We have already had a taste of what the summer weather promises this year. With rising energy prices and hotter than normal temperatures just around the corner, it is time to start thinking of alternatives for keeping cool this summer. One way you can stay cool and comfortable without spiking your electric bill is with the installation of a ceiling fan in each room. A Burbank electrician, like those at The Electric Connection, can help you stay cool by taking care of the installation for you. This way, you can rest easy knowing a professional electrician has taken care of all the wiring and it is done safely and the right way.

Ceiling fans go a long way to keeping you cool despite the fact they don’t actually produce cold air like an air conditioner would. The cool breeze that is created with the rotation of the fan blades can make you feel much cooler and keep you from heading to the thermostat and cranking up the air conditioning on those really hot days. By using a ceiling fan to keep cool in combination with your air conditioner, you will save yourself a lot of money. Not only are you saving money on your electric bill by reducing the demand on your air conditioning system, you are also saving money on repairs that will be needed due to working the AC unit too hard.

Because there is some electrical wiring involved with the installation of a ceiling fan, you will need to hire an electrician. Burbank residents can opt to have fans placed in each bedroom, the living room and the dining area. This will help circulate the cooler air throughout the home. The fans can typically be installed in place of the light fixture in the center of the room. The cost of a ceiling fan is extremely affordable and well worth the investment. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule you ceiling fan installation.

If you have never heard of or seen the outlets that are in new homes or office buildings, you are missing out on something that could potentially save you or a family member’s life. A GFCI outlet is an added layer of safety when it comes to dealing with two things that never mix well—water and electricity. No matter how cautious you are, there is always the chance of an accident happening that will mix the two and create a life-threatening situation. Your electrician in Glendale, like those at The Electric Connection, can help you protect your family by installing GFCI outlets.

GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter. The outlets are designed to trip the breaker the instant the flow of electricity is interrupted. If you were to accidentally drop the mixer in the sink or spill a cup of water on it while you were using it, the outlet would trip the breaker and cut the flow of electricity. This prevents you from getting an electric shock. This would be the case if you were in the bathroom using a hairdryer or any other appliance. The outlets also work on cords that may be damaged and at risk of causing an electric shock.

The outlets will replace any current outlets you have in the kitchen or bathroom. You may have seen these before. They have small reset buttons usually in the middle between the top and bottom outlets. Because the outlets will need to be wired, the job will need to be completed by an electrician. Glendale homeowners will feel better about using their electric appliances in areas that are prone to accidents that involve electricity and water mixing. If you would like to learn more about GFCI outlets or are ready to make an appointment to have an electrician upgrade your current outlets, give The Electric Connection a call today.

Looking for a creative way to save energy? Don't forget about your cable box. The television might not be the first device most people think of when it comes to energy conservation, but that's about to change. A voluntary agreement among manufacturers, cable providers and the federal government calls for big efficiency overhauls in the set-top boxes that bring cable and satellite signals into consumers' homes.

Meeting Efficiency Goals

Certain cable boxes can use half as much electricity as a refrigerator, according to the Energy Collective, so there's a lot of room to conserve. And a full 85 percent of American households have some kind of set-top box, according to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association and the Consumer Electronics Association. In households with multiple set-top boxes in different rooms, there may be a shocking amount of electricity consumed merely by piping in everyone’s favorite shows.

Set-top boxes don't have minimum federal standards, so the voluntary agreement is an alternative way to bring all the products up to a certain energy conservation threshold. Since technology changes so quickly in telecommunications, and the federal regulatory process is so cumbersome and slow, voluntary compliance allows stakeholders to advance efficiency goals without waiting for new regulations that might be outdated by the time they are enacted.

The agreement was put into place last year and should save consumers $168 million in electricity bills annually, according to the NCTA annual report on the program. Even more stringent voluntary standards will kick in in 2017.

Cutting-Edge Efficiency

The highest standards are found in the federal Energy Star program, which certifies set-top boxes that are 40 percent more efficient than average models. If every cable box hit the Energy Star benchmark, the program claims, consumers would save a total of $1 billion annually and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking two million cars off the road.

Most boxes are always drawing power, even when they’re in standby mode. One way in which more advanced models save energy is through deep sleep mode, which consumes a maximum of 15 percent of the power used during active mode. Automatic power-down is another feature that many new boxes include.

Providers are also offering “thin client” boxes for homes with multiple televisions. Under this arrangement, the main cable box may use a fair amount of electricity, but the additional boxes would consume considerably less.

Of course, most people don't buy their own cable boxes, so to make sure you’re getting an efficient model, remember to ask your cable provider. Your cable company may also be willing to upgrade your existing box or swap it out for a more advanced model.

The start of the new school year for kids means cooler weather is just around the corner! The Farmer’s Almanac is predicting another wicked cold winter, with our area getting cold, wet, and white…yikes!

Since winter is often the time when energy bills are the highest, we thought we’d share a few of our favorite energy saving tips to help keep you comfortable without breaking the bank this season. Keeping your electrical system safe is important, especially when snowstorms threaten to knock out power (and with it, heat!), so read up and remember: for all your electrical service needs in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric!

If you use a heat pump to heat and cool your home, you probably already know that they’re among the most efficient HVAC systems you can install—if you use them correctly.

During the winter, set your thermostat to the lowest setting you’re comfortable with and keep it there for the whole season—the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recommends 68 F, but ultimately this is up to you. Every degree you set the thermostat lower will lower your energy use, so if you like to bundle up, this is a great way to save!

Most heat pumps come with a backup heating system to give you a little extra heat if the pump itself can’t make it. Unfortunately, electrical resistance heat is very inefficient and can get expensive if you use it too often. This electrical backup kicks on when you turn your thermostat up, which is why it’s best to set your thermostat once during the winter and then leave it there.

The one time when you should adjust your thermostat is when you’re leaving the house for a few days—the backup heat will kick on when you come back and set it back up, but the amount you save from being gone should offset that.

With any other form of heat, you’re free to adjust the thermostat as needed throughout the day. Again the DOE recommends 68 F as a balance between comfort and efficiency, but you may want to set the thermostat lower during the day when you’re not home and higher when you are home (a programmable thermostat makes this easy!).

If you’re going to be away and want to set the thermostat down, don’t go lower than 55 F. If your home gets too cold, your pipes could freeze and create a very messy situation for you when you return!

Whatever type of heating system you use, make sure you keep your filters fresh all season. Change them about once a month during times of peak heating system use. Just keeping on top of this can save you as much as 10 – 15 percent on your monthly energy bills!

Your water heater is usually the second largest energy consumer in your home, next to your heating system. Saving money on your water heating is not too complicated:

Fix all leaks when they happen! Even what looks like a small leak can waste hundreds of gallons of water per month—all of which you still have to pay for.

Take showers instead of baths. A normal shower uses about half the water of a bath, which also means less water heater needs, lower sewer costs, etc.

Use a flow restrictor to maintain water pressure while minimizing the amount of water use.

Don’t let the hot water run when doing dishes, shaving, or brushing teeth.

Like a heat pump’s backup heater, a space heater uses electrical resistance heat that can be expensive to operate. That said, they can be useful to heat small areas like the bathroom for short periods of time. In fact, it can be much cheaper to use a space heater in the morning than to raise the temperature in the whole house for a short period of time.