With a dramatic upswing in the use of USB ports for charging devices such as cell phones and mp3 players, replacing a standard outlet with an electrical plug that includes USB ports makes a lot of sense. Multiport outlets are available in various configurations. They can be a bit pricy, but electrical USB ports save time, reduce frustration, and eliminate potential fire hazards caused by improper use of multiple adapters in a single outlet.

Step 1: Choose the outlet that best suits your needs. The three most common options include a one plug outlet with two USB ports, a two plug outlet with two USB ports, or a four USB port outlet with no plug.

Step 2: Locate the electrical entrance panel and flip the breaker off, or remove the fuse, to shut off the power to the outlet you will be replacing. Plug a lamp or other electrical device into the outlet to confirm the power is indeed off.

Step 3: Remove the outlet cover plate. Unscrew the top and bottom mounting screws holding the outlet in place and gently pull the outlet out of its box.

Step 4: Use a voltage sensor to confirm that the power supply is off by carefully touching the probe to each individual wire. Once you are absolutely sure there are no hot wires attached to the old outlet, unscrew the terminal screws on either side of the outlet and remove the wires.

Step 5: Attach the wires to the new outlet in the same manner as they were attached to the old outlet. Typically this means the white wire should go on the silver screw, the black wire should go on the brass screw and the grounding wire should go on the green screw. Always hook the wires clockwise around the terminal screws. As the screws are tightened back down the wire should naturally pull beneath the screw. For extra protection, wrap electrical tape around the edge of the new outlet before carefully pushing the outlet back into the box. Take care not to pinch or crimp any of the wires.

Step 6: Tighten the mounting screws, replace the cover plate and turn the power back on. Plug a lamp or other appliance into the new outlet to confirm it works. Test the new USB outlets also.

Step 7: Recycle the old outlet and let the device charging begin!