobs in order to complete the job faster if necessary.