One of the greenest home improvement projects that you can undertake is to install solar panels. As more research is conducted, it is becoming more and more clear that our reliance on fossil fuels is one of the main contributors to not only our planets overall health, but the health of everyone who lives here. As a homeowner, working with solar panel installers to reduce your dependence on less renewable sources of energy can not only give you more energy freedom, but also help the environment at the same time. Plus, you could save a significant amount of money in the process.

Cost of Solar Panels

As a result of technological advancements, increased demand and the variety of payment options for solar panels, the cost is more affordable than ever. Although purchasing panels and the systems that go with them up front can be very expensive and cost prohibitive, many solar installers are offering alternative to this process. One of the most popular options is the solar lease. Rather than buying panels up front or financing their purchase, you can actually lease solar panels from a solar leasing company. This gives you both the solar power that you desire and the financial flexibility that you need.

Solar Leasing

Solar leasing is by far one of the largest growing trends in the solar power industry. The way it works is simple. You work together with a solar installer who will install the panels on your home for you. You then pay them a monthly leasing fee for the use of the panel. All of the electricity that you generate belongs to you and any excess can be sold back to the power company. As a result, you will typically start saving money in your first month.

At Solar Panel Info, we have compiled extensive information on the benefits of solar panel and solar leasing.

Click here to read more.

A new thing we will be doing every here every month on the MyLEDLightingGuide’s official blog is curating things from all around the web relating to the LED lighting industry. Here are the types of articles and pieces of content that will often be featured on our monthly link roundup:

This post will be covering all of the happenings from the past month, September of 2016. We also plan to give a brief summary of each piece we include, just to get a better idea of what it’s about, who it’s for, and why it might be valuable for you to take a look at.

Without further ado, here is the first addition of A Month in The LED Lighting Industry Link Roundup…

High Bay Luminare and Lamp Market Expected to Reach $20.4 Billion by 2024

For anyone involved in the lighting industry, even remotely, this is great news to hear. As LED products become cheaper and cheaper overall, the resistance from facility managers to make the investment in LED fixtures is reducing. This trend seems to be growing, and there is seemingly only a positive future in LED; especially in the commercial lighting world.

As LED Streetlights Spread, Some Critics Look for Dimmer Switch

While some concerns relating to the light that LEDs give off is bad for street lighting scenarios, cities are still picking up the technology for obvious reasons (from cost reduction to higher quality lighting). On the contrary, critics are looking for these LED street fixtures to be dimmed down a bit, all for some fairly valid reasons that you will discover in this piece of content.

How LED Lights Influence the Bats Activity

To finish off this seemingly street light themed roundup, this post discusses the influence LED lights are having on bat activity. Is this a way for those with bat issues to deal with it or not? In short; they will reduce some issues you may have with bats and related night time animals. But check this one out to get a better understanding on how it may help.

Interesting Reads:

Here are some not-so-relevant but still relevant articles that we think are highly interesting and definitely worth the read.

First Pro Basketball Game Held on LED Court in Japan

Smart technology is poised to take over the home appliance market. We already have smart thermostats, smart lighting and even smart refrigerators. If that's not enough for you, there are some new contenders on the market that allow you to turn any electrical device in the home into a smart item. The best part is that it's a simple DIY experience – no need to find an electrician to hook it up. It’s the smart plug, a small box that you plug into your home's outlets. From there, you can use your smart phone to control whatever light, television or other electronic appliance routed through the smart plug. Read on to learn more about these remarkable efficiency devices.

Control and Monitor Your Electronics

There are a variety of smart plug options on the market: The Satechi IQ Plug, the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch, the D-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug and the Valta Starter Kit, among others. The cost and functionality of the different brands vary, but they all operate on a similar principle – allowing you to set schedules and remotely control whatever device you choose.

The smart plugs connect to your phone via Bluetooth or wireless Internet, so you can switch them on or off from anywhere in the home – or even from the other side of the country if you have an internet-optimized model. You can also program schedules so the plug automatically activates an appliance at appointed times – turning a coffee maker on first thing in the morning, for example, or switching on a space heater before you go to bed in a chilly part of the house.

Retro Meets Modern

The upshot is that there's no need to wait for cutting-edge smart devices to come out to keep your home on the cutting edge of technology. Imagine impressing your neighbor by demonstrating the new smart functionality of a retro 1950s television, or your old Victrola vinyl player.

Smart plugs also monitor how much electricity a given device uses and when, so you can make informed choices about increasing your energy efficiency though disaggregation, breaking it down appliance by appliance. You can also save energy by using the smart plug to turn off the power to devices when you aren't actively using them, preventing your electricity bills from skyrocketing due to always-on settings or “energy vampires.”

Savings and Control All at Once

If you have additional questions about smart plugs and how they work, find an electrician who can show you their utility and functionality. With surprisingly little effort, you can harness their power to save energy and control devices all throughout your home.

A problem so many people deal with and assume there is no real solution to is bathroom lighting needs in the dead of night. Turning on the light to take care of business can be too much. It is too bright and ends up blinding you before waking you completely up and making it next to impossible for you to fall back to sleep. You may feel like you are forced to choose between complete darkness or too much light, but an electrician in Burbank has another option. The reliable team at The Electric Connection wants to help you take care of your bathroom lighting woes.

Under the Cabinet Lighting

You can add some light to the bathroom without making it completely by blinding by placing it low to the ground. A rope light placed under the lip of the bathroom counter near the floor adds just the right amount of light in an area where you really need it. This is a quick and easy job for an electrician. Burbank homeowners will appreciate the effect the soft lighting gives the room as well as its usefulness.

Outlet Nightlights

These are very handy and shed just the right amount of light over the sink area. The lights are attached inside the outlet cover and do not require the services of a Burbank electrician. The lights work on a sensor and will automatically turn on when it is dark.

Lighted Toilet Seats

These may not be quite as practical, but they are certainly very neat looking. It isn’t the actual seat that lights up, but the hinge of the toilet seat. The soft glow of light illuminates the bowl and gives a person a little direction.

If you would like an electrician to take care of these small bathroom lighting jobs, give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your appointment.

Sometimes, nature gets a little wild and shakes things up for us. We get so used to our normal routines and typically daily lives, that when we are faced with a wild thunderstorm packed with high winds, large hail and lightning, we forget what the aftermath of one of these storms is like. It isn’t until we are forced with things like wind damage and power outages that we are suddenly forced to deal with a major interruption in our seemingly normal lives. An electrician in Burbank wants to help you prepare to deal with one of these events so it is not quite as big of an interruption. You can count on the team at The Electric Connection to provide you with valuable tips about dealing with power outages.

1-Take the time today to gather flashlights and batteries. Don’t wait until a power outage happens. Keep the flashlights in a safe place that every member of the household can easily access.

2-Post the emergency outage number in a conspicuous spot i.e. on the refrigerator, next to the phone or on a corkboard. You will want to call the hotline to get an idea of how long you can expect the outage to last.

3-Show each member of the household which electronics should be unplugged from the wall in the event of a power outage. This will prevent sensitive electrical equipment from being damaged when the power surges back on.

4-Educate your family about why it is important to keep the refrigerator doors closed when the power goes out to ensure the fridge and freezer maintain their temperatures for as long as possible without power.

5-Consider having a standby generator installed by an electrician familiar with Burbank electrical standards.

Being prepared can make all the difference when a power outage strikes. If you would like to learn more about what you can do today to prepare for an outage, give The Electric Connection a call today.