2015 Holiday Gift Guide Series. Last week we looked at great ideas for the custom bobble heads designed to look like the recipients are a fun gag gift that is guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind.

If your active grandparent hasn’t discovered the outrageously fun sport that I can only describe as a cross between tennis and ping pong, then gifting them with their own bluetooth tracking tag that hooks onto your keyring (or anything you find yourself losing often) solves the problem brilliantly. Use this little gadget to locate your phone with the push of a button. Or, locate your keys using an app on your smart phone. 

But what if your grandparent doesn’t have a smart phone or device? Get them one! My parents love to sit down with their tablet and look at photos of my children that we send them digitally. You can find tablets and e-readers for less than $100 these days.   

As we age, eyesight diminishes and adequate lighting becomes more important than ever. If your grandparent enjoys curling up with a good book, reading the morning newspaper, or knitting sweaters, a stylish night lights that match their decor or motion activated this one in the shape of a tree ring. There are a number of online resources that will help you uncover your ancestry. Once you’re finished, a battery operated Blurb.com or head down to your local drugstore to have your book made.

Do you have an epic entertainer in your family or circle of friends? Come back next week to get great ideas on holiday gifts for your favorite host or hostess.

*Prices and availability are subject to change.

Lately, there has been a lot of buzz about 3D projection mapping. I first heard about it from an electronic music enthusiast who plans to acquire projection mapping software and add this extreme visual component to his live shows. But many people were introduced to projection mapping from the coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi this year or from the viral video of projection mapping shown below, a pre-game show on the court floor at a Cleveland Cavaliers game. Prepare to be astonished.

Your living room is arguably the most special place in your home. It’s the place where everyone gathers to watch television shows and movies, to  battle it out in board games or video games,  to listen to music over the stereo, and to simply relax after a long day.  Because you spend so much of your free time in your living room, why not make it more energy efficient? When you commit to following energy efficient practices at home, you’ll not only help the environment, you’ll help your bank account too. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, a day devoted to all things green, turn your living room green too!

Follow these simple tips on improving your living room’s efficiency:

Do you remember what your television from your childhood looked like? For starters, your household probably had only one, and it certainly wasn’t in anyone’s bedroom. For years, most of us relied on heavy, box-like systems to entertain us. The televisions of today are significantly larger and their resolutions much clearer. While they’re bigger and better than ever, they’re also using more energy. ENERGY STAR televisions are on average 25 percent more efficient than other models.

The easiest way to add lighting to a closet is by installing a simple, battery-powered fixture or hanging a corded fixture plugged into a nearby outlet. However, there are permanent solutions. Calling an electrician Beverly Hills, such as one of the skilled members of the Electric Connection team, is always a great choice when you have electrical projects that need completed. Learn more about what Electrical Connection will do when installing closet lighting in your home.

The electrician will work with you to determine the local building codes for clearance around the fixture then mark the desired location. He or she will then go into the attic and cut the hole necessary for installation. This may require some drywall work to properly mount the fixture.

At this point the electrician will cut off power to that part of the home using the home’s service panel. An electrical circuit cable will be run from the source point to the fixture box. Many times there will be a receptacle near the closet, or this may run through the attic to find a suitable spot. It is important the electrician tests to make sure the circuit can accommodate the fixture.

The electrician in Beverly Hills will connect the fixture following the wiring diagram from the manufacturer. The wiring connections will be completed at the source point. Finally he or she will restore power to the circuit and test the light fixture.

As you can see, this is a relatively complex task and not one you want to tackle alone. If you are considering the installation of closet lighting for your home, make sure you work with the best— the expert electrical team from Electric Connection is always here for you and ready to take on any type of lighting installation project you may have.

Indoor Generator Provides 20,000 Watts of Stored Renewable Energy to a Ranch Home, Even When All External Power Supply is Unavailable

Dallas, TX  December 30, 2011– Doug Kerr is the proud owner of a stretch of land located in the rural area of Kaufman County (Texas) where the air is fresh and the hustle and bustle of city life is non-existent. One thing Doug’s land doesn’t have, however, is a city power grid. Traditionally, to gain access to power in an area that hasn’t already been included on the electrical grid, you can pay the local electrical provider a large sum to run new electrical service to your location, or be forced to use noisy, polluting, and high-maintenance fuel-powered generators.

Fortunately, Doug found a much better option when he called ElectricMan Inc., a local Dallas and Plano electrician. ElectricMan Inc. is the exclusive North Texas provider of the Indoor Generator, a system that utilizes the latest technology in power storage, partnered with reliable renewable energy options to pioneer electrical independence not only for off-grid applications, but any residence or business that could benefit from more reliable electrical service and lower electrical costs.

Using a vertical access wind turbine, ElectricMan Inc. takes advantage of the abundant wind rolling across Doug’s land, from any direction, to provide a consistent source of electricity for the custom-built Indoor Generator unit installed in his home. The Indoor Generator system itself contains 20 maintenance-free deep-cell AGM batteries capable of storing 20,000 watts of on-demand power—enough electricity to run the household for an entire week or two, even if the wind doesn’t blow at all.

Keeping in mind that no matter how reliable your system is, a backup power plan is always important. The Indoor Generator is also compatible with an external gas powered generator that will run and charge the system at the same time in the event of an emergency, or the unlikely case that the wind doesn’t blow for an extended period of time. This is where the innovative versatility of the system makes it uniquely capable to reliably power a home. With thousands of programmable commands, the Indoor Generator has the capability to utilize multiple incoming power sources, and automatically switch between options such as grid power if it is available, stored battery power, wind turbines, solar panels, or a gas-powered generator, dependent upon what option is readily available and efficient.

The innovations that are integrated into the Indoor Generator system now give any home or business access to a constant supply of clean power, increasing safety, security, and longevity of electrical systems and appliances, while providing the opportunity for electrical independence to anyone.

About ElectricMan Inc.

ElectricMan Inc. is a licensed Dallas and Plano electrician serving the Dallas/Fort Worth area with 27 years of experience in electrical repair and installation, offering fast 24-hour service for residential and commercial needs. ElectricMan Inc. is now offering state-of-the-art backup power systems that exceed current emergency power standards while also providing a homeowner or business owner with the ability to have multiple options for emergency power, as well as the option to switch to the most efficient power supply available during normal usage to reduce energy costs in the long run. Call ElectricMan Inc. today at 972-792-7270 for a free quote on your next electrical project!