The term “light box” can mean a few different things, but from a lighting perspective it typically refers to a backlit display panel. Light boxes are most commonly used for advertisements or other commercial displays. You’ve probably seen them in trade show booths, restaurants, airports, nightclubs, offices, hotels, museum exhibits, and retail shops. That’s right, light boxes are everywhere.

One of the most common uses for light boxes is the commercial advertisement. You see these in large spaces like terminals or outdoors at bus stops. They capture the attention of passers-by and create lasting impressions. The light box pictured below is one of the biggest I’ve ever seen.

One of the most obvious places you’ll see light boxes are along the walls inside and outside of movie theaters. Sometimes lines of light boxes stretch incredible distances, advertising all the movies being shown in large theaters.

In fact, light boxes can be a fun addition to any home and can be used for as many purposes as you can imagine. Sure, you could illuminate a movie poster of your daughter’s favorite movie. But you could also make a custom sign saying whatever you want. I really like the light box below, created at home for home.

Homes that were built more than 10 to 20 years ago are likely not equipped with the much safer grounded-fault circuit interrupter outlets in the kitchen and bathroom areas. GFCI outlets are ideal for use in areas where there is potential for an appliance to be exposed to water. Everybody knows water and electricity don’t mix. But, we need our gadgets and just try to be extra careful. Unfortunately, accidents happen. A Los Angeles electrician, like those at The Electric Connection, can help you protect not only yourself, but your family members from suffering serious injury when one of those little accidents happen.

The difference between the standard outlet and the GFCI outlets is the safety feature that cuts power to the appliance the second there is an interruption in the flow of electricity from the outlet to the appliance. The breaker will be tripped if the circuit does not flow along the correct path and is interrupted by your body for example. This protects you from suffering an electric shock. If you accidentally drop the blow dryer into the sink while the water is running, it could be an extremely dicey situation if the dryer is plugged into one of the old-style outlets. Power will continue to run to the dryer until the water shorts it out. You would risk receiving an electric shock if you tried to grab the blow dryer out of the sink while the electricity is still flowing.

If you would like to protect your family from these kinds of accidents, call an electrician. Los Angeles homeowners can have current outlets in the kitchen and bathrooms replaced with GFCI outlets without a lot of hassle. These outlets are great for anywhere in the house and can also prevent shock from wires that have been damaged by rodents chewing through or that have been ran over by the vacuum. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your outlet upgrade.

1-by-4-foot,  LED light panels use Even-Glow® technology and diffused optical lenses to deliver smooth, flawless illumination without visible bulbs or hot spots. They can be recessed mounted or surface mounted to an existing ceiling junction box. The LED fixtures emit up to 4,600 lumens of natural white illumination for home lighting, kitchen lighting, living room lighting, office lighting, basement lighting, sign backlighting, hospital lighting, and more.

LEDs in the panel lights are designed to last five times longer than fluorescent tube light bulbs without the notorious hum or flicker they produce. Each LED panel light has a slim, white aluminum alloy frame and an internal 0-10-volt dimmable constant-current driver. Dimming can be achieved with a 0-10-volt switch or by using the light’s power-cycle feature to activate set brightness levels. The energy-efficient panel lights operate within a 100-277V AC range.

If you are planning on renovating or sprucing-up your kitchen, it’s probably a good idea to map out a detailed lighting plan as well. Most people find this a little strange as they feel that lighting in a kitchen isn’t something that needs too much of consideration or planning. It’s just a place where you cook and probably where you have an informal meal after all.

However, the fact is that it’s important to plan kitchen illumination well if you want to make optimal use of your kitchen spaces. Here, we would like to share some basic lighting ideas to create the right balance of functionality and aesthetics.

If you want to get a better idea about what type of lighting would work best for your kitchen, it’s vital to understand how your kitchen spaces relate to the different type of lighting. Let’s start off with understanding what type of bulbs you can use for the best effects:

These bulbs emit a yellowish light and you will now find many artistic versions of these on the market today.

These bulbs throw off a flat, cold light that has a bluish tinge, which lends a very harsh effect to the room.

These have a warm light that makes the place look very inviting and comfortable

These are the latest in light bulb technology and are available in a range of effects including white, cool daylight, warm light, yellow and a range of other colours and hues. Aside from this, LED bulbs are also 80% more energy-efficient than standard bulbs; and most property owners are now opting for these fixtures.

In addition to the types of bulbs used, the style of lighting or the lighting effects are what impact the ambience and appearance of a room. With this in view, here we discuss the different lighting effects that can be used in your kitchen:

This is one of the simplest ways to create the right lighting effect in your kitchen. This type of lighting is designed to help you move comfortably around the room. In most instances this type of lighting comes from grid-style can lighting, widely-spaced, wall and ceiling lamps, semi-translucent skylights or even the natural light that streams in through glass windows and doors. This is the base layer of any lighting plan.

In your kitchen, task lighting would be required to illuminate kitchen counters and food preparation spaces. Since you will be cooking in your kitchen every day, it’s important that the task lighting be planned and installed well. If you have only recessed lighting fixtures in your kitchen, you will feel the lack of focused light when you are cleaning, cooking or prepping in that space.

If you install one-dimensional lighting in the kitchen, it creates unsightly shadows in different areas of the room, while ceiling lighting is ineffective in illuminating spaces like sinks, under counter or cabinet areas etc. On the other hand, if you add special pendant lamps over the counters or even your kitchen island it can prove to be a more practical solution. Under-cabinet lighting can also help in illuminating the cabinets that are positioned there.

This effect doesn’t seem as necessary as ambient or task lighting does in a kitchen space, as the illumination it provides isn’t as functional as the first two. However, it can have a significant impact on the way your kitchen spaces look. If you want to enhance the appeal of your kitchen (regardless of whether you are getting it entirely renovated or are opting for a lighting upgrade), it’s important that you plan your accent lighting well.

Emergency power systems traditionally use generators powered by gasoline, propane, or diesel fuel.  The purpose of investing in one is to provide your home or business with a way to generate electricity in case a power outage occurs.  This can be invaluable when it comes to maintaining a comfortable temperature during outages, protecting computers and other hardware, preventing food spoilage, and a myriad of other things you take for granted while electricity is readily available to power everything.  Fortunately, even better options have become available that don’t require noisy traditional generators.

Have you heard of something called an Indoor Generator™?  Instead of being powered by messy and pollution causing fuels, these battery-powered units can be set up conveniently inside your home or business.  There are many reasons why these kinds of backup power generators are preferred by so many home and business owners.

An Indoor Generator™ installed by Dallas electrician, ElectricMan Inc.

With all of these benefits and the obvious versatility of indoor generators, it is clear why many people prefer them over standard generators.  A reputable Dallas or Plano electrician can easily get one set up for you today.