There was a time during childhood when, at a friend’s house, the best thing to do was to play with the dimmer switch. At the time, this was the coolest thing in the world. When you had nothing like it at home, you got to enjoy the little things. It was so great; you could dim the lights for a movie or turn them up when you wanted to socialize. Whatever the occasion was, these would set the mood. It was great! It was time to convert more home switches from flicks to dimmers.

If you have never tried to do anything electrical yourself, it can be a wild ride. First you need to find the right hardware. Take a quick trip to the hardware store and find someone who can help. That’s always easier than doing these things alone. The experts can explain how dimmer switches work and how they can save money. None of that matters for this project; you just need the switches changed to relive a personal childhood pleasantry. Finally you find a model with a cover that will look fabulous in your home.

The Moment at Hand

Soon, you are ready to head back and take things apart. It’s easy to get the faces off, but then comes time for the technical parts. It takes a steady hand to work with electronics, but none of that matters if you forget something important. What may happen next is unexpected: a jolt of electricity sends a reminder that the breaker panel has not yet been turned off downstairs. It hurts, but it is nothing serious. It’s time to call in an expert.

When it comes to electricity, no matter how small the job, it’s best to let the trained professional do it. Otherwise you may just wind up hurting yourself.

LED fixtures, such as

With energy consumption that is less than half of what 150-watt LED parking lot light that is a direct replacement for 400-watt metal-halide (MH) fixtures. That’s 250 watts less for the same amount of light!

The average price of electricity per kilowatt-hour (kWh) is 12 cents. To figure out the monthly cost of running 25 LED parking lot lights for 11 hours per day, use this formula: (combined wattage x monthly hours of use)/1,000 x price per kWh. For 25 LED lights, (3,750 x 330)/1,000 x .12) the total would be $148.50 per month or $1,782 per year.

When the same formula is used for 400-watt MH fixtures, the monthly cost is $396, and yearly cost would be $4,752. So, in this situation, switching to LED fixtures would save approximately $3,000 per year. When coupled with the savings on maintenance, LED fixtures can save $6,470 per year. At that rate, the cost of 25 $340 LED fixtures would be recouped within two years.

Left: LED wall packs; Right: HID wall packs

Unlike LED fixtures that light up instantly, HID parking lot lights require a warmup period of up to 10 minutes before they reach full brightness. They also can’t be turned immediately back on after being switched off; this is called restrike time, and it can take up to 15 minutes before they can be turned on again. Attempting to power on the lights before the bulbs have cooled can damage a fixture’s components and cause the HID bulb to fail sooner.

HID lamps consist of a ballast and a quartz tube that contains gas, metal salts, and two tungsten electrodes. In order to create light, an electric arc passes from one electrode to the other through a gas (most commonly mercury, metal halide, or sodium). The mercury used in this process is dangerous if enough is inhaled or released into the environment. If an HID bulb bursts, all contents should be put into a sealed container or sealed bag and taken to a recycling center or hazardous waste facility. If HID fixtures are used indoors, wall packs and canopy lights, are used indoors, the possibility of ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure should be taken into consideration. HID bulbs emit a substantial amount of UV radiation, but an outer glass envelope prevents the radiation from escaping. However—according to the FDA—”If the outer bulb breaks and the inner tube continues to operate unshielded, intense UV radiation is emitted. UV exposure at this level can cause eye and skin burns, as well as blurred or double vision, headaches, and nausea.” The UV light from an HID bulb with a broken envelope can also lead to discoloration of items and fabric. LEDs emit little to no UV radiation.

In short, LED lights are a better alternative to HID parking lot lights. They offer a great deal in the way of savings, longevity, maintenance reduction, brightness, color, and safety. While it may take a short amount of time to recoup the price of switching to LEDs, all of their qualities make it easy to see why so many businesses have started the process.

For technical questions, don’t hesitate to call us toll free at 866-590-3533. Our customer service and technical support teams are available from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Monday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT on Friday.

Going green is no longer an inconvenience.  The fuel cost savings alone makes buying an electric vehicle a wise economic decision.  Let alone the environmental benefits.  Now add on the current $7500 federal tax credit on top of what several states offer and you have huge savings!  Not only do we carry the seal of a  Green Screened electrical contractor.  We are also authorized to install Tesla Charging stations.  These charging stations are not a do it yourself installation.  Tesla recommends hiring a licensed electrician and also a authorized Tesla electrician for installation.

Did you know there is a Tesla SUPER CHARGER located at the Hy – Vee on Jordan Creek Pkwy.  Currently its the only one in Central Iowa and 1 of 3 in the State of Iowa.  However plans are underway for additional charging stations.  The united states is covered with Tesla super chargers.  In fact to date Tesla says there is a total of 744 supercharger stations with 4,703 superchargers.  At a super charger location you can charge up to 170 miles in as little as 30 minutes.  Plug your Tesla in and grab a Starbucks or do some grocery shopping!

Tired of a spotty wireless network impeding your home Internet use? Walls, ceilings and distance all conspire to degrade the strength of wireless signals, which can make it difficult to stream movies or even just browse the Web in certain parts of your home. Fortunately, there's a piece of technology that can bypass the downsides of wireless and bring high-speed Internet to every room in your home. You can buy adapters that piggyback on your existing electrical wiring to transfer data – and they’re easy for homeowners to install without the assistance of an electrician. Read on to learn more about how to use your electrical system to harness the power of the Internet.

The Internet in Your Walls

With Netflix, Spotify, email and Facebook, the Internet has become an integral part of our home activities. Wireless networks are a decent solution for broadcasting your signal through the home, but when they don't get the job done, you need a more hard-wired way to go. In the past, that might mean paying an electrician to run ethernet cords through the walls. Today, you have access to products like powerline adapters, which use your existing wiring as a data connector.

The adapters are simple to use. All you have to do is connect the device to your modem or router and plug it into a wall socket. Then, anywhere you want to use the Internet, just plug another adapter into the wall and connect it to the device in question. In lieu of plugging in every computer or Internet device in the house, you can also use powerline adapters to set up mini wi-fi networks in various rooms so you can still take advantage of the flexibility of wi-fi without the disadvantages of weak signals from far away routers.

Some Flies in the High-Speed Ointment

Of course, powerline adapters aren't perfect, and for a variety of factors, they don't always reach the blazing-fast speeds that they advertise. Various models claim to clock in at 200, 500 and 1,200 Mbps, but they never really came close to those speeds during testing by PC Advisor. For one thing, your electrical system can slow down the signal with old wires, power fluctuations, noise in the wires and interference from the circuit breaker. Charging up devices like cell phones and tablets can also interfere with the signal.

What's more, the data speed can be limited by the capabilities of the ethernet cord you use or the device itself, not to mention the speed of the internet coming into your modem. Nevertheless, the adapters are still almost always a better bet than wireless when it comes to speed.

If you have any questions about the suitability of your home for powerline adapters, call your local electrician today.