If every time you turn on the air conditioner, your hair dryer and a lamp at the same time you blow a fuse or kick open a circuit breaker, you might have a far more serious problem brewing than just the inconvenience of a temporary blackout. Repeated overloading of electrical circuits can cause wires deep inside your walls and floors to become fatigued and to start dangerously overheating, possibly leading to a fire. When fuses blow or breakers pop over and over again, your house is trying to tell you something. Find out how many watts each of your circuits will hold and compare it against how many you're using on that circuit at any one time. Do this by reading the manufacturers' labels on your appliances. Add together those being used at the same time. If you do, it'll extend the life of your electrical system and help prevent blackouts. If you don't, you'll have plenty of light to read by and plenty of heat to cook and dry your hair by, as your house burns down. Play it safe, don't overload your circuits. And that's the On The House tip for today.