LEDs are the longest lasting lighting technology available today. They contain no harmful gasses and are safer for the environment than incandescent bulbs. But if there’s one fact about LEDs that’s considered the most, it’s that they’re extremely energy efficient and are designed to save money! We wanted to show you the results of switching from incandescent bulbs to LEDs, so we developed an LED 

Among other helpful pieces of information, the calculator lists savings per month, savings per year, savings on incandescent bulb replacements, and a break-even point that tells you how long it will take to notice those savings. Here is an example of calculated savings for replacing 10 incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs:

Everyone is looking for ways to save power.  Whether to save money or the planet, one of the best and most popular ways to save power on lighting is by installing dimmer switches to control your lights.  Besides saving power, they’re also great for setting the mood in your home.  More and more dimmer switches are being installed in American homes every year.

Dimmer switches are easy to install, even for an everyday person. Of course, even an easy installation can be problematic, so you should always contact the best Dallas electrician to ensure that you’re doing things right, or to perform the dimmer switch installation for you if you don’t want to take a chance of making a mistake.  Either way, here are some important do-it-yourself electrical tip to keep in mind about dimmer switches:

Overlamping is when a lamp-holder socket has a bulb with a higher wattage than the socket is designed for. Not every lamp-holder socket in your home is rated for the commonly used 100-watt incandescent light bulbs. This is a code violation and a highly dangerous fire hazard.

For instance, if you connect a100-watt light bulb into a 75-watt lamp-holder socket, the intense heat coming from the bulb can melt or scorch the socket, potentially exposing the electrical wires underneath. This is a possible fire hazard as it increases the risk of arcing. Arcing is when sparks jump through the air from one wire to another, and research has shown that it is one of the most common causes of electrical fires.

The United States system of safety standards requires that electrical equipment be listed. Listing is a tool used to facilitate acceptance of electrical equipment. Most lamp holders are listed up to a particular wattage depending on the type of fixture used. This rating is derived from things such as the types of materials used in the construction of the fitting as well as where it will be placed. This causes varying levels of wattage, although most common lamp holder sockets are rated 75 watt.

You may find that some sockets in and around your home are listed at 40 watts or even 25 watts. An electrician can test the sockets in your home and confirm the maximum wattage for each one.

Most experts agree that using a bulb with a maximum wattage of 75 watts is the safest option, but you can always ask your electrician for help to be certain. Modern high-efficiency lamps are much safer because the majority do not exceed 75 watts of energy consumption. For older and unmarked fixtures, it is best to use a 60-watt bulb instead.

If you notice a lamp-holder socket in or around your home that looks as if it is scorched or melted, it is best to ask a professional for help before using it. If you would rather not seek an electrician’s assistance and choose to do the repairs yourself, ensure that you have switched off the electricity at the mains and that you have the correct tools for the job.

Battery technology has already made our lives more portable and convenient. From the disposable alkalines you used to use to power your Walkman to the modern rechargeable batteries in your cell phone and laptop, they allow us to take our work, entertainment and communication systems on the go. But batteries might have an even grander destiny: they could revolutionize the way we generate and use energy all throughout the home. Read on for a glimpse into our battery-powered future.

From Electric Cars to Your Living Room

Leading the charge into the brave new world of batteries is Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors. Musk recently launched Tesla Energy, a suite of batteries designed to facilitate flexibility for consumers and ultimately pave the way to an energy grid that doesn't rely on fossil fuels.

"Our goal," Musk said at a press conference, "is to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy."

Tesla used its expertise in designing batteries for electric cars to make batteries bigger and more powerful. The company’s new lithium-ion batteries are optimized to enable “homes, business, and utilities to store sustainable and renewable energy to manage power demand, provide backup power and increase grid resilience,” the company promises.

Energy at Any Time of Day

Because Tesla’s new battery technology allows residential and business users to store electricity until it’s needed, it creates the opportunity to purchase electricity during off-peak time, easing the stress on our electrical grid. It also helps users get more out of sustainable but intermittent fuel sources like wind and solar.

If the technology catches on, consumers can take better advantage of utility time-of-day pricing. Some utilities in North America sell electricity at cheaper rates during nights and weekends, when there is less demand. A homeowner could therefore charge a battery at night and use it during the day, which saves money for them and reduces the generation cost for the utility company by smoothing out the demand.

Furthermore, as solar and wind technologies become cheaper and more viable, the ability to store their output means that they can further cut into the market share of fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, reducing human impact on climate change.

Keep the Lights On and the TV Running

Another advantage of the enhanced storage potential is that homeowners will still have power in the event of a blackout or other disruption to the power grid. And people who want to go off the grid entirely with solar energy can do it without worrying about running out of power during the night.

The batteries are expensive, starting at $3,000 for residential models. If the program takes off, the price should fall and ever-better technologies will be developed to improve storage, capacity, transmission and other specifications.

For now, the Tesla batteries look like a useful, if expensive, addition to the energy-conscious homeowner's arsenal. If prices do continue to fall, however, the batteries could transform into something truly revolutionary.