More than 480,000 house fires were reported in the United States in 2013, according to the National Fire Protection Association, resulting in over 2,800 deaths and more than 14,000 injuries, not to mention more than $9.5 million in property damage. A house fire is reported on the average once every 85 seconds.

A fire can escalate from a spark to a raging blaze in just a matter of minutes. Since it can start behind the walls without being detected until it gets out of control, an electrical fire is especially dangerous.

Unlike storms or other emergencies, fires often leave families with little time to prepare and evacuate the building—so it’s important to stay protected against some of the most common causes. Some of the biggest reasons for household fires are related to electricity, including:

Fortunately, there are many measures you can take to protect yourself and your household or business from a catastrophic electrical fire. One of the most important tips we can give you is to be very careful about who you have work on your electrical circuits and wiring. To avoid an electrical fire, only allow a certified electrician to install new wiring and/or work on your outlets, circuits, or electrical appliances. During your day-to-day routine, stay weary of any open flames, whether on your gas stove, a candle, or a cigarette.

Of course, even the most careful household or building can face an electrical fire. It’s important to have a working smoke detector in place in the event of an emergency (we can help!). You should also devise an evacuation plan and make sure that each family member or employee knows what to do if you have a fire.

Another way to prevent an electrical fire is to stay current with electrical maintenance. At Kolb Electric, we employ only skilled, licensed electricians to work on your wiring. We want you, your home, and your office to stay safe, so we’re careful to send out the best electrician for your particular job.

For more tips on electrical fire prevention or to get top-notch electrical services for your home or building, call us at 877 287-1179. We’ve been providing top-notch installations and maintenance work to Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC home and building owners since 1925.

The electrical panel inside of your home or office is where the breakers (or sometimes called switches) are located.  This is the “heart” of your electrical system.  Just like the heart inside of your body, if this major organ does not work properly, your blood circulation and limbs don’t stand a chance.  You could look at your electrical wiring as being your blood vessels and your appliances as being your limbs.  If your electrical panel, “aka” heart, is healthy and strong, your electrical wiring will operate properly, allowing all of your appliances to last longer.  Beware of old electrical panels; these could become a hazardto your home or business.

Watch cascading spiral turns and vibrant emanations through a glass curved body bending and zig-zagging in a brilliant display of illumination.  New “convertible” pendant light fixtures from Eurofase Lighting are turning heads and making a grand debut with the introduction of Bloor, Spadina, Finch and Dundas.

All four fixtures may be easily converted from pendants to flush mount fixtures right out of the box! Dazzling lighting designs create a fantastic play of shadow and light as the fixture body diffuses the light, turning straight solid edges into an illuminating serpentine pattern.

“Bloor” features Rippled Hand-blown Clear Press glass with Chrome accents in a robust bell-shaped pendant design.

“Spadina” features Rippled Hand-blown Clear Press glass with handsomely defined swirling scales in a modern-contemporary orb shape.

“Finch” is defined with Rippled Hand-blown Clear Press glass and Chrome accents in a brilliantly scalloped combination of shell-like symmetry.

“Dundas” presents a unison of floral-like blossoms in Rippled Hand-blown Clear Press glass with Chrome accents.

Eurofase Lighting has been powering up the lighting industry with outstanding ceiling pendant lights, wall lighting and chandeliers since 1989.  They are on the cutting-edge of technological advancement with some of the most innovative decorative pendant lights and chandeliers.  See the entire line of pendant lights and ceiling fixtures from Eurofase at 1800lighting.com.

Experience the magic of all new designs from Eurofase Lighting at 1800lighting.com or visit your nearest Capitol Lighting showroom.

Technology is advancing at a dizzying pace. What used to be the ‘latest’ and ‘most advanced’ devices yesterday becomes redundant today. When people embrace any technology, they do so because it adds convenience, comfort and safety to their lives in one way or the other. When it comes to your home, all these three aspects matter a great deal. It’s why many people are now veering towards the smart home concept.

Sure, many homeowners already have Internet-based security systems and landscape irrigation systems that are connected to timers etc; but smart homes are designed and set up to do much more than that. Having a smart home is a lot about Wi-Fi connectivity and more. Take a look at some concepts; this will help you create a plan for your smart home.

It’s not uncommon for companies that launch smart home products to say that connecting their devices to the Internet is a breeze. Sure, they are bang on spot most of the times, but what actually matters a great deal is the Wi-Fi connectivity in your home. These are some of the things you will have to keep in view while planning your smart home:

This is vital, and it’s something you should keep in view while planning your first smart home. The longer the distance the radio waves have to travel, more the connectivity issues. The best way to overcome this kind of an issue is to install the Wi-Fi router at the center of your property and on the ground floor.

You will find a number of products which claim they are able to extend the Internet connection in your home. The simple fact is that multimedia over coaxial power-line adapters, network extenders etc tend to slow down the signal by around 50% and that reduces the consistency of the network. Of course, you won’t find any issues with driving a motion sensor or a smart bulb; however, you might just find it challenging to stream a movie to your tablet/laptop, only because it can’t figure out which Wi-Fi router it should connect to.

At times, installing a network of Ethernet cables turns out to be the best solution. You can use cable runs to install your smart home hub devices in spots that are more accessible. The devices that are connected to these hubs will function more smoothly if you do this. If your home is already wired for telephones, hardwiring for Ethernet won’t be too difficult. You will need to speak with your electrician and check whether he would be able to run an extra cable to the point you need it at, without too much of drilling and sawing.

When you are planning your smart home, ensure there are sufficient power points at different places in your house. While certain devices may be battery-powered, many aren’t. So whether it’s a Wi-Fi router/extender, web security camera etc, you will need a power point to plug them in. And of course you don’t want power cords dangling all over your smart home.

Very simply put, if you are building a new smart home or remodeling your existing one, sit down and plan not just for the current smart devices you plan to install, but for future ones as well. Map out a detailed plan and get some advice from the installer too. Coming back to the first point – focus on getting a very good Wi-Fi router and ensure its positioned at the right point on your property.

Very importantly, get a professional to do all the wiring work once you have your entire smart home plan in place. For more information about smart home device and hardwiring solutions, call Allround Electrical at 1300 169 263. You can also drop us a line via email or by filling out this contact form.

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Electricians are often looked upon as professionals that have to be called in only when something isn’t working. However, the fact is that a great, reliable and experienced electrician would also be able to provide you advice on the type of fittings and fixtures or electrical installations that would look good and add functionality to your home.

Regardless of how beautifully designed your home is, if it doesn’t have the right type of lighting that can only make the rest of the features and elements look dull and drab. But you can add accent lighting to various areas of your home to add to its aesthetics and functionality. It’s important to plan the lighting well as it helps create enjoyable and beautiful spaces on your property.

Some light fixtures are used only in areas where specific tasks are going to be carried out such as kitchens, study and home office spaces etc. But in addition to this task lighting, your home also needs lighting features that help accentuate the look of various installations in your home; this is referred to as accent lighting. This lighting includes fixtures such as subtle spotlights, or miniature pot lights.

Accent lights aren’t meant to throw bright light and fill the entire room with light; they are used instead to highlight features such as artwork, paintings, pieces of décor or some interesting architectural feature in your home etc.

These lights are soft and add a very comfortable and elegant look to the space. In fact you can use accent lighting to enhance the appearance of the outdoor areas of your property as well. They can be switched on to create a party mood or lend a more casual look to the common living spaces or alfresco areas of your home.

There are a number of benefits to getting accent lighting installed, such as:

While you can use these lights by themselves to maintain a very casual look in a room, they can also be used in tandem with other lighting installations such as track lighting, recessed lighting, under counter lights, floor level lights as well as spot lights etc.

Since accent lights aren’t meant to be very bright, they use less energy; in fact, you can add to their efficiency by using LED bulbs in them – this can make them up to 80% more energy-efficient that standard bulbs.

There are always some areas in a home that don’t get sufficient natural light; you can install accent lights in these areas, and these fixtures look great in basement entertainment rooms as well. You can choose outdoor-grade accent lighting fixtures to add to the beauty of your patio, deck or outdoor kitchen as well. The light that these installations throw lends a very luxurious and relaxing look to these spaces.