If you were gifted electronics for Christmas, it’s time to ensure their protection! The last thing you want is for your new computer, tablet, HD television, or gaming system to take on destructive surges, rendering it useless. Spare yourself the heartache of losing an expensive electronic gadget by using surge protectors.

Anything that has a plug is susceptible to surges. In fact, surges happen all the time, you just don’t know it. Not every surge has the capacity to fry your electronics and appliances right then, however, even small surges can shorten their lifespans.

Simply put, an electrical surge is a brief spike in the current, lasting less than a thousandth of a second. But don’t let its fleeting personality fool you, as a surge can be detrimental.

There are numerous reasons as to why you’re experiencing electrical surges. Large appliances such as a refrigerator, air conditioner, or even a space heater, when turned on, can cause a surge capable of damaging your electronics.

When choosing a home electrician, where do you begin? Some people call the first name that comes up in their online search, others pour over reviews, while still others look to the recommendations of friends and family to help them find an electrician. When you’re looking for an electrical service provider, you want to choose one that is referral based and a true craftsman- not just a fly-by-night contractor who hasn’t been trained to safely provide electrical services. What should you look for in a home electrician? We find this list of four qualities to be both compelling and useful.

Decorative LED path lights are the perfect gift for dads who want to add an upscale look to their yard. Shade styles include mushroom, frosted glass, offset cone, or hammered cone, and offset linear light heads are also available to direct illumination exactly where it’s needed. These LED path lights can be used for numerous applications, such as garden lights, patio lights, driveway lights, walkway lights, or sidewalk lights. The long-lasting fixtures emit up to 155 lumens of warm white illumination. They’re constructed of powder coated bronze or black aluminum and are weatherproof as well as rust resistant. Each path light comes with a screw-on ground stake.

This easy-to-install, low-profile light mounts directly to a junction box or in a can light housing. It’s perfect for low ceilings, basement, garage, hallway, closet, bathroom, workshop, and shed lighting. The long-lasting LED ceiling light consumes eight times less power than incandescent bulbs with equivalent output. It emits up to 1,100 lumens of natural white or warm white illumination and has a high color-rendering index (CRI) to show the true colors of objects and surroundings. A removable E26/E27 Edison screw base is included along with hardware for mounting to a junction box or in a can light housing.

Help him enhance the look of his boat while increasing nighttime visibility! LED underwater boat lights can be used as transom lights for colorful wakes, attracting fish, or for nighttime swimming and diving. Single-, double-, and triple-lens versions are available, and the underwater lights produce powerful red, green, blue, white, or RGB color-changing illumination. RGB underwater lights are capable of nine dynamic color-changing and single-color modes with an RGB controller and RF remote (sold separately). The LED lights are designed to last 42 times longer than underwater lights with incandescent bulbs.

Diverse and impressive changes have been taking place in the lighting world this month. Read on to discover the fun and innovation!

In Lighting News…

Across the web, there was a consensus that LED holiday lights were the thing to have for the holidays. Not only are they energy-efficient, long lasting, and durable, they can also be interactive. We’ve seen families across the country creating Image via USA.Lighting.Philips.com

Other Cool Stuff…

In the last days of November, New York City residents were surprised by a light show atop the Empire State Building, synchronized to Alicia Keys’ “Empire State Of Mind.” The building’s new LED lighting system has over 16.7 million color possibilities, compared to the old system, which had only 10.

You probably know the iconic Pixar lamp – we usually see it hopping around before our movies start. Well, three students from Victoria University of Wellington have created a real-life replica of Luxo Jr., called Pinokio. With six servo motors, a webcam, some Arduino, and a bit of processing, the lamp came to life. Check out this video:

How about you? Any big lighting changes in your life this month? Please share!

Heating a garage is no longer a challenge with our new electric heat units.  Wake up to a warm car and not a block of ice!  Have a 2 story home with a cold bedroom above the garage?  Heating the garage with an electric heater can make that room above comfortable again in the winter months.  The stylish and effective garage heater puts out a warm 4,000 watts of efficient electric heat.  We can mount the electric heater to the ceiling and not take up your precious floor space.  A ceiling mounted unit also reduces the chance of a combustible object coming in contact with the heater.  Our electric heaters mount up and out of everyone’s way, you wont if know they are there other than the warm electric heat they produce!

We install a variety of electric heaters in garages, shops, sheds or any place you need heat.  The electric heaters come in 3 striking colors red, yellow, and stainless steel to match your spaces décor.  The unit comes equipped with a quiet helicoidal fan and is a thermal protected unit with built in automatic reset with a permanently lubricated motor.

These garage heaters can make you sweat.  But no need to waste that heat, we can install a wall mounted thermostat to control your level of comfort.  With 4000 watts of power at 240 volts you will need a dedicated circuit to provide safe reliable power.  But don’t be discouraged, our highly trained electricians can get the proper power needed to get you warm today.  Our licensed electricians posses years of experience. They know how to get the job done right the first time!