We all know that switching off the lights when not in use is a good thing; but we often leave the lights on even when we leave a room or aren’t using a particular space. This can result in an increase in our utility bills in the long term.

In many urban houses, electricity is wasted more than it is used. There are a number of devices on the market today that save a considerable amount of energy. Installing these controls would help in decreasing your bill in a significant way. Here are some of the devices that help save energy in your home:

These devices are largely used for security lighting installation. They detect movement and will switch on the lights connected to the system. They can be installed on the porch as well as the indoor spaces of your home. Installing different types of security lights in the outdoor and indoor areas of your home can be expensive.

However, installing motion detectors on your lawn or on floodlights directed towards your porch will add to the security of your property and help save electricity as well. The lights won’t consume an excess amount of energy and will be switched on only when any motion is detected. They can be customized to be turned off during the daytime.

LED lights are up to 80% more energy-efficient when compared to traditional lighting. The latter generate heat which results in energy-loss. However, in the case of LED lights, only around 5% of the energy gets converted into heat and more than 95% is converted into light. They are environment-friendly and an 84 watt fluorescent bulb can be replaced with a 34 watt LED and will emit the same amount of light. While the upfront cost of LED bulbs is higher than that of halogen or fluorescent bulbs, they can last for up to 50,000 hours and provide value in the long term.

This is a more technologically sophisticated version of motion detectors. These sensors are specially designed for indoor spaces. They turn on the lights automatically when someone enters the room, and turn them off when they leave. Ultrasonic sensors can pick up sounds and detect if someone is in the room; they trigger the lighting system in the room. But these sensors aren’t of much use in quiet environments. Infrared sensors are useful in these settings as they detect both – body heat as well as movement.

These devices are installed in areas such as basements, where artificial light is needed and there is less of ambient light. These sensors turn off the lights when they detect daylight and automatically turn them on when it gets dark; this saves a lot of energy. Many of these products can be customized to your needs. You can change the level of brightness at which the lights get switched off and on. These technologically advanced devices add to the energy-efficiency of your property.

I have a great deal of interest in digital photography, but my life is as crazy as anyone else’s. My son, family, and work keep me busy from dawn to midnight every day. I’ve never had time to cultivate any photography skills, even though I’ve always been very interested, sitting on the edge of my seat, if you will, for a chance to take some digital photos in order to learn a little about how capturing light can create astonishing works of art.

My interview with Matthew Danser had given me my long sought “excuse” to try out some photography techniques. But it also required that I put in an honest effort. The thought in the back of my head: These photos are going to suck. Probably a lot. And they will most likely be seen by the thousands of people who visit this blog monthly. Second gulp.

But I’m the kind of person so riddled with ADHD that even my paranoia about being judged on a mass scale can only last about three minutes before the audacity to try anything resurfaces and action is taken. So here’s what happens when a total amateur who has no idea what he is doing tries to “Paint with Light.”

A one-dollar flashlight from – you guessed it – the Dollar General. One dollar. Even. Gotta love it. Especially since it’s all I could afford, seeing as how I’m still paying off the aforementioned Nikon that I bought to take photos of our baby son. (True, a million pictures have been taken of him during his first year-and-a-half on Earth. However, 999,999 of those photos were taken with an iPhone. Go figya.)

THE PLAN, STAN:

The plan was to wait until it was dark in the apartment and do some light painting. I knew that I could use the Shutter mode on my camera to set it to take exposures of up to thirty seconds. I saw that my camera also had an option for bulb release, so, invoking Danser, who recalls how his girlfriend had to hold down the button on his camera for a full thirteen minutes, I determined that if I asked really nicely, I might be able to persuade my wife to hold down the trigger to get exposures longer than thirty seconds. Otherwise, thirty seconds was my window of time to do all the light painting I could.

I started off pretty timidly. I had seen photos online in which people used long exposures to create squiggly lines. The most popular examples are pictures of traffic at night, headlights and tail lights streaming, giving you a sense of the fluid motion of busy intersections. You’ve also seen those nature pics in which streams and rivers and clouds and stars become gauzy with movement because of long exposures.

But what I really like about Danser’s work is the use of color. The effect of running inside the hut and popping off red-gelled flashes shown at the beginning of this blog post (Matthew Danser! And happy lightpainting, everyone!

Be sure to observe these simple tips to make your holiday decorating a safe and fun experience for the whole family:

In addition to using LEDs, there are a few other ways you can save money with your holiday decorating. Consider using a timer to ensure that your lights only run between sundown and bedtime, which will help keep your energy bills under control. And be sure to invest in sturdy storage containers to protect your lights and other delicate decorations when they’re packed away.

These tips will help you keep your home and family safe throughout the holidays, but if you ever need additional help planning your electrical light display or with other electrical issues, contact an experienced and licensed electrician.

At Pezz Electrical Services LLC, safety is our number one priority. Our services include safety inspections for heating and electrical equipment alike, which becomes more and more important as winter approaches. Follow these steps to keep your home safe for the winter, and call our friendly team to learn more.

Winterize your home to prevent chilly temperatures and burst pipes. Keep heat from moving out of the home by sealing air leaks, applying weather stripping or caulking to areas around doors and windows.

Make sure heat can reach all of the pipes in your home. Keep doors open throughout the house, along with cupboards where exposed piping may be. Do not block off vents, and insulate all exposed pipes in and out of the home. Clean out roof gutters and repair any leaks in the roof long before winter picks up.

Your gas heater should vent any combustion byproducts—like carbon monoxide (CO)—safely to the outdoors. While today’s heaters have safety switches to shut down the heater in case this doesn’t happen, a safety switch could fail.

Be sure you schedule an appointment with a heating maintenance technician every year, as early in the winter or fall as possible. Keep the air filter clean and replace it monthly.

Test carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors monthly as well. If you do not have these devices throughout the home, now is the time to take this step to enhance safety and give you peace of mind. Replace CO detectors every 5-7 years and smoke detectors every 10 years. Change the batteries every 6 months.

If your power went out in the middle of a cold winter day or night, would you have a backup plan? Elderly family members and children often cannot get by without heat, and it could be dangerous. We recommend a whole-house generator, or a portable model at the very least, or that you have a backup plan and a place to stay, just in case.