Summer months are beautiful in Los Angeles. The weather is never too hot and tends to be mild, but there are days when things do heat up and things get a little uncomfortable. Your first reaction may be to go for that air conditioner thermostat and crank it down a few notches as you attempt to cool down your home. But, here is a scenario for you; everybody else has the same idea. That means the electrical grid is getting a real workout and it may even lead to sporadic outages. There is a better option, per your electrician. Los Angeles residents don’t have to run to the thermostat, instead look into a ceiling fan installation. The Electric Connection has been helping southern California residents for years and you can rely on them to help you as well.

Ceiling fans are energy efficient and effective. You don’t have to spike your electric bill because there is a heat wave. Fans installed in your living room, dining room and even in your bedroom can go a long way to keeping you comfortable when the temps are soaring outside. Installation is fairly easy, but should always be handled by an electrician.

Fans stir the air, creating a nice breeze. Combined with an air conditioner, you can easily maintain your comfort without touching the thermostat. The fan blades pull the warm air up and away from where you are sitting or laying. What’s even better, the fans are also beneficial in the cooler months as well. They push the warm air down to where you are.

Because there is some electrical work involved, a Los Angeles electrical professional should do the install. In many cases, electrical wires will need to be brought to the place in the ceiling you have decided you want the fan placed. To make sure your ceiling fan installation is completely safely, give The Electric Connection a call today.

If you ever spend any time studying your electrical equipment, something that you probably come across time and time again is reference to the NEC or National Electrical Code. Whether or not you consider yourself a home improvement expert, or you call an electrician in Beverly Hills with every problem you encounter, it is important to know more about what the NEC is and how it affects you as a home or business owner.

Essentially, the National Electrical Code is a standard for safe installation of wiring and equipment in the United States. It is not a legally binding regulation in and of itself. However, it is regionally adoptable meaning that many states, municipalities and counties have standardized their enforcement of electrical practices by choosing to use the NEC as their code of standards.

The NEC is actually part of the National Fire Codes series of regulations that is published by the NFPA. Since it may or may not be in force in your locale, it is important that you find out before you install an electrical device or change the wiring in your home or office. Because of this, many people find that even if they do have the knowledge that it is easier to call a Beverly Hills electrician—such as one from The Electric Connection.

Electricity is a complex matter and regulations such as the NEC are developed to protect you and help make certain people not injured when working with the wiring around you. The details of the NEC may be a bit complex for some do it yourselfers, but it is worth reading over it and at least trying to understand the basics. This can help keep you safe and make certain that you are in compliance with the regulations in force in your particular community.

Most of us will not be leaders with the ability to speak and the bravery to act as Martin Luther King, Jr., but we can change the world for the better in small ways.  Even one bulb at a time…

The world of illumination is changing quickly and advancing into a new frontier with light sources that are more durable, more energy-efficient and better for the natural environment.  While we still have a choice, future lighting installations with LED (light emitting diode) lamps will provide the best light for your home or office space.

To make the best choice, there are a few lighting facts you should know.  All LEDs are not created equal, so read on to educate yourself and make a change to LED with confidence.

Learn what light sources are available and the limitations and benefits of each light source, so that you may choose the best one for each application.

•The right lighting will always help you look better, feel better and perform to the best of your ability.

•The right lighting will always be energy-efficient.

•The right lighting will always work well with the natural environment, making the most of sunlight streaming in during the day and delivering illumination in the most eco-friendly manner.

•The right lighting will last.  Choose good quality bulbs and light fixtures that are guaranteed to provide excellent illumination, equipped with fine finishes and components that are durable.

1.  KNOW YOUR BRIGHTNESS LEVELS IN LUMENS

New bulb cartons are required to prominently display the brightness level (measured in lumens (lm)).  In the past we have determined bulb brightness in terms of energy consumption in watts (W), but now we must learn to think in lumens (lm).  Here is a quick conversion chart to help get you started:

Lumens            Old Incandescent                                             LED

2600 lm————→150W——————————–→25-28 W

1600 lm———— →100W——————————–→16-20 W

1100 lm————→75W———————————-→9-13 W

800 lm————-→60W———————————-→8-12 W

450 lm————-→40W———————————-→6-9 W

2.  CHECK OUT COLOR QUALITY:   Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) and Color Rendering Index (CRI))

•CCT is measured in Kelvin’s (K) and is an important factor determining the quality of light for your specific application: Warm White or Soft White is about  2700-3500 Kelvin’s (K) and Bright White light is about 4000 K+

•CRI is measured on a scale of 0-100 and is an important measure of the degree to which your light source will show the true colors of all that is being illuminated.  Color rendering for decorative indoor lighting applications should be between 85-100.

3.  FACTOR IN DIMMING CAPABILITY

Most dimmers work by reducing the amount of electricity sent to the bulb.  But with LED the correlation between brightness and energy consumption is much different than with incandescent illumination.

Because of this difference, LEDs are not always compatible with traditional dimmer switches.  You either have to replace your switch with one that is compatible with LED or look for replacement LED bulbs that are compatible with standard incandescent dimmers.

4.  FIND SUITABLE BULB-TO-LIGHT FIXTURE MATCH-UPS

The reflector and fixture type will play a significant role in determining the light output from the light source (bulb).  Look at colored lenses and fitters, as well as shades and shielding to determine how they will help steer and direct your desired level of illumination.

When looking to replace an incandescent bulb with an LED bulb in a lighting fixture where the bulb will be totally enclosed, be sure to check that your LED is specifically made for an enclosed or recessed light fixture.  LED bulbs run cooler than others, but they do produce heat. To protect the quality of the LED chip and the performance of your LED light source, LED fixtures are specifically engineered to provide adequate heat-sinking.

5.  BEWARE OF THE LOWEST “BINNER” and COMPARE PRICE VS. QUALITY

“Binning” is the process by which LED chips are sorted.

Prior to being marketed in fixtures or light bulbs, LED chips are sorted into bins according to their light output (lumen output) and color temperature.  There are clear standards set to measure the lumen output of each LED chip.  LEDs chosen from bins with higher lumen output are of better quality.

Color temperature is determined by matching up each LED according to a chromatic line grid for a specific color temperature.   LEDs chosen from larger bins contain more color variation and are not as bright.

Due to the process of “binning,” LED chips vary in their quality—especially in relation to their lumen output and color, so it is important to purchase LED light bulbs and LED light fixtures from a reputable dealer.

Philips medium base LED

Philips LED reflector, perfect for landscape and outdoor lighting applications

Dimmable LED from Philips

Kolour One LED bulb offers full 180 degree illumination

Look for all new LED bulbs from Philips, Kolour One, Satco and Bulbrite, now available at 1800lighting.com

There are many ways to generate electricity, including fossil fuels, solar and hydroelectricity. For the most part, all of these technologies rely on the same concept. In each of the above examples, except for solar, electricity is generated by spinning a turbine. In the case of hydroelectric power, this is accomplished by using moving water to move the blades of the turbine. For the most part, The Electric Connection and other Los Angeles electricians spend their time caring for the electrical needs of homes, businesses and other organizations. Without hydroelectricity and other forms of electricity generation, however, there would not be much for an electrician in Los Angeles CA to do.

Although hydroelectricity is not the main source of power in the United States, it is extensively used in areas such as the northeast, which generates electricity from Niagara Falls. Other important hydroelectric power plants include the Hoover Dam and the Chief Joseph Dam. This is a very popular form of energy creation because it is a very renewable resource, and very low in waste once construction is completed. Overall, hydroelectricity makes up 21% of the world’s renewable energy and 3.4% of its total energy. As with all types of energy, an electrician in Los Angeles is required to know the basics about hydroelectricity and why it is important.

How Does Hydroelectricity Work?

The most common type of hydroelectricity is generated through the use of dams. A large river or lake is dammed, and then connected to a hydroelectric plant. The dam then either funnels the flowing water through the turbines, or uses the water as it falls to spin them. Electrical circuits, which are connected to the spinning turbines, help to store and distribute the electricity to your home.

Another common way to generate hydroelectric power is to transfer water between reservoirs that are located at different elevations. This strategy is typically used to generate extra electricity during periods of high demand. Water is released from the higher reservoir through a turbine into the lower reservoir. Any extra energy generated from this process is used to pump the water back into the upper reservoir.

Tidal power stations are slightly different from the others, because they make use of the natural rise and fall of the tides. Under the proper circumstances, a tidal power source can be a very powerful addition to a city’s electrical grid.

Why Do We Need Hydroelectricity?

One of the greatest draws of hydroelectricity is that its cost remains relatively constant. It is completely self-contained. You do a web search for electrician Los Angeles give any electrical contracting company a call and they will tell you that a diverse range of electrical sources is important to the integrity of any electrical system. If one portion goes out, then other sources are ready to fill the gaps in order to keep things running smoothly.

Being an electrician in Los Angeles CA, means taking on a lot of responsibility. The technicians at The Electric Connection will quickly respond to your electrical service calls, perform electrical safety assessments, replace or install electrical circuits, custom lighting and more. They help keep everything running at your home or business as efficiently as possible, ensuring that you always have electricity when you need it.

A combination of availability and sustainability are key to keeping any residential electrical network safe and reliable is developing and caring for a variety of sources. This process begins at the power plant and ends at your home, where you should never take for granted the hard work each electrician Los Angeles CA has to offer.

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If you live in an area where power outages are, unfortunately, quite common, you know just what an annoyance they can be. Sometimes, homeowners have portable generators they can plug a few appliances into so that they can stay at home. But for some longer outages, families have to leave their homes.

An automatic standby generator can power your whole house automatically! We recommend this to anyone who’s ever had to put up with a days-long outage, or for those who worry they one day will.

Portable generators can be useful during a power outage, but not for long. Fuel capacity is limited and depends on how much you can store at your home. The number of lights and appliances a generator can power is very limited, especially for larger homes and households.

Automatic standby generators use a transfer switch to detect a loss of current flow and automatically restore power to your entire home. You won’t have to do a thing!

Yes, a generator can cost a lot of money upfront. But the good news is that you’ll have it in your home for many, many years. It pays for itself if you save on losing refrigerated items, spending money on fuel and battery-powered appliances, or even hotel costs from moving out of the home for a day or even weeks.

Your home is a lot safer when you have a whole-house generator to protect it from flooding, burst pipes, and other issues. Keep the heat on to protect your pipes, continue operating your sump pump, and know that your home is safe.

In many cases, being without power for too long can actually lead to major safety hazards. Going without lights can be dangerous, particularly if you have kids or elderly family members. And many people with health issues can’t get by for long without heating or air conditioning—or without lifesaving medical equipment.