Prolong the Vacation with Fanimation!

Fun Fact: Founder and CEO of Fanimation, Tom Frampton, began his career with three ceiling fan designs constructed in his garage in Pasadena, California.  Currently with over 31 innovative fan configurations, including palm leaf blades and a retractable housing, Tom’s designs are featured around the world.

Have a Blast with Versatility and Unique Configurations from fanimation….

50 Blades of Gray and an Astounding List of Controls….

Elon Musk’s vision of an entirely electric car market is coming into form.

Just a few years ago, a former Daimler chairman was quoted in an L.A. Times article by calling Tesla “a joke that can’t be taken seriously compared to the great car companies of Germany.” They aren’t laughing now after 325,000 buyers put down reservations for the Tesla Model 3 in its first week.

Already though, the cost of electric car batteries have dropped from $1,000 per kWh to $350 per kWh over the last five years. As the battery and thus the vehicle becomes more affordable, the presence of electric cars will only continue to grow.

With that has come the need for home charging stations.

Just about all electric vehicles will come with a Level 1 Charger. This is your baseline charging system, where the car connects with a 120V outlet in your home and takes about an entire night for a full charge.

If you’re mostly driving throughout the city, then that’s probably all you need. But if you’re always on the go, and use your electric vehicle for distance trips too, then you should look into a Level 2 Charging Station.

We need to quickly say that the chargers don’t actually increase the capacity of your car’s battery, that’s already established when it’s manufactured. Level 2 chargers simply direct more of your home’s current when you hook it up, enabling a much faster charging time.

To give an idea, the Nissan Leaf takes 25 hours for a full charge on a home outlet; with a Level 2 hook-up, it takes 7 hours. Or compare it to the Chevy Volt, the hybrid-electric vehicle that takes 11 hours on Level 1 and just 3.2 hours on Level 2.

Sticking with the Nissan Leaf, an all-night charge on Level 1 current will give it about 105 miles. If you drive more than that, you will be comforted with a Level 2 charge, which gives you the same mileage in half the time (4-5 hours with Level 2 Charging). This means you can go about your day without having to come home and charge, or have to find a public charging station to hook up to.

Good thing is, costs on installing residential stations are becoming more affordable. Many people go with the Level 2 charge off the bat and just factor it into the costs of buying the car.

Have you considered the thought your house may be in need of a checkup? We visit doctors to make sure we are in good health even if we don’t have any major symptoms. Your house should be afforded the same privilege to make sure it is in good health and does not pose any safety hazards to you and your family. There are things that could be lurking behind the walls that we would never suspect. Electrical problems are often a hidden danger that many homeowners are not aware of until it is too late. A Burbank electrician, like those at The Electric Connection, can give your home a checkup and look for any underlying problems. Taking care of problems before they become serious is always the best prevention of home fires.

An electric safety inspection is one way for an electrician to check out the wiring in the home. If the home is older, the wiring will be evaluated to determine whether or not it is safe or if it needs an upgrade. This is typically only something that is needed if the home is more than 50 years old. Along with the condition of the wiring, the electric panel will also be inspected by the electrician. Burbank homeowners may need to have a breaker replaced or added depending on the needs of people living in the home.

Another facet of an electric safety inspection is to check out the outlets in the home. Any outlets that are not working or have black streaks around the outer casing typically need to be replaced. Loose wires to the outlet can cause an electrical fire and should be taken care of as soon as possible. If you would like to give your home a checkup, give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your appointment.