The short answer is, yes, you can charge your new electric car overnight and drive out into the world with a full charge in the morning. Both new electric cars, the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, started deliveries in Los Angeles in December 2010. If you’re anxiously awaiting delivery of one of these vehicles, it’s time to consider your charging options.

The all-electric Nissan Leaf can drive about 100 miles before it needs a battery charge. The Chevy Volt can drive about 40 miles, and then it starts burning gasoline. It’s a hybrid. Both come with a complimentary charging cord called a “Level 1 charger.” It plugs into an electrical outlet in your garage or carport and requires only ordinary house current. But a Level 1 charger works slowly and won’t take you from a depleted battery to a full charge overnight. You may still be able to use a Level 1 charger if you have a short commute which would allow you to top off your battery overnight. Here’s more about Level 1 charging.

Drivers who have longish commutes or who don’t charge up every night will want faster charging with a Level 2 charger. A Level 2 charger takes a Nissan Leaf battery from completely empty to completely full in 8 hours; 4 hours for the Volt. So, even if you totally drain your battery, with a Level 2 charger, you’ll be able to fill it by morning. A Level 2 charger is usually purchased along with the car. It’s housed in a container about 18 inches around and hangs on the garage wall, sticking out about a foot. It requires installation of a 240 volt circuit, higher than ordinary house current.

Both Nissan and Chevy will arrange your purchase and installation of a Level 2 charger if you wish. Both car manufacturers have contracted with electrical contractors that they’ve trained and certified. Or you can make your own arrangements with an electrical contractor.

Purchase and installation of a Level 2 charger costs about $2,000. The price can vary quite a bit depending on the distance of the charger from your electrical panel and on whether you need an upgrade of your panel size to accommodate the additional power demands of the charger. Some lucky homeowners, who registered for a California state research project on electric vehicles, will qualify for a discount, or even free purchase and installation. And, here’s some good news: A few days ago, on April 27th, L.A. DWP announced a rebate of $2,000 to homeowners who install a Level 2 charger as part of their research project. A rebate of this size is significant as, in many cases, it can cover the entire cost of the purchase and installation of a charger. Click here for more information on L.A. DWP rebates for EV chargers.

All homeowners who buy an electric car will benefit by their far-sightedness. No more stops for gas. No more worries about gas prices creeping up to $4 or $5 a gallon (or more?!) any time there’s unrest in the Middle East or a natural disaster. They’ll know that they’re contributing to the solution to our dependence on foreign oil — about 60% of that oil is sucked up by our gas tanks. For this reason, President Obama has set the goal of one million electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. For us in Los Angeles, every electric vehicle makes our skies bluer — when you’re running on electricity, your car is emitting no pollution or greenhouse gases at all.

For more about my company, The Electric Connection — all the stuff you wanted to know but were afraid to ask — If you’re interested coupons for electrical work, for example, $50 off installation of a Whole House Surge Protector in the L.A. area, click here on our coupon page.

Using a warm white or RGB COB (chips-on-board) LED, these flood lights emit up to 1,000 lumens of illumination in a wide 120-degree beam pattern. The weatherproof LED fixtures have a low-profile die cast aluminum housing with an integral heat sink and a tempered glass lens. An adjustable mounting bracket is also included to direct illumination where it’s needed.

Twilight Designs in Las Vegas, flush mount (recessed) step lights are often the fixture of choice when used indoors. He credits this to how easy it is to cut into and run wiring through drywall, especially when installing step lights after construction is completed. “While planning ahead is helpful,” says Bilik, “there are many products available for running wires post-construction.” He recommends 110v wiring to fish through walls and attics or low voltage wiring when 110v is not an option.

For less penetrable surfaces like concrete and stone, surface mounted fixtures are ideal because they mount directly to a wall or flat surface. These step lights commonly have a profile of as little as 3/4-inch up to 3-inches and a trajectory that directs light at the wall or at the surface below.

Regardless of whether you are using a flush or surface mounted step light, you must consider the type of cover (or faceplate) the fixture has. Bilik says that in his experience, most covers will fall in one of three categories, each with its own series of benefits:

Although LED T8s have not been around long enough to produce a thick memoir, there are some interesting things to note about why they exist.  A few years ago, there was concern that the rare earth metals used in fluorescent tube lamps might start getting significantly more expensive for the U.S. to purchase from China. Light bulb manufacturers began an arms race to develop an affordable and effective LED T8 replacement tube.

A sustained sharp increase in the price of phosphors never really happened. And so LED T8s have gained momentum in their evolution, organically evolving to better perform well in certain applications. Their price point has decreased, and their performance has gone up. And now, LED T8 linear lamps are certified by the DesignLights Consortium to be high quality, high efficiency lighting products.

However, LED T8s continue to be very controversial – even divisive – in the lighting world. Many people think they’re great; but some people think their existence is entirely unnecessary. Both sides of this argument tend to contextualize their visions of the merits and pitfalls of the LED T8 in a comparison with the merits and pitfalls of the traditional fluorescent T8 tube light.

LED T8 Linear Light Bulbs vs. Fluorescent T8 Linear Light Bulbs

First of all, the merits of fluorescent T8s cannot be overstated. Fluorescent tube lamp technology has been developed over decades and is now basically mastered. Fluorescent T8s are extremely inexpensive and have ridiculously long rated lives. In fact, in some cases, fluorescent T8s can last as long as LED T8s!

And it doesn’t stop there. The production of light with fluorescent tube lamp technology works really, really well. It is probably at its peak in terms of performance and cost. Fluorescent T8 light bulbs can last 50,000 hours. And despite their not-always-positive reputation for rendering color, fluorescent T8s can achieve high color rendering indexes (CRIs). But, it must be clearly noted, fluorescent T8s get more expensive as you seek a higher CRI.

And in terms of cost, let’s just say it straight: In many applications, the LED T8 tube light’s initial cost doesn’t make sense when compared to the relatively low cost of fluorescent T8s.  For example, at this stage of the game (June 2014), lighting large spaces like classrooms or large offices is job better performed by fluorescent T8s than LED. First, there’s the cost. Fluorescent tube lamps last long, cost little, and give off crisp light. Furthermore, fluorescent tubes give off light omnidirectionally, casting light upwards toward the ceiling as well as downward. This makes a space look more fully lighted. LEDs, in contrast, are generally more unidirectional and cast light downward only. This is something that will change, but, currently, this is just affirmation of the fact that fluorescent T8s reign supreme for some applications.

Fluorescent T8s often take a while to come on; they’re adversely affected by temperature (and somewhat sensitive about it); they can flicker often; and if the lights are turned on and off frequently, as in laundry room or bathroom applications, for example, they can fail quite prematurely, to the dismay and annoyance of everyone involved. And then there’s that toxic mercury vapor which poses danger to humans and the soil on which we live.

Oh yeah, fluorescent tube lamps require a ballast, too: A component that will also, eventually, fail.

Now, let’s give some attention to LED T8 tube lamps. It should first be noted that LED T8s have a higher initial cost than fluorescent T8s, which can be purchased for only a few dollars in some cases.

Despite their higher cost, LED tube lights have some nice advantages. First of all, LEDs love the cold, so they are great in cold weather applications, unlike fluorescent T8s, which become seemingly infirm in the cold, slow to turn on and flickerish. Basements, sheds, garages, porticos, covered pathways, bathrooms, etc, are great places to utilize the LED T8 linear lamp.

You also have to consider that if an LED T8 tube breaks, it will not release harmful mercury vapor into the air. Mercury from fluorescent tubes can get into the air but also the water supply, which is why you have to recycle them. For some people, the whole mercury thing is enough to open their minds to alternatives to the long-reigning fluorescent T8.

Plus, you can get better color rendering with LEDs than with fluorescent lights. Fluorescent lights work by transforming ultraviolet radiation into visible light. If you have a vague idea about what UV light is, you know that it’s the part of the light spectrum that’s just past the blue and violet area. Even with a rudimentary understanding of light, then, it’s easy to see how the result of transforming UV light into visible light would leave you with a bluish result. As a result, in general, fluorescent lights do not render reds well.

LEDs exude very little to no UV or infrared radiation, both of which fade the color of displayed objects including wall art, furniture, and even rugs. Fluorescent tubes – did you know this? – do indeed fade sensitive belongings over time.

Finally, LED tubes do not generally require a separate power supply. They run on line voltage and require no separate drivers, ballasts, or transformers. That’s one less thing that can break. In conclusion, LED T8s are more expensive than fluorescent T8s, but LEDs are safer, render color better, require no ballasts, operate better in the cold, and do not decline significantly in lifespan due to frequently switching on and off. This means that there are some applications, like cold places, bathrooms, basements, laundry rooms, kitchens, closets, storage rooms, walk in refrigerators or freezers, or places where there’s a risk of broken light bulbs like gyms, warehouses, etc, for which LED T8s might be the better choice. And since LED T8s don’t weaken with frequent switching on and off, they are great for use with occupancy sensors.

Custom Electrical Services takes every job serious.  No matter how big or small the project is.  Thumbtack in online resource for hiring local pro’s in your area, who recently gave Custom Electrical Services the best electrician of 2015 award.  Our team works hard to make your experience with us as best as we possibly can.

Although not every customer takes the time to leave a review.  Here is a link to some recent 5 star reviews on the Thumbtack platform making Custom Electrical Services the best electrician of 2015.  We work hard to make sure every customer has nothing but positive things to say!

Our trained professionals have the tools, experience, and training to make sure your project goes smoothly.  We use advanced techniques and equipment to get wires fished in through walls and attics.  We have advanced diagnostic tools for that tripped breaker or no power call.  Our electricians posses years of experience that only seasoned professionals have.  Making us the best electrician of 2015!

If you have a project in Des Moines, Ankeny, Altoona, Waukee, Norwalk, or any area in between or near by.  We can help you every step of the way with your next project.  We don’t just work hard to be the best in one area.  We work on being the best electrician in all parts of central Iowa.