If you’re tired of shelling out a crazy amount to the energy company each and every month, then maybe it’s time to look at how your household is consuming power and improve the efficiency of your usage. To help with that, our Top Rated Local® Des Moines electricians have committed to taking calls and appointments specifically for improved energy efficiency.

If your energy bill is high, then there is a really great chance that your break-even point will be very low. In case you’re not one of the many financial experts that call Des Moines home, a break-even point is essentially just an investment term that is used to calculate the potential risk of a course of action compared to its likely reward; this means that the break-even point for your investment in optimization will be achieved through reduced monthly energy costs + any local or federal subsidies the improvements qualify you for – the costs of installation or upgrading. Costs, in this case, can be both financial and temporal, meaning that your savings need to rack up quickly to account for the time and money you’ll invest up front. The good news is this: Many new homes (built in the last 5 years) can be drastically upgraded and optimized, and just about all below that line (older than 5 years) will see an even more dramatic improvement.

When power reaches your home, it inevitably is routed to and through an electrical panel; this panel determines much of your home’s energy efficiency before anything is even turned on. From the electrical panel to the wiring and outlets themselves, the amount of upgrades and optimizations that can be done for a comparable cost to the original outdated panel that dramatically reduce energy waste are dizzying. From the smallest changes, such as installing energy-efficient lighting or new outlets, to full-scale electrical overhauls, the potential for savings are really multiplicative.

Our electricians come into the picture by offering the tools and experience necessary to quickly and effectively route out outdated and inefficient systems and find the optimal solution for improving your home’s flow of energy. In as little as a few minutes, our electricians can make pointed suggestions that can and will save you substantially on your energy bills or find nothing noteworthy enough to justify the cost based upon the break-even point. At Electrical Gurus, we believe in offering this service to optimize your systems to make them safer and save you money, not add on an unnecessary expense.

Get in touch with the master electricians at Electrical Gurus for an expert opinion on what can be done to reduce your home’s energy costs. We are proud to serve the entire Des Moines area with both residential and commercial electrician services; contact us today to put those skill to work for you!

If the lights in your business are on their way out, making a change to your ballasts or bulbs may offer you tremendous opportunity. There’s a lot to consider when selecting the right ballast and bulb combination, however, and the decision you make today will affect your business for years to come.

The right lighting can result in substantial savings on your monthly energy costs, of which lighting accounts for nearly 35 percent. The right lighting can also reduce maintenance needs, improve productivity, and reduce your carbon footprint.

Watts measure the amount of energy required to light a bulb. Today, however, bulbs are measured in lumens, or the amount of visible light produced. Why? It all boils down to efficiency. Opting for ballast and bulb combinations that are more efficient than yesterday’s incandescents offer a superior return on investment.

There’s more to upgrading your lighting than simple bulb and ballast replacement, however. According to the SBA (Small Business Association), technology plus effective design equals performance and energy savings. Screwing in more efficient bulbs are a great start, but not enough if you want the whole package. Ballast selection and lighting design are essential to getting the most bang for your lighting buck. For this, you’ll need the help of a Mr. Electric® lighting professional to coordinate:

Finding the most efficient technology to meet your application needs and/or style.

Including taking into consideration ceiling height, spacing, glare, light distribution, and task plane height.

Including taking into account room finishes - paint colors and types that will improve lighting quality.

From safety considerations to integration with other building systems

No matter what type of lighting your business utilizes, from LED indoor lighting solutions to landscaping and security lights, Mr. Electric has your covered. Contact Mr. Electric and discover the many ways new lighting can brighten up your business today.

Halloween night is when ghouls and goblins hit the streets, but beware -- there are vampires already lurking inside your home. Energy vampires, that is, or electronic appliances that drain power even when turned off. If you aren't careful this wasted energy (also known as phantom loads) can turn your electricity bill into something out of a horror movie.

Energy vampires can lurk in every room. Some of your devices are designed to draw power even while off by going into standby mode, in order to receive remote control transmissions or keep digital clocks running. Portable devices that use rechargeable batteries, like laptops and phones, will also consume electricity as long as they are plugged in, even after they are fully charged. Big screen TVs with “instant on” features are also notorious energy suckers.

Any one appliance might only draw a small amount of power, but when you consider how many TVs, computers, stereos, kitchen devices and other electronic items are found in the average American home, the totals start to add up quickly. Coffee makers, electric toothbrushes, fax machines and modems all seem so innocent until it's time to write the monthly check to your power company.

In total, households in the United States consume more than $10 billion in vampire electricity annually, or about $100 per household, according to Energy Star, an energy efficiency program established by the Environmental Protection Agency. That comes to as much as 10 percent of overall home energy use. In addition to higher bills, this waste also harms the environment. Phantom loads account for about 100 billion kilowatt hours per year nationwide, adding considerably to carbon dioxide and other pollution released into the atmosphere.

That's not all: in rare cases, appliances drawing standby power can actually catch fire, especially older models that happen to be kept in damp environments.

It may not be possible to eliminate vampire energy entirely, since some devices such as answering machines, security systems and programmable thermostats rely on a continuous stream of power to perform their basic functions. However, by following a few tips you can reduce the amount of power you waste, saving money and lowering your ecological footprint at the same time:

Take the time for these basic measures and make sure the only vampires and phantoms you encounter this Halloween are the ones that knock on the door to say “trick or treat!”

With the evolution of energy-efficient LED lighting came an endless source of creative costume ideas. Small, cool & colorful lights now come in portable, battery-operated packages where the only thing stopping you is your imagination! This Halloween season, we’ve rounded up a handful of our favorite costume creations using a variety of light sources.

Mutant Cyborg Halloween Pumpkin

Part robot, part pumpkin, this crafty mutation is all ingenuity.

Glowy Zoey 

When Royce Hutain filmed and published this short clip of his daughter in her new home-made costume, it was an overnight sensation, even generating a call from the Jimmy Kimmel show. Hutain didn’t invent the LED light costume, so why the sudden fame? Maybe it’s the toddler waddle, all lit up in it’s glory. Or maybe it’s the chuckle of the gratified parents trying to keep the camera steady that just makes us crack up. Whatever it is, it’s absolutely brilliant. You can So Sew Easy

Any little girl can feel like a Princess with this delightful little light-up dress by light-up fairy wings! 

Jawa Costume

The poor Jawa, always back burner to the cool Jedi costume with LED Lightsabers, finally gets his turn in the spotlight in an adorable get-up complete with glowing eyes made out of orange LEDs. Make your own with this via via string lights.

Littlest Firefly

When it comes to your electrical system, you really cannot afford to take any chances. Not only do you rely on electricity far too much to risk losing it in your home for any period of time, but problems with your electrical system could also be quite dangerous in certain instances. If you suspect that you have any such problems, dial our number right away.

Of course, the only way in which to resolve any electrical problems promptly is to learn to recognize the potential signs of trouble with your electrical system. We’ll help you to do just that. Read on, and remember to schedule your electrical services in Marysville, WA with a member of our staff.