LED lights are also measured in two different ways; by their color temperature and the lumens they produce. Because they use significantly less power and are gaining in efficiency with each generation, whereas older bulbs are consistent in their wattage being representative of the amount of light put out, LED bulbs can vary in efficiency a bit more. What this means is that the bulbs are now rated by their Lumen rating, or how much light they put out, versus how much power they draw. Understanding how LEDs work and the opportunities that they present to you as a homeowner are key to helping you make a decision as to how you light your home.

By Kellie Pearson

The holidays are just around the corner. Children all over the world are making their Christmas lists to send to Santa. Here at Mr. Electric® we have a Christmas list too, except it is not for Santa, it is for you! Our main Christmas wish is for everyone to conserve energy more effectively. Learn how you can make our Christmas dream come true with these four tips.

An energy audit can provide an up-close look at the efficiency of your home and additional suggestions for ways to reduce energy your consumption. Nothing makes us happier than helping you find more ways to save on energy and electricity bills.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Mr. Electric! Make sure to get started writing those letters to Santa – we hear he is pretty busy this time of year!

By Clarissa Allison | December 24th, 2015

Wow, now this is pretty impressive. The Tracy Light Show is a yearly and free Holiday Light Show put on by a local music director in Tracy, CA. This spectacular Star Wars production is sequenced to the film’s iconic musical score with over 70,000 lights, 14,000 channels, and special effects. Be sure to check out the rest of his amazing videos online.

Today, most property owners look for ways and means to make their properties more energy-efficient. It’s why people insulate their homes using the latest materials, are choosing appliances with a high WELS rating and opt for green building materials when they are constructing their homes. One more effective way to improve the energy efficiency of your home or commercial establishment is to opt for LED lighting systems.

Many people avoid replacing their older CFL bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs because they feel the latter are too expensive. While it’s true that the up-front cost of LED bulbs is 5-6 times higher than standard bulbs, the cost factors can’t be looked at in isolation. Here are some other facts that will help you make a more well-informed choice about the type of lighting to use.

Unlike conventional bulbs, LEDs don’t have any filament that can burn out and they emit a very cool light which goes a long way in reducing residential and commercial air- conditioning bills. These bulbs get illuminated when the electrons move through a semi-conductor and release visible light.

Though the initial costs of LED lights are higher than other conventional types of lighting, you end up saving a significant amount of money in the long term. Regardless of whether you need commercial or residential LED lighting, transitioning to LED light bulbs is a smart choice. Today, a large number of homeowners and commercial establishments are switching to LED lighting.

Many people wonder whether LED bulbs are able to provide as much illumination as incandescent bulbs or CFL bulbs do. In order to understand this, it’s important to understand a little more about how the light intensity of a bulb is measured. Lumen (a measure of the light intensity) is the simplest (though not perfect) measure of lighting efficiency that any lighting sources produce for every watt.

A traditional incandescent bulb provides 13 lumens per watt to light a room. A fluorescent globe provides around 60 lumens per watt. In comparison, an LED bulb provides 80 lumens per watt. As you can see, even when it comes to illumination, LED bulbs stand a head above the rest of the lighting options.

Apart from the illumination and energy-efficiency factors, there are some other distinct advantages to using LEDs on your commercial or residential property.

The need of the hour is for energy-efficient alternatives and LED lighting is a revolution in lighting. No matter which way you look at it, you stand to benefit from switching to LED lighting. For any more information about LED lighting and for any type of commercial or residential electrical jobs, call Allround Electrical’s friendly team today at this number – 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address or by filling out this contact form.

Thanks for reading,1300 169 263

Smart technology is poised to take over the home appliance market. We already have smart thermostats, smart lighting and even smart refrigerators. If that's not enough for you, there are some new contenders on the market that allow you to turn any electrical device in the home into a smart item. The best part is that it's a simple DIY experience – no need to find an electrician to hook it up. It’s the smart plug, a small box that you plug into your home's outlets. From there, you can use your smart phone to control whatever light, television or other electronic appliance routed through the smart plug. Read on to learn more about these remarkable efficiency devices.

Control and Monitor Your Electronics

There are a variety of smart plug options on the market: The Satechi IQ Plug, the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch, the D-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug and the Valta Starter Kit, among others. The cost and functionality of the different brands vary, but they all operate on a similar principle – allowing you to set schedules and remotely control whatever device you choose.

The smart plugs connect to your phone via Bluetooth or wireless Internet, so you can switch them on or off from anywhere in the home – or even from the other side of the country if you have an internet-optimized model. You can also program schedules so the plug automatically activates an appliance at appointed times – turning a coffee maker on first thing in the morning, for example, or switching on a space heater before you go to bed in a chilly part of the house.

Retro Meets Modern

The upshot is that there's no need to wait for cutting-edge smart devices to come out to keep your home on the cutting edge of technology. Imagine impressing your neighbor by demonstrating the new smart functionality of a retro 1950s television, or your old Victrola vinyl player.

Smart plugs also monitor how much electricity a given device uses and when, so you can make informed choices about increasing your energy efficiency though disaggregation, breaking it down appliance by appliance. You can also save energy by using the smart plug to turn off the power to devices when you aren't actively using them, preventing your electricity bills from skyrocketing due to always-on settings or “energy vampires.”

Savings and Control All at Once

If you have additional questions about smart plugs and how they work, find an electrician who can show you their utility and functionality. With surprisingly little effort, you can harness their power to save energy and control devices all throughout your home.