Southern Standard Electric

10/15/2026

What if they never came down, and worked for your home all 365 nights of the year?

This Wilmington home just made the switch to Gemstone Lights: permanent, premium LED lighting that is installed once, paid for once, and built into the roofline for good. By day, the track is color-matched to your home and blends into the trim. By night, you control everything from your phone.

Christmas is only the beginning.

Security. Your lights turn on at sunset and off at sunrise automatically, so your home is never dark, whether you're pulling in after work or away for the season. Adjust them from your phone wherever you are.

Every occasion. Choose from more than 16 million colors, and Gemstone's Autopilot changes your lights automatically for the holidays and teams you choose.

Ambiance and curb appeal. A soft, warm white glow for evenings on the porch and entertaining guests, and a home that looks its best every night, not only in December.

Built to last. Designed for heat, rain, and strong winds, and backed by a lifetime warranty on the lights. No tangled strands, no burned-out bulbs, no ladders.

Why the installer matters. Permanent lighting is only as good as its installation, which is why Gemstone requires authorized, trained dealers. Southern Standard Electric is a Gemstone Authorized Dealer with 90 five-star Google reviews, and our licensed electricians design and install every system from the outlet to the roofline. You get a clean, professional finish and a local team you can call for years to come.

Schedule now to have your lights up before the holidays. Each system is custom measured and color-matched to your home before installation, so lead time matters.

Call or text (910) 368-3542 to get on the holiday schedule.

Licensed • Insured • Local • Family Owned & Operated
Gemstone Authorized Dealer
Serving Brunswick and New Hanover Counties, NC and Horry County, SC

10/08/2026

Recessed Lighting, Before and After | Sea Trail, Sunset Beach

These homeowners wanted more light and better ambiance in the dining room for their card nights.

The challenge: this is the first floor of a two-story home, so there is no attic above the ceiling to work from. Instead of opening up the drywall, we fished the wiring through the ceiling and kept the cuts to a minimum. The table was moved and the floor was covered before we started.

The result is four recessed lights on a new dimmer. Bright when the cards come out, and turned down when they want a softer room.

Homeowner takeaway: a finished floor above the room does not rule out recessed lighting. In a two-story home, the wiring can often be fished through the ceiling with very little drywall repair afterward.

Thinking about better lighting in your home? Call or text (910) 368-3542.
southernstandardelectric.com

Licensed • Insured • Local • Family Owned & Operated
Serving Brunswick County, NC and Horry County, SC

10/01/2026

Rental Property Safety Upgrade

We were called to this rental home after the electrical meter equipment began pulling away from the house. During our evaluation, we found several additional concerns, including an improperly secured service raceway that had left a large opening in the meter enclosure, an overcrowded interior panel, triple-tapped breakers, and electrical components that had been painted over.

After discussing the available options with the property owner, the decision was made to retain the existing service size while replacing the deteriorated equipment and correcting the safety issues.

We installed new Square D QO equipment, properly secured the service equipment, corrected the panel deficiencies, brought the installation up to current requirements, and duct-sealed the penetrations to help protect the system from moisture, pests, and the coastal environment.

The result: a cleaner, safer, more dependable electrical system for the homeowner and their tenants.

Https://southernstandardelectric.com
910-368-3542

09/14/2026

This original 1980s panel had reached the end of its useful life. We found double-tapped breakers, no remaining space, mismatched and aging breakers, improper ground/neutral bonding, heat damage, and corrosion.

We upgraded it with a Square D QO panel with a tin-plated copper bus, giving this coastal home a more durable, corrosion-resistant setup. We also corrected the wiring issues, added room for future circuits, duct-sealed openings, and installed a Z-Rust V***r Capsule for added corrosion protection.

A cleaner, safer, longer-lasting electrical system, brought up to the Southern Standard.

Licensed in NC & SC

09/04/2026

We’re excited to welcome a great group of new members who joined the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce in August!

Please help us give a warm welcome to:
• Anchor of Grace Senior Solutions
• UpLevel HR Consulting
• Fat Cat Pottery
• Trips Unlimited Coastal Carolina
• Sunsational Cart Rentals LLC
• Tuscan Sunset Restaurant & Lounge
• Derrick Sherard - Real Broker, LLC
• Superior Merchant Solutions
• TheGPSStore.com
• Southern Standard Electric
• Family Nest P*e Dee Coast
• Big Kahuna’s Restaurant & Bar
• Sure-Trac Garage Doors LLC
• Innovate Real Estate

We’re glad to have each of you as part of our Chamber community and look forward to getting to know your businesses, seeing you at upcoming events, and helping you make connections throughout Brunswick County.

Be sure to give these new members a follow and a warm welcome when you see them around the community!

Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce
www.brunswickcountychamber.org

09/03/2026

One charger for nearly any EV.

The Tesla Universal Wall Connector is a smart, future-ready option for home charging. It features Tesla’s NACS connector along with an integrated J1772 adapter, allowing it to charge Teslas and most other electric vehicles without needing separate chargers.

When supported by the vehicle and electrical system, it can deliver up to 48 amps of Level 2 charging. Homeowners can also use the Tesla app to schedule charging, monitor energy use, and review charging history.

It can be installed indoors or outdoors, and its available power-management features make it adaptable to a wide range of homes, even when the electrical panel has limited available capacity.

Southern Standard Electric can evaluate your electrical system and provide a safe, professional installation designed around your home, vehicle, and daily driving needs.

Contact us to schedule an EV-charger installation estimate.

The Gold Standard in Electrical Service, Delivered with Southern Hospitality.

08/27/2026

Traditional homes feel their best when the lighting adds warmth, depth, and atmosphere.

One of the biggest differences in a space often comes from creating more intentional spatial lighting rather than relying too heavily on recessed lighting alone. Decorative fixtures, pendants, sconces, and other layered light sources can create a softer, warmer glow that feels more natural and inviting.

These upgrades were designed to enhance the ambiance of each room while bringing out the richness, comfort, and timeless character of the home.

Southern Standard Electric
Serving Coastal South Carolina & North Carolina
(910) 368-3542
Southernstandardelectric.com

08/20/2026

A dead outlet doesn’t always mean the outlet is bad and a tripping breaker doesn’t automatically mean you need a new breaker. Our latest article explains how electricians trace common electrical symptoms back to the actual problem before determining the right repair.

Dead outlet, flickering lights, or a breaker that keeps tripping? Learn what these common electrical problems can mean and when to call an electrician.

08/13/2026

Ocean Isle Beach Condo Panel Upgrade

We recently replaced this aging electrical panel in a second-row condo in Ocean Isle Beach, NC, just off the beachfront.

Once we opened it up, we found several issues that are especially common in older coastal condos:

- Significant corrosion inside the panel
- Aging electrical equipment and connections
- Neutrals and grounds bonded together in a subpanel, which needed to be corrected
- Years of exposure to the moisture and salt-heavy coastal environment

Condos can be particularly rough on electrical systems. Many spend years being used as vacation rentals, changing occupants constantly while the electrical system receives very little preventative maintenance. Breakers, panels, receptacles, and connections can go unnoticed until something finally fails.

That is why we take a few additional steps when working on coastal properties.

Where appropriate, we use duct seal around cable and conduit entry points to help reduce the amount of humid, salt-laden air entering the enclosure. We also properly prepare aluminum conductor terminations and use oxide-inhibiting compound such as Noalox where applicable, along with inspecting and properly torquing connections.

Those details may not be the most noticeable part of a new panel, but they're important near the ocean. Proper installation and periodic electrical maintenance can significantly reduce corrosion, catch deteriorating connections early, and help equipment provide a much longer service life than a system that is simply ignored for decades.

The finished panel now has the neutrals and grounds properly separated, cleaner wiring, updated equipment, and additional attention paid to protecting it from the harsh coastal environment.

If you own a condo, vacation rental, or beachfront property in Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Calabash, or surrounding Brunswick County don't assume the electrical system is healthy just because everything still turns on.

Southern Standard Electric
910-368-3542
https://southernstandardelectric.com

08/06/2026

Another Calabash home is ready for convenient Level 2 EV charging.

We recently completed this EV charger installation in Calabash, NC, providing the homeowner with a dedicated charging setup for reliable everyday use.

Here is something many local EV owners may not know:

Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation currently offers eligible members a $500 Residential EV Charger Make Ready Rebate.

The rebate helps offset costs associated with installing the in-home wiring needed for Level 2 charging and is applied as a credit to the homeowner’s BEMC account. Eligibility and program requirements are determined by BEMC.

A professional installation provides:

• Faster charging at home
• A dedicated circuit sized for continuous EV charging
• Proper permitting and inspection
• A clean, permanently mounted setup
• Documentation that may be needed when applying for the rebate

Southern Standard Electric installs EV chargers throughout Calabash, Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Shallotte, and surrounding Brunswick County communities.

Thinking about installing a Level 2 charger? Contact us to discuss the installation and whether your project may qualify for the BEMC rebate.

Southern Standard Electric
southernstandardelectric.com
[email protected]
910-368-3542