The relationship between weather and energy usage is a never-ending cycle. Spikes and drops in temperature and humidity lead to spikes and drops in energy use (and costs), which in turn correspond with spikes and drops in greenhouse gas emissions, further affecting climate. What does this relationship mean when it comes to your energy usage?

Temperatures above 100 and below 40 stress your heating and cooling system, pushing it to capacity, reducing efficiency, and draining energy supplies, along with your wallet. Quite simply, this amounts to less bang for your buck in terms of comfort. Add to temperature issues, wind, cloud cover, and precipitation and the snowball effect continues, further impacting comfort levels, not to mention your ability to illuminate interior spaces. Compound the issues – and the population affected – and you’ve got grid strain to boot.

That depends on the source of energy. In the US, 83 percent of energy usage comes from fossil fuels, which release gases such as CO2 into the environment during the creation of energy. Unfortunately, these gases trap heat in the atmosphere. Atmospheric greenhouse gases have increased 30 percent since the pre-Industrial Revolution era alone, and the level continues to rise with energy demand. As levels increase, so does the effect on the environment. Thousands of scientists agree the trapped gases are currently affecting the climate, and will increasingly weigh on it as time goes on. This has resulted in an increase in interest in cleaner forms of energy, including nuclear, solar, wind, and geothermal.

The existing lighting solutions are efficient and provide us the kind of illumination we need; however, they are binary devices. They generally have only one switch that can be used to turn them on/off. In addition, you have to physically be present to operate them. It’s how electrical lighting has been since it was first introduced towards the end of the 19th century. Of course, the time was ripe for a change and that came in the form of smart lighting.

These lights have a completely different working; they make use of local infrastructure, either wireless/wired and provide much more control over various factors such as the colour & brightness of the bulbs you are using as well as the exact time at which they will get switched on etc.

In short, this gives us the scope to use smart lighting for regular home use, in security lighting (to keep miscreants and other unsavoury elements at bay), as well as lighting for all types of special occasions. This control also helps add to the energy efficiency and lowers your power bills as timers can be used to control exactly at what schedules and timings the lights should come and be switched off.

But that’s not the end of it. You also have a choice of a variety of Internet-based tools that can be used to manage the automation of your lighting installations; and you can do this either from your office a few kilometres away from home or from thousands of kilometres away, from across the globe. That is the beauty of smart lighting!!

When it comes to smart lighting installations, there are a couple of different approaches. This is based on whether you choose to:

If you opt for the former, the lights will be controlled using smart switches/relays. In case you choose the self-installed solutions, there are a range of products to choose from; smart bulbs being the commonest and most popular solution. In appearance, these bulbs are almost like the regular bulbs you already use, but they tend to be a tad more expensive than the latter.

All these can be installed in a hassle-free manner and then directly connected to the Wi-Fi network in your home. But that isn’t how all smart lighting solutions work. There are more complex smart lighting installations which use the lighting infrastructure (that already exists on your property), in addition to a wider network of smart switches and a variety of other automation solutions that are pieces of a broader home automation project.

If this is what you are considering to install on your premises, it’s important that you get a skilled and licensed professional to tackle the job. Keep in mind that the service provider and the products you choose will vary greatly in cost and that’s what you’d have to keep in view wile allocating a budget for your smart lighting project.

Regardless of the option you choose, while the upfront cost would be higher than that of traditional lighting solutions, you will save a significant amount of money on your energy bills, in the long term. For more smart lighting ideas and the best electrical solutions, call Allround Electrical at 1300 169 263. You can also drop us a line via email.

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With our foot firmly in the door of hurricane season in Florida, it’s wise to turn to some prevention and safety in order to prepare your home for potential risks. Our electrical systems stand exposed to (and stand to potentially cause) tons of damage in hurricane weather, and you need to be as equipped as possible in order to stay safe. That’s why the team at Hoffman Electrical has prepared a quick and easy safety guide for your use!

The electrical system of a home is the system that receives the most use and which you depend on more than any other during the average day. Although your plumbing and HVAC systems are also important for daily life, nothing impairs your lifestyle more than a faulty electrical system.

Many homeowners, in their haste to have electrical troubles fixed, will attempt to handle the repairs on their own. Some may try to tackle the job to save money, or because of an interest in “do-it-yourself” hobbies. We understand all three of these motives, but for a number of very important reasons you should not attempt the work yourself. Nor should you hire amateur electricians to do it either.

The 3 Best Reasons To Hire Professionals for Electrical Repairs in Shoreline, WA