When you think of electrical work, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? We’d like to think that Kolb Electric is the first thing that pops up. But hey, we’re realists. You think of stress, you think of frustration, and mostly think of the money involved. With this in mind, it can be pretty easy to want to contact that “friend of a friend” that dabbles in electric work, right?

Well, the experts at Kolb would like to have a little talk about that. And not just the DIY buddy you may have; we’d like to discuss disreputable and unofficial Baltimore electrician “companies” as well. Trust our word we we say these kinds of solutions can do more harm than good!

Need an electrician in Baltimore? Save the stress and contact Kolb Electric!

We’ve discussed this at length in the past, so we’ll stick to the cliff notes here. Disreputable electricians in Baltimore are any that lack current, in-state licensing. Those that carry no official, genuine documents, and those that operate from unmarked vehicles. These types of companies also often ask for cash up front, and are just as likely to disappear as to do the project they were hired for.

When you’re looking to hire electricians in Baltimore, keep in mind that you’re putting a huge amount of your personal assets and heath on the line. By dealing with a company that isn’t recognized, you risk:

Beyond dodging all of those issues we listed above, working with professional, certified electricians will net you:

If you’re looking to hire electricians in Baltimore that can provide you with peerless, effective electrical services, look no further. Contact the experts at Kolb today to set your appointment!

Soaring Efficiency

The energy efficiency of several major appliances has increased dramatically over the past three decades. The AHAM report found that between 1981 and 2013,  average efficiency shot up by 46 percent for room air conditioners, 63 percent for freezers, 102 percent for washing machines, 123 percent for dryers and a whopping 217 percent for refrigerators.

Advances in technology have fueled the savings — for example, modern dishwashers use sensors to adjust how much water they use, and cut back when appropriate. Refrigerators have been almost entirely overhauled since their early days, with big improvements in insulation, compressors, heat exchange and fan motors.

Federal Intervention

The federal government has helped nudge appliances toward higher efficiency. Since 1987 the government has incrementally increased the efficiency requirements for most household equipment, with 25 new standards since 2009 alone. All told, the Department of Energy projects that its rules will save the nation more than $1.7 trillion by 2030, in addition to lowering our greenhouse gas emissions and impact on the environment.

Slashing Prices

Not only do modern appliances save you money on your utility bills, most of them are cheaper to purchase initially as well. The American Enterprise Institute noted that a common dishwasher in 1981 cost $359.88. By contrast, a similar model today goes for $349.99. Accounting for inflation and average wage, that’s a big discount. It would take the average worker 48.5 hours to purchase the 1981 model, while today’s dishwasher would take 17 hours of work at current average wages, according to the AEI analysis.

A separate study by the Appliance Standards Awareness Project found that the price of refrigerators dropped by 35 percent between 1987 and 2010. The bottom line: Households in the modern era save on appliances up front and over time.

Discover How to Save

If you are in the market for a new appliance, you might be shocked at how much you save on your electricity bill — replacing an older refrigerator, for example, can save you hundreds of dollars per year. Check out the federal Energy Star products listing to find equipment certified to meet the strictest efficiency standards.

Hopefully, you have surge protectors set up in your house to protect your electronics from power surges, or voltage spikes, that can fry your devices. Unfortunately, surge protectors won't save you from the evil cousin of a power surge -- a low voltage event, or brownout. Dimming lights in your house are a sign that you're experiencing a brownout, which over time can cause major damage to your appliances. 

Since your air conditioner is one of your most powerful appliances, any brief outage means it takes a lot of electricity to power the unit back up. To combat the problem, Direct Energy and One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating® offer the Comfort Sentry Contactor, a switching device with totally sealed contacts that goes in your AC unit. If voltage goes below a safe point or "flickers," the Contactor will automatically and safely turn the unit off — and then back on once the right amount of power is back. "In multiple dwellings, it will stagger turning power back on, one in 30 seconds, another in 5 minutes, and so on — to avoid using too much electricity all at once. It's protection built right into your home," explains Dave Borowski, spokesperson for Direct Energy. A smart homeowner will recognize this as an "ounce of prevention."

BRIGHTEN UP YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON WITH THE UTMOST IN HOME LIGHTING DESIGN

With Troy Lighting you will find an exciting mix of trend-setting designs and popular classics at incredible prices. Troy Lighting and Troy Landscape Lighting provide entire families of matching chandeliers and ceiling pendants, and outdoor lanterns and wall lights to create a unifying lighting theme.  With nearly 100 complete collections of bath lighting products, along with exterior and interior lighting, Troy Lighting offers excellence in illumination for home and office environments from traditional to modern.

Shop 1-800lighting.com to save on the season’s best light fixture designs and accessories, including exciting new pendant lights  and LED outdoor wall lighting from Troy.

Experience pure illumination with the latest energy conserving designs…

Troy Lighting is known for distinguished Hand-Forged Iron and Hand-Applied finishes.  A company that takes great pride in engineering and inspection to ensure top quality light fixtures for interior and exterior lighting applications.  LED outdoor wall lighting and landscape light fixtures are exceptionally beautiful and eco-friendly; Indoor wall lighting and exciting new pendant lights are available with Energy Smart compact fluorescent illumination and energy-efficient halogen.

Since 1963, Troy Lighting has been a trusted lighting leader. The company continues to maintain consumer confidence with outstanding service and impressive lighting designs.

A THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE OF PENDANTS….

Chianti

Medocino

Conduit

Uni

Fabulous wall lighting for indoors and outdoors…

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Relativity

Highland Park Energy Smart CFL outdoor wall lights

LED outdoor wall lighting designs include:

Hive

Troy Lighting goes above and beyond to provide outdoor and landscape light fixtures that are Dark-Sky friendly and in keeping with California’s Title 24 guidelines to help protect the nighttime sky view and save on energy costs.  Troy Landscape Lighting’s new “Environmental” series provides decorative outdoor lighting effects with the utmost in energy-efficiency and intelligent design.

View the latest hanging pendant lights, bath vanity wall lighting,  and LED outdoor wall light fixtures from Troy.  Everywhere you see the light, let it be “Troy to the World” this holiday season.

As part of the Littman Group, Troy Lighting and Troy Landscape Lighting join elite brands CSL (Creative Systems Lighting), Hudson Valley Lighting and Corbett Lighting, to bring the brightest new lighting designs of the season.  See all the best interior and exterior light fixture designs at 1800lighting.com.  Enjoy the best price guarantee and holiday specials throughout Capitol Lighting showrooms in New Jersey and Florida.