Tips for Outdoor Decorating

Before heading outside for holiday decorating, have a plan in mind so you’ll be prepared to deck the halls safely. Here are some tips to consider:

Look up and around
When installing lights, be mindful of your surroundings and locate overhead powerlines. They may be hidden within trees. Always keep you and your decorating tools such as ladders and extension poles three metres away from powerlines. Electricity can arc and direct contact is not required for serious injury.

Add colour
Lights come in all shapes and colours. Consider a palette that goes with the outside of your home and even the neighbourhood. You can collaborate with your family and neighbours on a fun look this year.

Plugin safely
Make sure that your electrical décor is approved or certified and for outdoor use. Remember, it’s best to plug electrical decorations into GFCI-protected outlets. This ensures protection from a potential fault with decorations.

If you don’t have GFCIs, you can use a portable one or hire a licensed electrical contracting business to install one permanently. And remember to ask for the business’ ECRA/ESA licence number to ensure they do the work safely and legally. It should be on their website, trucks, quotes and business cards.

Green your cheer
While it is fun to brighten up outside, be mindful of energy use. Set a reminder or use an approved automatic timer to turn décor on and off.

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