More than 47,000 house fires in the U.S. are caused by faulty electrical work and wiring each year. Modern living has placed many more demands on the average home’s electrical system than were ever imagined just a few short decades ago. Computer systems, gaming systems, large appliances, and smart systems all draw a lot of electricity and can easily overload a circuit that wasn’t designed for that kind of demand. However, increased electrical demand is just one of several reasons to update your home’s electrical system.

1. Your home is more than 30 years old. Your home doesn’t have to be a century home to have outdated wiring. If it was built before 1985, it’s a good idea to have your old electrical wiring evaluated by a licensed electrical contractor.

2. You frequently trip the breaker or blow the fuse. If you frequently have to reset the circuit breakers in your main electrical control box or replace the fuses, it’s likely a sign that at least one of your electrical circuits cannot handle the demand for power.

3. You need extension cords. If you need extension cords to plug in a desk lamp or (worse) your electronics, you probably don’t have enough wall outlets in your rooms. Older homes often only have one or two outlets per room, less than is needed by most households.

4. Your lights dim or flicker when an appliance turns on. If the lights in your room dim when the furnace kicks in or the refrigerator cycles, this can also be a sign that your old electrical wiring may not be able to safely power your home.

5. Your outlets are discolored. Discolored outlets can also be an indication of unsafe surges in power.

Leaving old electrical wiring in place can be dangerous for you and your family. If you have encountered any of the above situations, it’s a good idea to have an experienced electrical contractor evaluate your home’s wiring.

Kolb Electric has been helping Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC homeowners with all their electrical needs for 90+ years. We have a full staff of licensed electricians with experience on major projects like home rewiring.

Call us at 877 287-1179 to schedule an appointment today.

The little community of Victoria Park in central Florida is beating out Los Angeles when it comes to saving electricity on street lighting. Last November, I wrote a blog post about the street lighting program here in Los Angeles, which is currently yielding higher-than-expected energy savings — 60% compared to the expected 40%. Well, that’s something to crow about regardless of what they’re doing in Victoria Park.

The Nitty-Gritty in L.A.

Electricians are using LEDs to replace the conventional incandescent bulbs in 140,000 Los Angeles street lights. Maintenance costs for LEDs, though not as significant as electric bills, also take a smaller bite. Nothing to be sneezed at! LEDs are good for the City budget, good for climate change, and good for energy independence.

An LED (Light Emitting Diode) is a light created by the kind of tiny parts that are in a computer. LEDs are used, for example, in many kids’ light sabers. They’re brighter and use a lot less electricity than the incandescents that you and I screwed into sockets when we grew up. As for what Victoria Park is up to….

Electricians Retrofit Gas Lights in Victoria Park, Florida

Victoria Park is now upping the ante. Electricians are retrofitting its gas-burning street lights with special LEDs that will save the community 92% on its combined energy and maintenance bills.

Victoria Park is a planned community in central Florida. Residents enjoy the charm of real gas-lit street lights, but the expense is a concern. As the community builds out, the annual costs for gas and maintenance were being projected to top $1,000,000 a year, just for street lighting.

When residents formed a committee to look into alternatives, the committee hit upon low-voltage LEDs. While typical house current runs at 110 volts, low-voltage current can run at around 24 volts, reducing power needs.

Victoria Park is now retrofitting their existing street lights with low-voltage LEDs. The retrofits, an innovation by Solas Ray™ Lighting in Anderson Indiana, look, for all the world, like real gas lights. They mimic the look of a candle flame. The lights create charm and a warm glow, but also five times more light than each pole would create with gas. Not to mention the 92% energy and maintenance savings. In fact, the Mayor of the City of DeLand, where Victoria Park is located, awarded Solas Ray a proclamation of appreciation for saving Victoria Park residents nearly half a million dollars in 2010.

Fortunately for all of us, in the energy efficiency race, we all win as cities out-do each other to help out their budgets and help the environment.

Want to save energy in your home or business?

One of the specialties of my electrical contracting company, The Electric Connection, is energy-efficient lighting. Call us to discuss your lighting needs (800) 990-9490.

Kim Hopkins

CEO, The Electric Connection.

Visit our company profile.

Decorative LED path lights are the perfect gift for dads who want to add an upscale look to their yard. Shade styles include mushroom, frosted glass, offset cone, or hammered cone, and offset linear light heads are also available to direct illumination exactly where it’s needed. These LED path lights can be used for numerous applications, such as garden lights, patio lights, driveway lights, walkway lights, or sidewalk lights. The long-lasting fixtures emit up to 155 lumens of warm white illumination. They’re constructed of powder coated bronze or black aluminum and are weatherproof as well as rust resistant. Each path light comes with a screw-on ground stake.

This easy-to-install, low-profile light mounts directly to a junction box or in a can light housing. It’s perfect for low ceilings, basement, garage, hallway, closet, bathroom, workshop, and shed lighting. The long-lasting LED ceiling light consumes eight times less power than incandescent bulbs with equivalent output. It emits up to 1,100 lumens of natural white or warm white illumination and has a high color-rendering index (CRI) to show the true colors of objects and surroundings. A removable E26/E27 Edison screw base is included along with hardware for mounting to a junction box or in a can light housing.

Help him enhance the look of his boat while increasing nighttime visibility! LED underwater boat lights can be used as transom lights for colorful wakes, attracting fish, or for nighttime swimming and diving. Single-, double-, and triple-lens versions are available, and the underwater lights produce powerful red, green, blue, white, or RGB color-changing illumination. RGB underwater lights are capable of nine dynamic color-changing and single-color modes with an RGB controller and RF remote (sold separately). The LED lights are designed to last 42 times longer than underwater lights with incandescent bulbs.