Flush or Semi Flush?

Flush mount and semi-flush mount lighting fixtures are integral components in lighting design, adding interest and depth while providing ambient illumination and decorative lighting effects to hallways, bedrooms and bathrooms.

The difference between a flush and semi-flush light fixture is that a flush fixture fits snugly to the ceiling, while a semi-flush fixture is suspended, leaving a small gap between the ceiling and fixture.  Opting for a flush or semi-flush light fixture is based upon taste and proportional considerations, but a few standard rules apply:

♦ Semi-flush—Somewhere in between the chandelier and standard ceiling fixture, the semi-flush fixture shines with distinction.  Taking up just the right amount of space with the power to attract desired attention, the latest semi-flush light fixtures provide superb illumination with artistic excellence.

♦  Semi-flush fixtures provide an added benefit: the small gap allows for double the illumination with indirect uplight rebounding off the ceiling and downlight emitted directly from the fixture.

♦  Flush fixtures—Most often employed in homes with standard 7-foot ceilings to provide general illumination for bedrooms, bathrooms, foyers and hallways.

Novel compositions and unique finishes are available at a variety of price points and are being featured from top lighting vendors around the world, making it easier than ever to find ceiling light fixtures in keeping with your budget and style requirements.

Corbett Lighting offers outstanding flush and semi-flush lighting designs:

-CQ33 “Cirque” Semi- Flush Fixture

-120-33 “Karma” Flushmount Fixture

You already have a smart phone – maybe even a smart thermostat. What's next? Believe it or not, refrigerators are next in the line of devices with advanced features and technology to improve our domestic lives. A new smart fridge, manufactured by GE, is scheduled to come on the market this spring.

Welcome to the Future

For the average household, the refrigerator is the third-largest energy drain after the HVAC system and the hot water heater. That means there's a lot of room to improve on efficiency.

Your garden-variety refrigerator really only has one setting to manipulate: the temperature. And the EPA recommends setting it between 35 and 38 degrees, so there's not a lot of leeway in that regard before you risk spoiling your food. The real value in a smart fridge  is in its communication with you, reminding you to adjust your behavior and not waste any unnecessary energy.

For example, if you leave the door open, a smart fridge can alert you to close it rather than wasting all that cold air. If it's time to clean the coils, it gives you a heads up, so it can continue to operate at peak efficiency. If the power usage suddenly spikes for no apparent reason, the fridge lets you know so you can have it serviced to correct the problem.

The EPA is encouraging manufacturers to include such smart features in their products. “These features would offer consumers more ways to reduce the energy consumption of their refrigerators and freezers, help lower their utility bills, and better protect the environment and the climate,” the agency says. “Refrigerators and freezers with connected functionality will also be “smart grid”-ready, meaning that with consumer permission, they will be able to respond to utility signals, including curtailing operations during more expensive peak demand times.”

Savings Beyond Belief

If your refrigerator is more than a decade old, it's costing you more money than it should in electricity usage. If it's more than two decades old, it's really draining your finances. That good news is that the new models are so efficient they could pay for themselves in utility savings within a few years. New federal standards kicked in for refrigerators last fall, which means that the latest models are performing at an all-time peak.

When you go fridge shopping, make sure you purchase a model that bears the Energy Star logo, which means it performs at least 10 percent above and beyond the minimum federal efficiency requirements. “We can all do our part in meeting the challenge of climate change,” said Janet McCabe, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, in a press release. “By choosing Energy Star appliances, families can save energy, save money, and reduce carbon pollution.”

If every fridge and freezer in the country were updated to meet just the minimum requirements, homeowners would save a cumulative $890 million annually on their energy bills. Even if your share is just a small fraction of that, every bit counts.

In our last blog, Power Surge Protection: How it Works, we uncovered what a power surge is, that we should use a surge protector to protect devices from these power surges and how surge protectors work. Now we will take a deeper look at where and how you should be using these surge protectors and how to purchase a quality surge protector.

Where to Use it

With the advancement in technology in recent decades, devices are now made much smaller and more delicate than components in older machines. This makes them even more sensitive to power surges than in later years and can be easily damaged with a sudden increase in voltages being passed through the device. Determining which devices should be connected to a surge protector has a lot to do with the importance of the device and the sensitivity of its components. You wouldn’t bother using a surge protector on all your light bulbs considering they are fairly inexpensive to replace and it will only affect one component whereas, your computer is consumed with numerous different components that are highly sensitive to voltage variation.  Damage to a device like this is highly expensive, and many times the data held on it is irreplaceable. Use your own judgment to determine the importance of your device and whether you believe that it should be protected with a surge protector. We recommend considering all of your high-end electrical devices.

Purchasing Tips

It is difficult to determine the effectiveness of a surge protector and because of this, it makes it difficult to ensure that you are purchasing one of quality. We recommend starting your search by comparing prices, as with many other purchases, higher price indicates higher value. Of course, we know that this is not a guarantee and therefore need to be aware of other possible quality determinants. Thanks to Underwriters Laboratories (UL), an independent, non-profit organization that tests electrical products, including surge protectors, for safety, we can determine recognize quality through certification. Surge protectors with both a UL listing and a transient voltage surge suppressor listing ensures that the device meets industry performance standards and is rated on the basis of the surge protectors capability to protect your devices.

For more information on power surges and how to protect your equipment, contact the experts at Expert Electric. 604-681-8338

Electrical motors are devices that convert electrical energy into mechanical force. They operate on the principles of electromagnetism, using the interaction between winding currents and magnetic fields to generate force. Some motors, like those used in the transportation industry can reverse the effect and generate electricity too, converting force into electricity.

Many industrial plants attribute over 70% of their power consumption to motors, so even a slight increase in efficiency can dramatically cut energy spending and improve profits too.

There are several more reasons why you want to hire skilled electricians in West Chester PA. Some of these include:

1. Expert Installation: Purchase of sophisticated electronic or alarm systems. If you’ve recently spent a pretty penny on such items, you don’t want to risk them being ruined by allowing an untrained handyman to install them.

2. Electrical Troubleshooting: Perhaps the alarm system you’ve had for a while is starting to act up. Or, maybe you are having trouble with your hot water heater. From home theaters to electric stoves, and everything in-between, you need the services of trained electricians West Chester PA.

3. Ensure safety: Hiring a person who isn’t qualified just isn’t a safe decision. Such an individual can cause damage to wiring and electronic devices, both of which can cause overheating or even fire. Home owner’s insurance might not cover damage caused because you hired an unqualified electrician who is not certified.

4. Save Time & Money: A skilled and certified electrician has a wide range of experience in many different kinds of electrical work. They are able to decide quickly what a job needs and can complete the work in a timely manner. If they do need extra parts or equipment, they have contacts with professional vendors who can deliver what’s needed much quicker than a regular big box or department store thus saving you time and money with your specific electrical repair or installation needs.