Interior lighting consists of the lights on the ceilings and walls in all of the rooms in a house, as well as the lamps and other lighting fixtures that you may have in your home. There are many different styles of interior lights to choose from such as track lighting, chandeliers, pendant lighting, recessed lighting, wall sconces and more. Choosing the type and style of lighting that you like best can be difficult, but fun at the same time. As far as the proper placement of your lighting fixtures goes, an Burbank electrician can help you decide what works best.

Chandeliers can be used in any home, but the bigger styles tend to work well in larger homes or rooms with high ceilings. There are many chandelier options that you can choose from in all different shapes, sizes and finishes. Electric Connection is the electrician Burbank homeowners rely on for professional lighting and chandelier installations.

Another style of lighting that’s very common is a ceiling fan with built-in lights.  A support box is required to support the weight of the fan, so if there’s no existing junction box these may require a little more work to install than a chandelier.  With a ceiling fan you have the added benefit, though, of having both the lighting and a fan in one unit.

As we know, most lamps need to be turned on and off at the lamp switch, but a certified electrician from Electric Connection can easily wire your outlets so that you can use your wall switches to turn your lamps on and off instead. This type of set up makes your table lamps even more convenient and easy to use.

Of course, there are even more options for lighting in your house, but you’ll definitely want to consider choosing one or more of the options we’ve mentioned since they’re the most popular. When you’re ready to install or update your home lighting, you can give us a call at Electric Connection.

Spring brings with it a myriad of home repair and remodeling projects, many of which require electrical wiring or installations. Unfortunately, it is also a prime season for contractor scams, including those that involve so-called electricians. Learning how to spot these con-artists can help ensure you don’t get taken advantage of—keep reading to see our tips!

Knowing the tell-tale signs of electrical scams is key to recognizing these ne’er-do-wells early and sending them on their way without any of your money in their pockets. Below are just a few that should alert you of possible electrician scams:

At Kolb Electric, we employ only the most skilled and trust-worthy electricians. We’ve been helping Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC area homeowners for over 90 years and have built a reputation based on our honest, reliable service. We understand that electrical terms can be confusing to most homeowners, so we make sure we take the time to explain everything that’s needed for your project—and the cost—before we start any work.

The electrical enclosures may be one of the simplest electrical components but it is important that you design it properly. While it may be a simple component to specify, the extensive choices available in the market might overwhelm or confuse you. The most obvious choice might not always be the best in terms of reliability and long-term profitability. At the same time there may be under-rated choices that might turn out be great buys.

Let’s see how to approach enclosure design.

Critical Design Aspects to Keep in Mind

• Material Selection

Plastic or metal are the most popular choices. These groups can be further categorized into polycarbonate, ABS, aluminumpolystyrene, steel or cast iron. Select the material that can withstand the surrounding conditions of the location it will be installed in. Understand your needs and make a decision accordingly.

• Internal Design & Size of Enclosure

Consider the internal design of the enclosure. The design must meet with your requirements. Note the internal and external dimensions to make better use of the space inside, for housing your component. It is also important to take mounting options into account.

• Choosing the Right Metal

Popular choices include:

Technology is advancing at a dizzying pace. What used to be the ‘latest’ and ‘most advanced’ devices yesterday becomes redundant today. When people embrace any technology, they do so because it adds convenience, comfort and safety to their lives in one way or the other. When it comes to your home, all these three aspects matter a great deal. It’s why many people are now veering towards the smart home concept.

Sure, many homeowners already have Internet-based security systems and landscape irrigation systems that are connected to timers etc; but smart homes are designed and set up to do much more than that. Having a smart home is a lot about Wi-Fi connectivity and more. Take a look at some concepts; this will help you create a plan for your smart home.

It’s not uncommon for companies that launch smart home products to say that connecting their devices to the Internet is a breeze. Sure, they are bang on spot most of the times, but what actually matters a great deal is the Wi-Fi connectivity in your home. These are some of the things you will have to keep in view while planning your smart home:

This is vital, and it’s something you should keep in view while planning your first smart home. The longer the distance the radio waves have to travel, more the connectivity issues. The best way to overcome this kind of an issue is to install the Wi-Fi router at the center of your property and on the ground floor.

You will find a number of products which claim they are able to extend the Internet connection in your home. The simple fact is that multimedia over coaxial power-line adapters, network extenders etc tend to slow down the signal by around 50% and that reduces the consistency of the network. Of course, you won’t find any issues with driving a motion sensor or a smart bulb; however, you might just find it challenging to stream a movie to your tablet/laptop, only because it can’t figure out which Wi-Fi router it should connect to.

At times, installing a network of Ethernet cables turns out to be the best solution. You can use cable runs to install your smart home hub devices in spots that are more accessible. The devices that are connected to these hubs will function more smoothly if you do this. If your home is already wired for telephones, hardwiring for Ethernet won’t be too difficult. You will need to speak with your electrician and check whether he would be able to run an extra cable to the point you need it at, without too much of drilling and sawing.

When you are planning your smart home, ensure there are sufficient power points at different places in your house. While certain devices may be battery-powered, many aren’t. So whether it’s a Wi-Fi router/extender, web security camera etc, you will need a power point to plug them in. And of course you don’t want power cords dangling all over your smart home.

Very simply put, if you are building a new smart home or remodeling your existing one, sit down and plan not just for the current smart devices you plan to install, but for future ones as well. Map out a detailed plan and get some advice from the installer too. Coming back to the first point – focus on getting a very good Wi-Fi router and ensure its positioned at the right point on your property.

Very importantly, get a professional to do all the wiring work once you have your entire smart home plan in place. For more information about smart home device and hardwiring solutions, call Allround Electrical at 1300 169 263. You can also drop us a line via email or by filling out this contact form.

Thanks for reading,1300 169 263

Over the last few years, talk about LED lights has become more commonplace. As there is a global trend to become more economically friendly, it is no surprise that more people are switching to LED lights. LED lights, which stand for ‘light emitting diodes’, are not only ecologically sound, but economical as well.

Traditional fluorescent lights contain small amounts of mercury. Mercury is extremely hazardous to the environment but humans as well. If you come into contact or inhale mercury, it can be very dangerous and negatively impact your health. Fluorescent bulbs need special care to dispose of properly. LED lights do not contain any hazardous or poisonous material and are 100% recyclable. This means you can have peace of mind when disposing of your LED bulbs and know that the impact on the earth is minimal.

When we say energy efficient, this means that it takes less electricity to convert into light. Part of the reasons that LED bulbs are more efficient is because they do not heat up as much. Less energy is lost in heat so the electrical energy that flows in can go directly to light. Traditional bulbs tend to run at 20% efficiency where as LED bulbs can run at 80% efficiency. Practically speaking, if you are using LED bulbs in your home you are looking at large saving increases on your monthly electrical bill!

In addition to saving money on your monthly electrical bill, you will also save money by replacing your light bulbs less frequently. Standard light bulbs have a life span of 800 to 1,500 hours, while fluorescent bulbs can last up to 10,000 hours. LEDs on the other hand can last up to 60,000 hours! You can run for years without needing to replace an LED bulb. So while LEDs are more expensive initially, they are a wise investment in the long run.

Although the number of benefits of using LED lights is quite long, these are just a small number of ways that LED bulbs help the environment and your pocketbook.