Electrician Los Angeles – Switching to LED Lighting

Posted on December 17, 2012 | by K Hopkins

In the past several years, the technology behind our lights has grown tremendously. Although incandescent bulbs were the standard for a number of years, more energy efficient alternatives like Compact Fluorescents (CFL) and Light Emitting Diodes (LED) have become more readily available, affordable and very popular. Because people have been looking for ways to reduce their electrical bills, and lower their overall impact on the environment, LED lighting has become a particularly popular alternative as it has become easier to find. This has resulted in LED lighting companies to manufacture and distribute more LED lights than in the past.

Should You Switch?

The reasons to switch to LEDs are numerous for both homeowners and small businesses. One of the biggest draws to LED lights is its lifespan. Most LED lights will burn for somewhere around 100,000 hours. This translates into roughly 11 years. Whenever you are dealing with this type of lifespan, you will probably end up calling an electrician in Los Angeles to come change out the light fixture before you ever have to change the bulb. LEDs not only last longer, but they also use much less electricity than both incandescent and CFL bulbs. They also produce less heat, resulting in a long-lasting, low-energy, low temperature operation.

Are They Expensive?

One of the few negatives that LED bulbs have is that they have a higher up-front cost than many other options. Although they boast the longer life span, reduced energy consumption and low heat, LED lighting is still more expensive than CFL and Incandescent bulbs. For this reason, many people choose other types of bulbs over them. Those that go with the LEDs typically find out that they will pay for themselves through reduced energy usage. As always, don’t hesitate to contact The Electric Connection with any questions about LEDs, light fixtures or any other electrical topics. We’re always glad to help.

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Santa Monica Electrician – What Are LED Downlights?

Posted on December 4, 2012 | by K Hopkins | 1 Comment

Choosing a style of lights for a particular room can be a very thought-provoking process. This is largely because each room typically has its own purpose, and lighting should be selected to best facilitate that purpose. For many more contemporary spaces, one of the favored lighting options is LED downlights. Many homeowners choose to install this type of light fitting into a variety of rooms around their homes, including bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens to provide not only light, but a certain level of style.

Mounting

LED downlights are typically mounted to narrow openings in the ceiling of the chosen room. In most cases, this type of fixture will be completely hidden from view. As a result, it appears as if the light is coming from a hole in the ceiling. When you choose to have an electrician in Santa Monica install LED downlights for you, then you have a wide variety of different sizes, shapes and even colors to choose from. This is often used to accentuate different elements of a room, due to this type of lighting’s ability to focus light downward on a certain area.

Efficiency

LED downlighting is not only an attractive and effective source of light, but also very energy efficient. Because these fixtures use LED lights, they use very little electricity and emit almost no heat. This results in more comfortable spaces, and a functional light source at a very low operating cost.

Regardless of whether you are installing LED downlights or another type of lighting source, choosing an LED bulb to provide your light is always a smart decision. These high quality, long-lasting and energy efficient light bulbs will provide spectacular lighting to any area for many years to come. To learn more about LED lighting, or to talk to someone about installing some new fixtures, call one of our technicians at The Electric Connection. You can also get in touch with us through our website at www.theelectricconnection.com.

Electrician Los Angeles Can Light up the Spaces in Your Home

Posted on November 21, 2012 | by K Hopkins

If you need to add more light to the dark corners of your home—whether they are inside or outside—an electrician who specializes in custom lighting projects might be exactly what you need. The projects done by a licensed electrician can be customized to include all types of home lighting, including interior lighting, recessed lighting, landscape lighting as well as security lighting.

Your first step is deciding what style of lighting fixtures you’ll want to add to the interior or exterior of your home. Along with functionality, remember to choose lighting fixtures that complement the style of your home decor.

Once you’ve made the decision on what style of lighting fixtures you want, there’s one more step before finding the right electrician in Los Angeles. That step is to purchase the lighting fixtures that you want to have installed. Now that you’ve made all of the decisions, it’s time to find the right electrician. Los Angeles residents and business know that they can count on The Electric Connection as a reliable and professional electrical contracting company that’s been in business for over 30 years.

We’ll be able to quickly install your new interior lighting or outdoor lights for you. We’ll even rewire your entire home for you if necessary and bring your old wiring up to the current code requirements. We have years of experience when it comes to wiring installations as well as any other types of electrical services you might need such as new outlets, ceiling or bath fans, panel upgrades and more.

We’re fully licensed, bonded and insured electricians, and we’ll do it right the first time. Come visit us at: www.theelectricconnection.com today and see what we can do for you!

Ask an Electrician Burbank – What is an Electrical Short?

Posted on October 19, 2012 | by K Hopkins | 1 Comment

Whenever you have a short circuit, it means that there was an accidental path created in your existing circuit, which generated a connection that was not there before the short occurred. Electricity will always follow the path of least resistance, which means that it will almost always follow this new path, rather than its intended path. This typically results in an abnormally high level of electrical current. The most common type of short is when two bare wires cross, such as when old insulation deteriorates, causing a loose connection which allows two wires to touch.

An electrical short is not something to take lightly. This increased current generates a great amount of heat, which can lead to sparks and fire. One way to identify an electrical short is by hearing a popping sound whenever that particular circuit is turned on. This is the sound of the electricity taking the path along the new connection that it has found, causing the circuit to experience a sudden overload. Smoke, flames and melting fixtures can follow, leading to larger fires and risk of shock in the immediate vicinity.

Another common source of electrical shorts is improper wiring. This can occur if the metal lining of a particular switch or outlet touches one of the wires. An electrician in Burbank must always find and fix shorts caused by damage, such as storm damage.

The most important thing to do whenever you have a short is to address it immediately. Because of the potential severity of this situation, call an electrician right away to have them inspect and fix the problem for you. A short left unrepaired can lead to more extensive damage, resulting in a much higher cost than if you had fixed the problem whenever it was first detected. For more information on electrical troubleshooting and our services, visit our main page (Click Here).

Los Angeles Electrician Lighting Up Your New Chandelier

Posted on September 7, 2012 | by K Hopkins | 1 Comment

If you are looking to decorate your home with class and sophistication, then a chandelier is the way to go. Chandeliers add elegance to a home, along with being a perfect center point that looks beautiful and brings an entire room together. This type of lighting fixture can be the cornerstone to the rest of your decor, too.

With all of the different choices in chandeliers that you’ll find out there, sometimes it can be difficult to choose just the right type and style for your home. You will first need to consider the overall decorating style that you have in your home, and then you can add upon that idea. There are many different types of chandeliers available with varied styles including; modern, vintage, shabby chic, elegant, etc.

The chandelier that you choose should fit in nicely with the décor in your home and add to the overall appearance and interior design of the particular room that it’s located in. Whether you want a large scale chandelier or something a bit on the smaller side, a chandelier is a very important home decorating purchase. When you’re ready to install your new chandelier, you’ll want the assistance of a licensed electrician for the installation, so finding the right Los Angeles electrician should be the next step after your purchase.

The Electric Connection is your reliable resource for a professional electrician in Los Angeles. The Electric Connection will be able to install your perfectly chosen chandelier, and help you out with any other types of electrical wiring, outlets, repairs, electrical installations or electrical upgrades that you might need.

Remember, it’s vital to hire an electrical contracting company that is both licensed and experienced when it comes to lighting installations. The Electric Connection will ensure a quality job every time, and we will do it right the first time. You’ll want to make sure that you’re receiving the best type of specialized lighting installation services for your new chandelier, and The Electric Connection can competently take care of the entire process for you. You can always find out more about our company by visiting our website at The Electric Connection.

Burbank Electrician Evaluating Your Electrical System – A Smart First Step

Posted on July 14, 2012 | by K Hopkins

Creating that relaxing and efficient bathroom you’ve been dreaming of is a great project. Finally getting to pick out that perfect whirlpool tub or that delicate sconce lighting that you’ve always wanted can be fun and exciting, and it can also be the beginning of the end of years worth of wishful thinking and making do. But, don’t get too carried away with all that planning before the practical matters have been considered, such whether your electrical system is equipped to handle the changes you have in mind. Consulting an electrician to evaluate your system and your remodeling plans is an important first step.

Replacing older bathroom lighting fixtures with new, modern ones is a job that can be a bit more complicated than it may seem at first glance. Newer fixtures, like whirlpool tubs or modern lighting options are designed for new homes with modern electrical systems. Installing them in an older home can present some challenges as far as your wiring system is concerned, making it necessary for your to do some wiring or electrical panel upgrades. Or, you may need additional switches or outlets installed to make everything work. Knowing these details ahead of time can make your project a lot less complicated, so it makes sense to have your electrician Burbank specialist look over the situation before you begin.

No electrician will be more skillful and professional in evaluating the electrical needs of your remodeling project than The Electric Connection. Our well trained and dedicated staff places a high priority on exceptional customer service, which combined with their reputation for high quality work, has made them the highest rated electrician in the area. The Electric Connection can help you determine whether you’ll need electrical upgrades to make your remodeling plans practical.

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What are CFLs — Can They Save Electricity and Save You Money?

Posted on July 22, 2011 | by K Hopkins | 2 Comments

CFLs are those new, small fluorescent light bulbs that screw into most regular light fixtures. You can use them to replace regular (incandescent) bulbs to save money and electricity. As the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power gets over 60% of its electricity from fossil fuels, especially coal, any time you replace a regular incandescent bulb with a CFL, it’s one small step towards reducing fossil fuel use in L.A.

CFLs come in all different shapes, but basically they’re a fluorescent tube bent this way or that or twisted into a spiral. “CFL” stands for “Compact Fluorescent Lamp.” They’re more compact than the long fluorescent tubes of our childhoods. They’re lamps, which is electrician-speak for “light bulb.” Here’s why they’re green — they save 75% of the energy that traditional incandescents use.

Here’s why they save you money — they cost more than a regular incandescent, but last a lot longer — 13 times longer. So even though each CFL costs more per bulb (about $4 for a CFL), it will also save you about $4 in bulbs as you won’t have to replace it so often.

Your electric bill will show more significant savings. Lighting costs about $20 out of $100 monthly electric bill. Because CFLs use one-quarter of the electricity of a regular incandescent, if you replace all the bulbs in your house with CFLs, you’ll save about $15 each month on a $100 electric bill.

CFLs are green, but not blue. Many people don’t enjoy the eerie bluish light of the old-fashioned long fluorescent tubes. CFLs can create all different colors of light, including warm tones. A recent study by the magazine Popular Mechanics found that even when people didn’t know which type of bulb was involved, they preferred the light of the CFL over the light from incandescent bulbs. CFLs also don’t buzz as the long tubes did.

CFLs have one downside — they each contain a small amount of mercury, which is a toxin. If a bulb breaks, you’ll need to take care to clean every bit up and to not touch the pieces. You’ll need to recycle spent bulbs or dispose of them as you would paint or other hazardous waste. However, they’re so long lasting that this will come up on the order of years, rather than months.

OK so you have a basic understanding of CFLs, now what can you do that’s simple to save money and electricity? The next time you go to the store, pick up a four-pack of CFLs. Choose four incandescent lights in your home or business that you use often and replace the incandescent bulbs with your new CFLs. You’ll start saving on your electric bill and will decrease the burning of fossil fuels to power Los Angeles.

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