Even though the summer brings high temperatures, don’t let it bring high electric bills with it as well. Did you know that you could find huge savings on your electric bill in your attic? With functioning attic ventilators, savings can be yours. Let the experts at Mr. Electric® help you understand what method will be of greatest benefit to you.

Brad Richards with Mr. Electric of Tucson offers his expert opinion on attic ventilators and will explain how to save money on your electric bill in the summertime.

Mr. Electric: What exactly does an attic ventilator do?

Brad Richards: An attic ventilator fan is essential in the summer because it evacuates the hot air that accumulates during the day from the attic and draws air in from the outside. Think of it as a means of cycling the trapped air out with fresh air from the outside. It ensures that the temperature of the air in the attic is closer to the air temperature outside. With stagnant air, the sunlight on the roof heats the air inside the attic greatly. It is best to evacuate that hot air in the summertime so that you can save money on your cooling. If you’re air conditioning unit (A/C) is running and you don’t have a functioning attic ventilator, your attic is acting like a radiant heater while you’re A/C is trying to cool the room at the same time. Essentially, they are working against each other and costing you more money.

Mr. Electric: What are the different types of attic ventilators?

Brad Richards: There are two types. One of them is a roof-top unit that draws air directly out through the roof and pushes outside air into the attic to regulate the temperature. The other type is a 120-watt gable fan system. This system consists of one fan that blows air into the attic and another fan that blows air outside, creating airflow that is constant to reduce the temperature in the attic. The gables are triangular in shape and are located on opposite ends from each other on the sides of the attic.

With both types of ventilation systems, there is a solar option. The system that we recommend most often is the roof-top solar fan. Hot air rises and the fan tends to pull the air up and out of the attic, while both gable openings are open for the fresh air to come in. This is the most efficient and best money saver because when the sun comes up, the solar cells power the fan and the fan speeds up the more the sun becomes more direct. Then, when the sun goes down, it naturally turns itself off because there’s no more direct sunlight on the attic.

Mr. Electric: What are the benefits of a homeowner installing an attic ventilator?

Brad Richards: The number-one benefit of having an attic ventilator in the summer is you are able to keep your home cooler for less money. Solar-powered fans offer an even higher return on investment because you aren’t paying for electricity to run the fan. Using natural sunlight to cool your attic is a great way for homeowners to save money in the process.

Mr. Electric: Do you have any additional tips or recommendations?

Brad Richards: Regardless of whether you choose roof-top vents, gable fans, or solar powered fans, any home in the summer would benefit from attic ventilation. In other words, if you have an attic, there is a benefit to having ventilation.

For more information about attic ventilators and how they can benefit you, your home and your wallet, check out this article from the experts at Mr. Electric. 

If you live in a stormy or cataclysmic area, then you know how important it is to have a plan – an escape route, a first aid kit, a survival backpack, and anything else you might need to get by when push comes to shove. A few weeks ago a nasty storm hit our area, knocked over some power lines, and took the transformers with them. This left us and our neighbors without power for the better part of two weeks. Once the dust settled and we recovered, it was time to invest in a backup generator.

The Perfect Plan B

There are loads of generators to choose from, with as many makes and models and your local car dealership. It used to be just a pull chord engine you’d plug the necessities into like the fridge and stove. Now you can plug your whole house into one if you need to. The choices are far beyond what is expected. The man at the store helped me wade through all the options, weeding out all the unnecessarily bulky models and the ones too small to power the house.

After all the work, we finally found what we needed. Now we just had to find out how to get it home and hooked up. No amount of do-it-yourself material was going to help me here. I needed a professional. The man at the store gave a good recommendation and just like that the project was underway.

In a nutshell, generators have come a long way. Having a professional doing the job is an absolute must; most of the terminology was foreign and there were wires everywhere. But after a day or two the job was done, and the generator sits nicely in the backyard, waiting for bad weather to strike again. We’ll be ready this time.

Right this instant you are probably enjoying light provided by a CFL or an incandescent bulb. Buying and installing this kind of light sources is an automatic process. It`s popular, you buy it and when it does not work anymore you just go to the store and replace it. Little do people know about the hidden dangers of these light sources and their utter inefficiency, not to mention the way they damage the environment.

Let`s take each one and see why they are not the best option.

Incandescent bulbs have been around for a long time, being quite simple and cheap. While in the past they may have been revolutionary, today they are ineffective and their production will soon be stopped. Incandescent bulbs have several disadvantages and can`t even compare to, for example, LED lighting:

Sure, manufacturers strive to create better variations but they are all costly and do not improve the initial concept by a whole lot.

CFL are much better than incandescent bulbs and replaced the latter in many places but they are still not quite the best option, even if they can last up to 12000 hours (no match to LEDs, which go up to 200000 hours). What are the problems?

A deep and attentive analysis like this one reveals just how many things we are used to ignore. Fortunately, a better alternative makes both CFL and incandescent bulbs seem utterly irrelevant. The alternative is LED lighting, a known technology that is now applied to public and private lighting. It is ten times more efficient and it is not a threat to the environment or to you.

Fun Fact:  “To talk turkey,” means to speak candidly, directly, plainly and/or bluntly. There are several possible explanations to the origin of this phrase.  Some support a link to uncensored familial conversation around the Thanksgiving dinner table; Others say the phrase is linked to the actual sounds a turkey makes, because the male turkey’s “gobble, gobble” is a basic, unadorned, matter-of-fact kind of vocalization.

Wherever your holiday “turkey talk” may lead, Capitol Lighting’s Thanksgiving feast is sure to please everyone with custom designed lighting at unbeatable prices.  The lighting experts at Capitol will help you to illuminate your home for the holidays…elegantly, efficiently and affordably.

A little light goes a long way to bring charm and soothing illumination to the home environment.  Crystal mini chandeliers, mini table lamps, and other mini lighting fixtures create the stylized finish to designer decorated home interiors.  Feast your eyes on Capitol Lighting’s most outstanding selection of the season!

Add to your Thanksgiving holiday with the latest lighting designs from American Brass and Crystal Lighting.  Capitol Lighting invites you to take advantage of promotional pricing on ABC’s masterful works of art, including mini table lamps and crystal mini chandeliers available in a myriad of finishes including Antique Pewter, White Nickel and True Brass with crystal options ranging from Golden Teak Strass Teardrops to colorful Strass pendoloques.

Give Thanks for the Little Things

Capitol Lighting Highlights the “Mini Strass”

Warm up the room.  Instantly create elegance. Provide your home with charm! The mini chandelier has become an increasingly popular lighting fixture and accessory in home decorating schemes due to its versatility and small size. With extraordinary styling and imaginative design motifs, mini table lamps, too, are gracing more homes than ever.

Capitol Lighting’s Top 5 “Mini Must-dos” for a Superb Finish

To view the latest in home lighting and accessories and for more designing ways to put the mini on your menu this Thanksgiving, visit with the lighting professionals at Capitol Lighting.

Enjoy designer discounts on the best from American Brass and Crystal Lighting available this week at Capitol.

American Brass & Crystal (ABC Lighting) has built a reputation as one of the premier manufacturers of the finest quality cast brass and crystal mini chandeliers. All crystal chandelier and cast brass frames are molded in Italian casts by some of the finest metal craftsman in Europe and are then adorned with genuine Strass crystal from Swarovski. Each crystal mini chandelier from American Brass & Crystal Lighting is available in any of their 17 custom finishes and a multitude of different crystal grades, shapes and colors.

Visit a Capitol Lighting showroom or shop on-line at 1800lighting.com to custom designs your holiday illumination.  Enjoy promotional values on the latest mini lighting fashions from ABC.  The options abound; with American Brass & Crystal you create a design in a crystal chandelier that is uniquely your own and each one is hand made by American artisans with meticulous care.

When you open the door to your home, you are instantly hit with a first impression—so are your visitors. If you are selling your home, that first impression starts outside, but walking through the front door is where you really have the chance to impress a potential buyer. Your home is your castle and you want it to look as nice as possible. It doesn’t have to be a mega mansion or a brand new home to be gorgeous. You can make your home look like a million dollars with some simple adjustments like paint, décor, flooring and lighting. One of the ways to really impress the second that front door is opened is with a chandelier in the foyer or entry way. This is something that can be handled by an electrician. Pasadena homeowners will be amazed at the difference an entryway chandelier changes the entire look of the home. At The Electric Connection, we can help you be proud of your home.

A chandelier gives a room a very elegant feel. Beautiful glass combined with light creates a beautiful sight. This is what you will see when you open that door every day. The chandelier can be accompanied with a dimmer switch installed by an electrician in Pasadena. It gives you the luxury of having full light on a dark night or just a little night light for when you get home after dark.

Chandeliers are not just for the entry way. They are beautiful pieces in a dining room or a sitting room as well. Their simple elegance is enough to be a main focal point in a room with very little other décor needed. You can choose to go big or go small. Your Pasadena electrician will take care of all of the installation for you, even if there isn’t an existing light in the room. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your chandelier installation.