Make sure to use electricity in a safe way at home. Electricity is distributed from your power company’s electricity network via a connection cable to your home’s main distribution board, which comprises the electricity meter, main switch, fuses and protective equipment, such as the residual-current circuit breaker. You can use the main switch on the board to disconnect power from your entire home for electrical work or replacing a fuse.
Only buy CE-certified electrical devices intended for use in the Finnish electricity network (230 V/50 HZ). Some of your home appliances, such as coffee makers and stoves, have an automatic current cutoff functionality. You can also plug an electrical device into a wall socket equipped with a timer. Install fire alarms in a sufficient number of rooms. Check each month that each alarm’s batteries are charged and that the alarm works.
Unplug electrical devices from wall sockets when the devices are not used. Use covers on wall sockets and extension cords. Make sure that your stove includes a stove lock and protector. Keep electrical devices out of the reach of children and remember to consider pets that may bite an electric wire. Teach your children the safe use of the electrical devices in your home from an early age.
Electricity is safe to use as long as you install and use electrical devices correctly. Most accidents are caused by a faulty or inadequately repaired device, carelessness or children playing. Safe use includes regular cleaning of home appliances, for example, vacuuming the back of the fridge or washing the grease filter of the extractor hood once a year.
Please get a professional to repair any faulty electrical devices because DIY repairs are not safe. Leave electrical work to the professionals. Minor electrical work can be performed by a consumer who knows how to perform it correctly and safely, for instance, installing a light fixture equipped with a screw terminal. A good place to look for reliable professionals is the “Löydä sähkömies” – Find an electrician – service.