Technology giant Google made its start as a search engine, subsequently branching into email, cloud storage, advertising and so much more. Now the company from Mountain View is surging forward with a new application, promising to tell consumers if their roofs are suitable for installing solar panels. The program, called Project Sunroof, works in conjunction with Google Maps to analyze your roof's size, orientation and shade levels to tell you at a glance how much solar energy you could get from it. Read on to learn more about how this convenient software works and how it can help you.

A Mix Between a Solar Electrician and a Search Engine

The program is simple to use – all you have to do is enter your address, and Google does the rest. According to the company, the program analyzes all of the following to determine how much sunlight you can soak up:

The program also provides information about what tax credits are available in your area as well as the local rules regarding selling solar energy back to the utility company when your panels are producing more than you need. It then spits out a recommended installation size, which you can modify based on how much electricity you actually consume according to your average electricity bill.

Pay Nothing and Start Saving Today

Google's entry into the solar market comes at a time when the options for solar are expanding, including the ability to lease panels from solar companies and enjoy savings on your utility bills while paying nothing for the installation and setup. A good setup can last for 30 years or more, with little to no maintenance from an electrician once the installation is completed.

Of course, solar isn't for everybody, since many roofs might be too shaded or otherwise not suitable, and some states still don't have good solar policies. Therefore, Project Sunroof can be a good place to get started to see if your house is a prospect before you even call a solar electrician. Currently, the program is working on a trial basis in Boston, San Francisco and Fresno, with more cities sure to be on the way.

Don't Forget About Human Experts Just Yet

Of course, even a technology company as powerful and ubiquitous as Google can't fully substitute for an experienced solar technician when it comes to analyzing how you can benefit from panels. If a Google query indicates that your home is a good candidate, have a qualified electrician or solar expert make the final determination and help you decide if solar panels are right for you.

When I talk to people about LED lights, the response is often the same: “That’s very exciting. LEDs are really cool. But they’re so expensive.” While you can say the prices of LEDs are going down, and you can promise that once you buy an LED it will save loads of energy, this doesn’t change the fact that many LED lights and light fixtures still cost a pretty penny.

But finally, LEDs are becoming less expensive. Today, you can buy a high quality LED A lamp for well under $50, and many kinds of LED fixtures for around that price as well. For today’s blog post, I’ve come up with a list of my 10 favorite LED task lights that cost less than 60 bucks each.  If you’ve never used an LED light fixture before, give one of these a whirl and I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

1. The LED Flexible Work Light – $29.90

Antique architecture might be beautiful, but the electrical wiring in old houses doesn’t carry the same kind of charm. If you have an older home with an electrical system that hasn’t seen updates in a long time, you could be living in dangerous conditions without realizing it.

There are warning signs that may indicate your wiring is too old, but if you’re ever in doubt, there’s a fool-proof way to get an assessment of your system: Call in a professional! An expert will perform an in-depth inspection of your home’s wiring so you can be aware of the situation and the solutions for it.

With outdated wiring, you may notice strange signs from time to time. Some of them might occur with more regularity than others, but any instances at all can be cause for concern. In general, you’re at risk for having old wiring if your house is 40 years old or more. A few warning signs include:

Although old wiring can raise insurance premiums and keep you from using as many appliances as you’d like, the most important issue is safety. Over the course of time, the insulation surrounding the wires will break down until it eventually leaves the wiring exposed. The insulation protecting older wires doesn’t last as long as it does in newer installations. This means outdated electrical systems are much more likely to feature exposed wiring than those installed more recently.

With inner wiring exposed, the likelihood of short circuits and power failures goes up. Worse, deteriorated insulation translates to a much higher risk of suffering from electrical shocks or having fires break out in your home.

If you have any doubts about the wiring in your house, don’t take unnecessary risks. Ignoring the warning signs of an outdated electrical system can put you and your loved ones in danger. Beyond that, whatever money you might hope to save by not calling a professional would only go into repairs later on.

On the topic of commercial lighting and products, we often hear the term Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP for short), which is a non-profit that was founded back in 1996. There general mission is to accelerate the adoption of higher efficiency lighting within the world of commercial lighting products.

In conjunction with DLC, there is a group known as the Industry Advisory Committee (IAC). There general purpose is to support the mission of the DLC through education, collaboration, and expertise within the field.

So far you can probably start to notice that the DLC is basically all about efficient commercial lighting. But what role are they actually playing within the commercial lighting products industry? Well, the DLC runs something known as the Energy Star, but DLC is all about commercial products where Energy Star is more about consumer products.

On this Qualified Product List provided by the DLC, you can search up products by certain companies that claim to be DLC certified to confirm that they truly are.

While searching through this database, you may notice that some products are listed as “DLC Standard” and some as “DLC Premium.” Do you know which is better? You guessed it, the DLC Premium! The reason that a product being listed as premium rather than just standard is that to be qualified as premium you have to pass even harsher and more strict guidelines. Do you know what that means? It means even more efficient lighting fixtures for those products that have successfully been listed as DLC Premium.

Want to give it a test and see for yourself how this QPL works? Follow these simple steps:

1. Visit extremely helpful link over on the official DLC website that go’s over everything you need to become listed, standard or premium. As you can see on the official DLC website, becoming DLC Premium is only for the most efficient and quality lighting products.