As the rest of the world is observing Discovery Channel®’s legendary Shark Week 2014, we at Mr. Electric® took it upon ourselves to set aside this time to celebrate what we have endearingly termed Spark Week. While the fascinating facts and featured film clips of the mystifying creatures are fun and interesting to watch, we believe the electric spark is just as deserving of our appreciation for a week as sharks are – especially taking into consideration that electricity wouldn’t exist without it.

As far back as 600 BC, a Greek philosopher by the name of Thales of Miletus discovered that when amber is rubbed with a cloth, it can be electrified and attract other objects and produce sparks. German mathematician and philosopher Gottfried Leibniz made the association of sparks with electrical phenomena in 1671. There were some more experiments performed in 1708 by Samuel Wall with amber rubbed with cloth to produce sparks. And finally, the story we are all familiar with, in 1972 Thomas-Francois Dalibard and Benjamin Franklin each independently demonstrated that lighting and electricity were the same thing. Ben even extracted sparks from a cloud during a thunderstorm with his famous kite experiment.

The discovery of the electric spark encouraged electrical research. Once scientists began to understand how electric sparks occurred in nature, the question became how that power could be harnessed and controlled. This was the beginning of electricity.

Spark plugs begin the combustion in your car’s engine, allowing you to start your car every morning. The discovery of the electric spark led to the development of spark-gap transmitters. While these transmitters are no longer used in radio communication today, they played a large part in the beginning of wireless communication. Without sparks, you would have a much harder time driving, listening to music, and even seeing in the dark. The discovery of sparks is one of the most important scientific advances in history, so don’t forget to celebrate Spark Week!

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.

One thing is for sure, you can rarely have too much light in your home. While windows provide a lot of light in the home, having proper lighting can improve a home’s appearance, functionality, and feel. Many homes, especially older homes, may not come with installed lighting and instead may rely on you to acquire free-standing lighting like lamps. While this can be a way to get more lighting in a room, it’s not always ideal. Consider callinging up an electrician to install lighting in any of the following areas to see great improvement in your home.

One room you may not think about the lighting in, is the bathroom. Between shaving, putting on makeup, or just taking a shower, light is a critical component when using the bathroom. Yet it’s often under-lit. It would be very feasible to have an electrician install lighting into the ceiling to help illuminate bathing spaces safely and make sure your vanity lighting is up to par before your Electrical Guru electrician goes home so that you can always see clearly.

Having control of the living room lighting is important especially if you use the room for your entertainment center. An electrician can install recessed lighting throughout the room and include dimmer functionality in the switch to give you supreme lighting control.

Part of what makes a kitchen so appealing is when it’s open, airy, and bright. This can’t happen if you don’t have the proper lighting installed. The kitchen is the perfect place to take advantage of the ceiling space or under the cabinet space to make sure you can see what you’re doing when you’re using a kitchen knife. Additionally, a bar could be a great place to have your electrician install pendulum lighting to add that “wow” factor to your space.

Contact the Electrical Gurus today about your residential lighting installation project!

As electricians, energy efficiency is always at the forefront of our mission. Since heating and cooling account for nearly half your utility costs, we believe that it is our duty to help customers integrate efficient home practices that cut costs but not comfort. Now that the spring season is in full swing, make sure your home is a respite by installing ceiling fans throughout your home. Ceiling fans boast numerous benefits, all of which you will thoroughly enjoy throughout every season. With temperatures soon to be on the rise, you’ll want to act quickly before it’s sweltering.

There’s a common misconception that ceiling fans cool rooms, however, the truth is that they actually cool skin. Therefore, if you were to leave a fan on in a room where nobody is present, you would only waste energy. To get the most out of your ceiling fan, you need to actually be in the room for the wind chill effect to work.

One of the best ways to relax outdoors is by sitting in your own private hot tub. After a long hard day at work, a soak in the hot tub can help rinse away all the stresses of work and life in general. A hot tub is also a great way to entertain a few friends on the weekend. Once you have picked out the tub that you have been dreaming of, the next step is getting it set up and ready for you to enjoy.

Setup

Although you may be extremely excited to start filling your new toy up with water for that first use, hot tubs require an electrician. Santa Monica homeowners will need an electrician to help wire the hot tub to the home. These wonderful devices are not something you can simply plug into the patio outlet.

The tub or sauna will need to be hard-wired into the home’s power. Typically, because of the electric requirements, a dedicated breaker will be needed. Depending on the available service, you may need an additional breaker installed.

It is not uncommon for permits to be required for the setup and installation of a hot tub. An inspection may also be needed. A qualified professional will need to make sure the hot tub is wired correctly and safely. These are all things that will need to be handled by an electrician. Santa Monica residents can call The Electric Connection to discuss the setup of their new hot tub.

Maintenance

Like anything that is run by electricity, there are times when the unit will fail. Never try and fix the hot tub yourself. In many cases, you could end up voiding your warranty by doing so. If you ever run into trouble with your hot tub, call an electrician to take a look and save yourself time and money from a voided warranty. The Electric Connection is here to help you get your hot tub up and running.