We can always find ways to save a few extra dollars, but sometimes it can be little difficult to pinpoint exactly where those savings are to be had. You may look at the budget over and over and still keep coming up with the same bottom line. An electrician in Santa Monica can help you discover a few ways you could cut your electric bill without dramatically changing your lifestyle. If you ever have any questions or concerns about these tips, you can call The Electric Connection to ask more questions.

1-Get rid of any of those remaining incandescent light bulbs. They are costing you money. You can shave 20 percent off your electric bill simply by relying on CFL and LED bulbs that are much more energy efficient. They tend to be a bit brighter as well.

2-Have a ceiling fan installed in a central room of your house. This will help circulate hot and cold air produced by your furnace or air conditioner. Ceiling fans run on a fraction of the electricity of a heating or air conditioning unit. It is a good idea to have the fan installed by someone familiar with Santa Monica electrical codes.

3-Ask every member of the household to shave off 2 minutes from their average shower time. This can save a lot of money on your electric bill by reducing the demand put on the hot water heater. You could also turn down the thermostat of the water heater by about 5 to 10 degrees and save even more money.

4-Unplug any appliances, computers and electronics when they are not in use. When you leave for the day or go to bed at night, unplugging your electronics can save you money on wasted phantom power.

Give The Electric Connection a call today to have your ceiling fan installed or to learn more about energy savings.

Planning on some home remodeling in Arlington in the near future? You might want to consult your friendly neighborhood electrician (that’s us!) about some points of critical importance. Why? Because remodeling, inevitably, will almost always include a measure of electrical work. And in Arlington, no one knows electrical work like the certified electricians at Kolb Electric!

In fact, we get quite a few queries on a regular basis about remodeling and how it may impact the electricity in your home. And today, we bring you the most common questions residents ask our Arlington electricians, and their answers.

We got loads of questions. But luckily for all of us,providing answers and solutions is what we do, and we love every minute of it! Some of our most asked include:

Need a certified electrician to assist with your remodel? Our team boasts all of the skill, experience, and technology needed to ensure your energy needs are totally met! If you’ve got more questions, our Arlington electricians will be happy to provide answers. Just contact us online!

BMW, Honda, Ford, Mitsubishi and Nissan all offer full electric vehicles; however, despite the groundbreaking technology introduced in the new crop of electric cars, sales of pure electric cars that run off of a battery alone have risen by only about 6% from the same time a year prior, according to Edmunds.com, the leading automobile information company.  An analyst from Edmunds.com believes that what he calls “range anxiety” prevents most consumers from purchasing fully electric vehicles. It is also widely believed that this slow increase is due in part to the high prices of these vehicles. Furthermore, there is very little public charging infrastructure, which can make using an electric vehicle as a primary vehicle difficult for many consumers.

The sales of hybrid vehicles, on the other hand, are going through the roof. These automobiles travel using their battery power until a traditional gas engine turns on. One of the main reasons that hybrids are doing so well is because of the plethora of options. Hybrid vehicles eliminate much of the anxiety associated with limited range due to their ability to use a gasoline engine in addition to their plug-in battery. The proposed Ford C-Max Energi, for example, can drive for approximately 20 miles on electricity alone and an additional 530 miles with its gasoline engine. This makes them not only practical for everyday use, but also for longer trips. As a result of the variety of options and advancement of the technologies in these vehicles, sales have soared 381% in the first half of this year.

Although pure electric vehicle sales are lagging behind those of hybrid sales, it is important to remember that the technologies used in these vehicles are still relatively new, and with time are likely to advance very quickly as demand and interest in these vehicles grow. Because of this projected increase in demand and technology, a licensed electrician such as The Electric Connection expects to install many electric vehicle charging ports over the next few years. It is very common for a Los Angeles electrician to install easy to use charging stations right in your own garage.

In addition to Toyota’s new plug-in version of the Prius which can be charged with the assistance of a charging port installed by an electrician in Los Angeles, Chevrolet has introduced the Volt, and Ford will be releasing the C-Max Energi hybrid, which will be coming out in late 2012.

For more information on electric vehicle charging and electric vehicle technologies, you can read more at TheElectricConnection.com

It can be fun to fix the little things around the house. It gives you a sense of pride and accomplishment. However, there are times when you need the services of a qualified professional. It should never be taken as an insult or make you feel silly that you need to call a professional, especially when you are dealing with something that is extremely dangerous or deadly in fact. Electricity is never something anybody should mess around with no matter how handy they may be. Only skilled, trained professionals like the ones at The Electric Connection should handle those jobs around the house that involve electricity.

Your electrician in Santa Monica has a few guidelines for you to follow when you are trying to determine whether or not you actually need to call a professional.

1-If you have an electrical outlet that is hot to the touch, is smoking, has black marks around the outlet or you can hear a crackling noise, you need the services of an electrician. Santa Monica residents should never let something like this go unchecked. It can be a serious problem and should be evaluated immediately. If you smell burning wires, which is rather distinctive, call an electrician immediately.

2-Wiring that is exposed is another serious problem that needs to be taken care of before a fire happens. This is something you probably know is a problem, but assume it will hold until you get an electrician out there. Please don’t put it off.

3-Breakers that regularly trip are an indicator of a bigger problem. If you cannot find an obvious reason for the tripping breaker, like too many appliances in use at the same time, then you need a professional to troubleshoot the problem. There could be a problem with the wiring and it needs to be taken care of quickly.

You can call The Electric Connection to handle any of these jobs for you.