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Regardless of the area of ​​expertise, hiring a qualified professional makes all the difference. This is all the more true regarding electricity for safety and thoughtful thinking regarding energy management and comfort optimization.

HAGG Electrical Company, specializing in new construction and high-end electrical renovations for homes, cottages, and cabins, has been established in Dunham in the beautiful Eastern Townships region. The owners, Alexandre Gingras and Hubert Gemme, have unparalleled expertise in advising and carrying out the projects of a clientele wishing to create their own comfortable and well-thought-out peace haven.

Here are their three foolproof tips for dealing with whatever Mother Nature throws our way - blazing sun, strong winds or the freezing rain that causes many power outages.

1) Being smart about generator installation and use

The repeated power outages in recent years may have left a bitter taste for all those owners who could not go about their business usually, who lost the contents of their freezer or even experienced pipe breakages (and perhaps water damage) caused by frost.

Using an emergency generator compensates for this situation by maintaining the electrical supply to the residence. Installed outside the house, the propane or natural gas generator turns on in seconds, whether you are home or not.

However, not everything needs to be powered equally during a power outage.

Minimal heating, power for specific appliances, lighting and the well pump may be the only items you want to operate. In addition, the less demand the generator will have, the longer it can provide power. This helps prevent power outages whose duration is often unknown.

Advice from the experts

The HAGG team recommends wiring the generator so that it will not power all circuits the same way. For example, one could choose that the heating remains at 5°C to avoid the risk of freezing pipes and that the spa is not turned on during a power outage.

This type of connection is possible thanks to Sinopé Technologies' multi-controller. This product allows non-smart wired devices to interact with a system using the Zigbee communication protocol.

How do we achieve this type of installation? Call on a certified professional who is familiar with this kind of technology.

2) Get your floor to heat smartly

It is known that many factors have an impact on the efficiency of a heating system. Among other things, sunlight and home orientation can impact the feeling of the heat provided by a heated floor system.

As the heated floor offers the possibility of controlling the ambient air temperature or that of the floor, the heating programs must differ according to the parameters mentioned if you wish to access all the comfort possibilities that a heated floor can bring.

Advice from the experts

"By experience, people like to have their feet warm when getting up in the morning and before going to bed at night, whereas they prefer a lighter temperature during the day," confides HAGG owners Hubert Gemme and Alexandre Gingras.

However, a floor heating thermostat cannot change modes (floor or ambient) automatically or according to a schedule. Thus, calibrating the set temperatures in floor (or ambient) mode is skillful and meticulous. The heating programs must be aligned with the customer's needs by considering the extent of the windows and the home's orientation since the sunshine and the angle of entry of the sun's rays can quickly heat the home interior and affect the homeowner's comfort.

Knowing in which circumstances to opt for floor or ambient mode and adapting the programming so that the set temperatures reflect the desires of the users is part of the expertise of the two electrical contractors who take the time to discuss with their customers to provide thoughtful advice.

3) Your water heater can pay off thanks to Calypso

The co-owners of HAGG electrical company are avid users of Sinopé smart devices, which help reduce energy consumption and electricity bills, in addition to being subsidized by many power utilities, including Hydro-Québec (whose registration for the current winter season ended on December 15, 2023).

However, the Calypso smart water heater controller is particularly profitable for homeowners using time-of-use rate or demand-response programs.

Calypso Water Heater Controller
Photo credits: Studio Point de Vue / Guillaume Gorini


This device plugs directly into the existing water heater. It allows it to be automatically turned off during peak events to avoid electricity consumption. All the while, the homeowners can still use the hot water contained within the tank. Thanks to the product's temperature probe, the Calypso water heater controller ensures that the water in the tank remains at the right temperature at all times.

Additionally, cottage owners who leave their cabin for more than two days can reduce their electricity consumption while having the ability to turn the water heater back on remotely to ensure the water is hot and safe for consumption when needed. In these circumstances, the Calypso water heater controller is a must-have product to maximize savings on the electricity bill.

In these circumstances, the Calypso water heater controller is a must-have product to maximize savings on the electricity bill.

About HAGG

Specializing in residential and commercial electricity, HAGG Electrical Company has over 30 years of experience in electricity. HAGG is also a Sinopé certified partner, having completed training as part of the Sinopé Academy on installing and programming Sinopé smart devices.

In conclusion

Hiring professionals is a wise choice. Their expertise and know-how make them valuable allies for installing and implementing smart devices. Moreover, thanks to these three tips inspired by the best practices of this Sinopé certified partner, you will be better equipped for a well-designed home that works for you!

How about a rebate on your next purchase of thermostats offered by your power utility?