Today, Americans use more electricity than ever before. The average American consumed roughly 2,200 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year in 1950. This has skyrocketed to approximately 14,000 kilowatt-hours for the average American today. The consistent increase of consumer electronic use and energy consumption means that electrical systems could easily become overloaded and, as a result, malfunction. While the appliances of today are significantly more efficient than the appliances of the past, homes and businesses may be operating with insufficient electrical support for their modern appliances, which could be a signal that it’s time for an electrical panel upgrade.

Since 1925, Kolb Electric has provided excellent services on electrical panel installations in Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia.

If you answered yes to any of these questions, it may be a warning sign that it’s time for an electrical panel upgrade. Please contact Kolb Electric so that one of our qualified electricians in MD, DC or VA can take a look at your electrical panel. If you are unsure about the status or functionality of your panel, it is best that you do not take any chances.

In 2007, approximately 170 people in the United States died in the workplace as a result of fire or explosions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Experts agree that an outdated or inadequate electrical panel is a fire waiting to happen. The dangers associated with an outdated electrical system can be drastically reduced simply through an electrical panel upgrade.

Electrical panels are the heart of any electric system. You can help protect your family or your employees by upgrading your electrical panel. Kolb Electric is one of the top installers of electrical panels. Our expert electricians in MD, DC or VA can complete an electrical panel upgrade and enhance the safety of your home or business.

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Strips with more LEDs per foot will consume more power.

In short, if maximum energy efficiency is what’s most important to you, choose a light strip with smaller LEDs and fewer LEDs.

In order to ensure your LED power supply doesn’t overheat and fail prematurely, we use this general rule of thumb:

Make sure the total wattage of your LED strip lighting is at least 20 percent less than the power supply’s rated wattage.

For example, if you have an LED strip light that requires 80 watts of power to run, you’ll need a power supply that’s rated for at least 96 watts.

The vast majority of our strips include wattage per foot right on their product pages.

power supplies range from six watts to 1,500 watts for compatibility with a wide variety of LED strip lights.

Let’s take a look at an example:

It’s important to verify that the voltage of the power supply you choose is compatible with the voltage of your LED strip lighting. Also, be sure that the power supply’s input voltage matches that of the location it will be installed in. If you have an LED strip with 12-volt DC operation that you wish to use in a 120-volt AC home wiring system, you’ll need a power supply that includes 120 volts in its input range and has 12-volt DC output.

Another factor to take into account for longer runs is voltage drop. A significant voltage drop is present after a certain distance of LED strip. After this distance, there will not be enough voltage present to light the next length of strip. This varies depending on the type of strip and length being used. Usually, a single-density strip (nine or less LEDs per foot) will need to run back to a power source every 32 13/16 feet (10 meters). A high-density strip (18 or more LEDs per foot) will need to run back to a power source every 16 3/8 feet (5 meters). Please refer to “Max Run” in the specifications table of the strip light to determine how many can be run continuously without a parallel run back to power.

3) the 4) if you want your strip to be dimmable

power supply calculator on the product pages of all of our LED strip lights!

There are a few steps involved:

Step 1: Select your strip and the length you need.

Step 3: Click the green “Power Supply Calculator” tab, and select your product by choosing it from the list OR by pasting the exact part number in the search bar.

Step 4: Enter the number of strips at the desired length you’ve selected and voila! You’ll see a list of all compatible power supplies with the best match at the top of the list!

When dealing with electronics, safety is paramount, and you want everything to work like it’s supposed to. So if you’re still not sure which power supply to use for your LED strip lighting project, just reach out to our technical support team or customer service department at 866-590-3533. Our 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.

If you are in the mood for a little spring cleaning or home improvement, you are likely looking around your home and thinking you could use some new lights. Lighting can make or break a room. Dark, dingy lighting can make a room look small or even outdated despite new furniture or a nice coat of paint on the walls. An electrician in Los Angeles can help give your room a facelift. You can count on The Electric Connection to provide you with a knowledgeable electrician who has the experience needed to make it happen.

Your dining room, kitchen or even your bathroom will be transformed with the installation of a new light fixture. It is amazing to see how different a room can look with just the right lighting. Your kitchen should be bright and inviting. Bright areas are ideal when you are working with sharp knives and need to see ingredients as well as read labels. There are plenty of options when it comes to enhancing your kitchen workspace. Track lighting is an ideal option.

Because electricity is involved, it is best to leave the Los Angeles electrical work to a professional. It isn’t a good idea to try and wire in a new light fixture if you are not trained for it. Not only do you risk your life, but you risk the safety of your home. A fixture that isn’t wired correctly may work initially, but overtime, it can be a serious fire hazard.

While you are thinking about upgrading your lighting, take a look at your living room as well. You can use track lighting or the more popular recessed lighting. This is an ideal option for the newest trend of mounting flat screen televisions to the wall. This insures your view will not be obstructed by a hanging lamp. If you would like to get started on your spring improvement plan, give The Electric Connection a call today.

In April 1999, Wayne Gretzky played his final game in the National Hockey League. Gretzky had played 20 seasons and was considered by many to be the greatest the sport had ever seen.

2) OMG, Myspace Is, Like, Totally Awesome!

Excitement spread like wildfire through American culture as the cable modem brought the promise of a faster future. In April 1999, we still had the strange robot music of the 56k dial-up modem ringing in our ears. This page would have taken a lot longer to load back then.

4) Do You Believe In Fame after Fame?

Cher’s April reign only lasted three days before TLC reached the apex of popularity, stealing the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list.

6) Goth Culture Gets a Careful Examination

For intentionally lying in court during a sexual harassment civil lawsuit, President Bill Clinton was cited with contempt of court. This was not a proud moment for anyone. By comparison, it has been a tame 15 years of presidential history!

8) Mind-Controlled Technology Hath Arrived…

On April 23rd, the BBC reported that newly discovered skull and tooth fragments may belong to a “human-like species” that lived 2.5 million years ago. There was a lot of controversy initially, but there has since been a general consensus that the Australopithecus garhi, as the species was named, is the most immediate ancestor to the human genus, Homo.

10) Eminem: Straight Blowin Up

The Hours by Michael Cunningham won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in April, 1999. The book would later be made into an Oscar-winning movie starring Meryl Streep.

12) Pulitzer Prize for Drama

In April, we got yet another indication that American culture was infatuated with the genre of romantic comedy as Never Been Kissed, starring Drew Barrymore and David Arquette, hit the box offices.

14) Billy Joel Retires…Psych!

Surely, tears were flowing on the faces of day-time TV enthusiasts when NBC announced the cancellation of the long-running, iconic soap opera Another World. Only a few months later, the final episode would air, and, instead of watching Another World, fans would have to watch something else. Maybe the actual world?