You've done everything you can to conserve energy in your house -- purchased the latest Energy Star appliances, insulated your walls, and turned your thermostat down to 68. But the next thing you know, your kids are leaving lights on in rooms they aren't occupying. Or staring into the refrigerator for minutes on end while all the cold air escapes through the open door. Or nudging the thermostat higher when you aren't looking. How can you convince your kids to help, not hinder, your efforts to cut down on energy usage?

Knowledge is Power

Your children can't make the effort to save energy if they don't know how. Help them start building good habits early, and make sure they’re aware of simple ways they can help lower the utility bills:

To save electricity:

To conserve water:

To keep your heating and cooling bills low:

What if They Don't Wanna?

Of course, every parent knows that telling your kid to do something doesn't mean it's going to happen. The trick is to get them to buy in. While one reason to conserve energy is to save money on your utility bills, children have a habit of taking mom and dad's money for granted, so that might not be your most persuasive argument.

Instead, try teaching them about how human reliance on fossil fuels is harmful to the environment -- but they can help make a difference. If your children have particular interests, like animals, you can tie the themes together -- tell them they can help protect animal habitats by doing their part to conserve energy.

Another trick is to give them a green light to correct you if you make a mistake like leaving the water running. That gives the kid some fun responsibility, and encourages them to be vigilant about your behavior -- which increases the likelihood they will be about their own.

Check out the Energy Star Kids program for more ideas on how to persuade your kids and get them excited about conservation, and for child-tailored activities to increase their knowledge and motivation. And remember, the best way to teach your kids how to conserve is to set a good example by doing it yourself.

As a car dealership owner, manager, or even sales member; you know that getting the cars out (along with in) is one of the most vital points in your business.

On top of that, keeping the expenses as low as possible to simply operate will allow you to take home more income, rather than spending it on things that are just going to waste (like energy usage).

A good example that will resolve these issues and both increase overall revenues along with decrease expenses is in your lighting. More specifically, LED vs metal halide and HPS.

This brings two major cost saving benefits.

First, it allows you to by 2-3 times less replacement lights since you won’t need to replace burnt out lights as often (because they simply last longer).

Additionally, by reducing the amount of time you need to spend replacing burnt out lights you also get to reduce the amount of time you have to pay someone to switch out and even maintain your new lighting system. This in turn gives you a “two for one” benefit with less buying of replacement lights along with reduced costs associated with hiring someone to maintain your lighting system.

LED offers various ways that it outputs higher quality light (along with operates in a higher quality “way”).

For starters, LEDs will never flicker nor buzz unlike other luminaires do. This issue in and of itself will make your lot look low quality, unprofessional, and even annoying for those walking around the lot.

If you’ve been contemplating upgrading your home electrical system with your very own solar panel installation, there is no better time than summer. Here are a few reasons to make those dreams a reality.

The first is that you’ll get the best performance out of your system when the sun is shining the most. Of course, your solar array is going to give you energy savings all year long, especially in sunny southern California but in the summer, you’ll see impressive results right away that will really show you the potential of home solar power.

Without the threat of inclement weather preparing your home and installing your new system is much faster, translating to a more painless process for you. It also means that we have more jobs in the summer, so you might need a little advance scheduling. But all that is beside the biggest reason that you should pursue a solar panel installation:

The sooner you get solar at your home, the sooner you can start saving.

As you know, power prices increase all the time, with an average increase of around five percent a year. While municipal power increases, solar power provides a point of stability for your energy bill. Your solar power will always cost the same amount, so every time municipal power increases, your savings do too.

And with generous tax rebates and solar leasing agreements, you can establish an impressively low cost investment on your solar panel installation. You might even qualify for no down payment. You pay the cost of installation and parts over the life of your solar panel, even as you see instant deductions in your power bill.

As you can see, taking action now translates to intense savings for years to come. Don’t wait another minute. Let us help you take charge of you energy and financial future this summer.

Your home is constantly evolving as you upgrade this, tweak that to suit your style and add little touches that make your home more compatible with you and your needs. Because your home is a major investment, you want to make sure all those upgrades are completed the right way and are safe. When you are thinking of the little things you want done, keep your electrician in Beverly Hills in mind. The Electric Connection has been taking care of customers for years and would love to help you improve your home.

When you think about some of the little things you can do around your house to make it better, you will probably discover a lot of it has something to do with electricity. Adding new lights to dim hallways, bathrooms and even closets is one common upgrade many homeowners aspire to do. A closet that is well-lit is practical as well as convenient. Those battery powered lights that are commonly marketed as a way to light up the small spaces are not always bright enough and they tend to go through batteries rather quickly.

Instead of the quick-fix, talk to your electrician about a long-term fix, like a new light fixture in the closet. This is the same for those hallways that tend to have only one light in the middle. The ends are always a little shady. Adding lights is one way to enhance the overall look of your home as well as the safety. Wouldn’t you feel better navigating a brightly lit hallway or digging through a closet where you can actually see the colors of the garments?

If you would like to brighten up the dark spots in your home, call your electrician. Beverly Hills home owners can give The Electric Connection a call to find out more about the options available.