We’ve begun installing chargers for electric cars in Los Angeles – thus my new interest in electric cars. Interest in electric cars (electric vehicles or EVs) is picking up because the Nissan Leaf just began deliveries in L.A. in December and the Chevy Volt is supposed to start deliveries early this year. Los Angeles buyers are starting to install electric chargers for these vehicles, and I’m starting to learn a lot more about EVs.

Of course, as someone who installs chargers for electric cars, I’m interested in how many will be sold in Los Angeles. Sorry folks, no one really knows. Forecasts are all over the board. Pike Research, a transportation analysis firm, just projected in early 2011 that in the next six years, between 2011 and 2017, over 96,000 electric vehicles will be sold in Los Angeles. It projects that Los Angeles purchases will be second highest in the country, trailing only New York City. Its overall projection is 366,000 EVs  sold nationwide by 2017.

Another study in 2009 by the University of California, Berkeley (Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology) projected that the U.S. will hit 1,000,000 EVs sold by 2017. This is still far lower than President Obama’s call for 1,000,000 by 2015, which many analysts consider realistic.

Why are the projections so different? The U.C. study explains. It mostly depends on the price of gasoline. For example, if gas prices continue at about $3.50 a gallon, U.C. forecasts only 18% of new car sales will be electric in 2020. But if gas prices rise to about $5.50 a gallon, the forecast rises to 45% of new car sales in 2020. Of course, experience tells us that gas prices move up and down very quickly and unexpectedly, often depending on events in the volatile Middle East.

The safest statement one can make about electric cars sales in Los Angeles is that they’re starting in a big way now and will continue to increase over the coming years. Another safe statement – buying an electric car and installing a charger is going to protect you from the wild ups and downs of gas prices, something no one can predict.

If you have bought or are thinking of buying a new electric car,  click her for more about what’s involved in installation of a charger for your EV.

The winter season is full of wind, rain, snow, and power outages. Whether it is a fallen tree or a vehicle accident, a downed power line or electrical storm can cause havoc to your nice warm winter evening at home. Here are some things to keep in mind for this winter season to stay safe and warm.

In the winter we want to stay warm in the home. We put on extra layers, turn up the furnace, and the most popular option, bring out the space heaters. Space heaters are great for bringing warmth to a small room or area of your home. But they can also be a hazard because of their exposed heat output. So when setting up your space heater, ensure that it is not in direct contact with anything and that it is out of reach from little ones. Read our Winter Electrical Tips for more tips on space heater safety and other winter safety tips.

When it comes to the harshness of the elements and storms that can happen during the winter season, there a few ways you can defend your home against bad situations:

In the event that there is a power outage you should be prepared for the long haul if the worst-case scenario occurs. Sometimes power can be out for hours. If an outage occurs at night, you cannot rely on your space heaters to keep you warm. Have a flashlight and blanket ready so you can stay warm and navigate your home safely.

Our most important recommendation is to have your home’s electrical system inspected so that you can be sure you are as prepared as can be. An expert electrician can identify potential issues and problems that could occur during the winter season.

Is it only the astronomers and avid stargazers who seem to have noticed that our night sky is being swallowed up in a cloud of artificial light?

Glaring streetlights, flashy billboards, automobile headlamps, overly bright landscape and outdoor lighting…. all of these factors have had devastating consequences on our environment.

“Parking lots and gas stations, for example, are now often 10 times brighter than they were just 20 years ago and light pollution continues to grow at 6 percent every year.” Paul Bogart for The Sunday Star-Ledger, A bright idea whose time has come: Turning down city lights. March 3, 2013, P6

Not only does this wasteful illumination block our view of the stars and planets, this overabundance of nightlight disrupts circadian rhythms and negatively affects all life on earth.

“Fatal light attraction” -which is produced by excessive outdoor lighting-is deadly for migratory birds, causing over 100 million bird fatalities across the United States.–www.enlightenmentmag.com, Feb. 2015

So, what can YOU do to make your home more “Dark-Sky” friendly and stop the proliferation of profuse and destructive lighting design?

1.  Become a partner with the International Dark Sky Association.  The International Dark Sky Association (IDA) is a US-based non-profit organization devoted to preserving the natural splendor and beauty of the nighttime sky.  Membership includes all 50 states in the USA and over 70 countries worldwide.

• Contact ida@darksky.org to learn more about Dark Sky awareness and support efforts to preserve and protect the nighttime environment with good outdoor and landscape lighting plans.

2.  Check around your home at dusk and after sunset.

•Make sure outdoor light fixtures are shielded and angled downward to minimize “light trespass” beyond your property.

•Install motion sensors and automated controls on outdoor security lights so they will shut off when not in use.

3.  Talk to your neighbors.

•Educate them about Dark Sky laws and help each other to light responsibly.

4.  Upgrade your home with “Dark Sky”compliant fixtures.

• These outdoor and landscape lighting fixtures are shielded to focus light downward.

•The latest Dark Sky outdoor lighting fixtures are eco-friendly and energy-efficient.

5.  Throw a Star Party

•Enjoy a view of the nighttime sky with friends.

The latest Dark Sky outdoor and landscape lighting fixtures make it easy to get on board with the International Dark Sky movement.

Check out the latest Dark Sky outdoor wall lights from Modern Forms;

“Origami” WS-W27515

“Balthus” WS-W28514

“Kyoto” WS-W22520

For more information:

International Dark Sky Association

3223 North First Avenue

Tucson, Arizona 85719

As a California homeowner, you know that this is not the best time to put your house on the market, which may be why so many people are opting to upgrade their existing homes instead of seeking a replacement. One of the improvements you should consider is an electrical make over.

Electrical wiring can suffer wear and tear, and older homes were simply not built to meet today’s electrical needs, but these deficiencies can be overcome by hiring an experienced electrician. Santa Monica, CA building codes have changed over the years as well, and companies like The Electric Connection that specialize in rewiring older homes can bring your house into compliance with the latest regulations.

If your home was built during the 1960s and 1970s, you may be living in a fire trap. During that time approximately 2 million homes were built or remodeled using aluminum wiring before it was discovered that this type of wiring poses a significant fire hazard. The problem occurs at the electrical connection points where the wiring is spliced to connect to a switch, outlet or circuit breaker. Aluminum expands and shrinks in response to temperature changes, a process which can cause breaks and frays over time. The US Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC) has expressed grave concern over this issue stating that homes with aluminum wiring are up to 50 times more likely to have a fire than homes with copper wiring.

How will you know if you need to have all of the electrical wiring in your house replaced? Fortunately, you may not necessary need a complete rewire in your home or business. A licensed electrician in Santa Monica can evaluate this for you, and tell you to what extent you’ll need to go in order to make your home safe. The Electric Connection, which specializes in house rewires explains that depending on the situation, there might be a fairly inexpensive solution. For example, you may simply need to replace the connection points in your home or business with copper electrical connectors. Not every Santa Monica electrician is trained in this type of retrofit, so you when you’re searching for electrician Santa Monica, it’s important to find a highly trained and fully licensed electrician to perform aluminum-to-copper retrofits.

Older homes, those built prior to 1950, may have a different electrical safety issue. During this time many homes used cloth insulated wiring, something which can appear similar to the insulated wiring used today. The danger builds over time; as the cloth ages it dries and can begin to flake off. Once portions of the wire are exposed, they pose a serious shock and fire danger.

Another challenge presented in older homes or buildings with cloth insulated wiring is that this wiring was frequently not grounded. At the time there were a limited number of electrical appliances and no home computers, so grounding was not considered a serious issue. Today all new homes are grounded so that excess electrical charges caused by electric surges are routed out of the house and into the ground, protecting electronic devices, computers and appliances. An electrician from Santa Monica can replace cloth insulated wiring with a grounded system, making your home and belongings safe from electrical fire and damage caused by power surges.

Another problem with older homes is the lack of three-prong outlets, something that is necessary for most modern appliances. Many homeowners mistakenly think they can simply purchase the three-prong version at the hardware store and swap out their existing two-prong outlets, but doing so can create additional fire risks. Properly swapping out these outlets requires some rewiring so that the three-prong version is grounded. Your Santa Monica electrician can do these quickly and inexpensively for you, and can make certain that any existing three-prong versions have been installed properly.

So how do you determine what type of electrical wiring is in your Santa Monica CA home? The first step is to check the build date. If your home was built before 1950, you can call the Electric Connection for a free electrical estimate by a licensed Santa Monica Electrician. They will be able to quickly evaluate any electrical safety issues that you might have in your home or business electrical system.

The electrical field is one that has seen a number of remarkable discoveries over the decades. One very important lesson has been the aspect of grounding of electrical currents. It’s true that we need electricity for almost everything in our daily lives and can’t even imagine a world without it. However, it continues to be one of the most dangerous elements on earth. If you haven’t already properly grounded your home’s electrical systems, you are taking a significant risk by not doing so.

Every electrical circuit has an active wire which supplies power; there is also a neutral wire which is responsible for carrying the power back. There is a third wire (grounding wire) that can be attached to the power outlets & the electrical appliances and devices; this wire is connected securely to the ground in your breaker box.

This third wire is the additional path that the electrical current can pass through to be safely returned to the ground, in case there is a short circuit; this prevents any harm being caused to anyone. In the event that a short circuit occurs, the current flows through into this grounding wire and it’s when you notice a tripped circuit breaker or a blown fuse in the electrical main board on your property. If this wire hadn’t been grounded, it would have resulted in a fatal shock.

This is one of the most important reasons to ground electrical currents. It’s the best way to protect your family members from electrical surges when they are operating any electrical appliances in the house. In case a lightning strike causes an electrical surge on your property it can result in extremely high electrical voltages in your system. When the wiring has the proper grounding, all the excess electricity gets diverted into the earth, rather than burning everything that’s connected to your electrical system.

When your installation is grounded, it becomes very easy for the power to get directed exactly to where you need it; this allows the electrical currents to efficiently & safely travel across your home’s electrical system.

A properly grounded system makes it much easier for the power to be distributed in the right amount to the right places. This plays a significant role in ensuring that there is no overload in the circuits. The earth becomes the common reference point for all the different sources of voltage in an electrical system.

One of the primary reasons why grounding is extremely effective in keeping you safe is because the earth is an excellent conductor, and electricity always takes the path that has the least resistance. When you ground your electrical system, you are giving it a path that it can easily take, rather than into you; this can potentially save your life.

If your home’s electrical system isn’t properly grounded, you are just risking the appliances and equipment that are connected to your system, being burnt beyond repair. If the situation gets out of control that can also result in a fire risking your property and causing physical injury, sometimes even death.

If you aren’t sure about whether your electrical system has the right grounding, its best to call in a reliable local electrician to get it checked thoroughly. We at AllRound Electrical will check the system carefully and check it for any other potential faults as well. For more information, contact our friendly team at this number – 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address.

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