The third prong on a typical electrical appliance plug provides an extra measure of safety against electrical shock. Two-prong outlets, often found in older homes, may not be grounded adequately and should be upgraded.

The National Electric Code requires that GFCI outlets – with Test and Reset buttons – are installed in areas of the home where water may be present, such as your kitchen, baths, utility room, garage and outside locations.

If the wiring for your light switches or outlets is wrapped in cloth sheathing or bits of black rubber, you need to upgrade your home wiring to keep your family safe.

Appliances such as air conditioners, clothes dryers, refrigerators and furnaces use extra electricity when they start. This may be more than just a nuisance. An overloaded system can damage sensitive equipment.

Too much electrical current causes breakers to trip or fuses to melt. Don’t ignore this warning. Have your electrical system inspected and upgraded.

If you need to use extension cords on a regular basis, you probably need more outlets in your home. When you use extension cords to make up for a lack of outlets, you run the risk of placing too much demand on your electrical system. Extension cords placed under rugs or furniture may also be a safety hazard.

Rust on your main electrical service panel indicates a moisture problem, which can lead to further problems.

This may be an indication of a loose or deteriorating electrical connection, which could lead to shock or fire.

If your home is more than 25 years old, you should have your system inspected and if necessary, brought up to electrical code standards.

Your home is likely one of the biggest investments you have. The people that live in your home are extremely important to you and you probably have plenty of monetarily valuable items in your home. It makes sense you would want to protect your home and the people who live in it. There are a few things you can do to make your home a little safer. With the help of a Beverly Hills electrician, you can rest easy knowing you have taken care of the little things that have been known to cause major accidents.

Updating the Outlets

With technology and electrical science constantly improving and evolving, we have been given something knows as the GFI outlet. The ground fault interruption outlet can prevent electric shock when installed by an electrician in Beverly Hills. These outlets are perfect for placing in the kitchen and bath areas where water is typically used. Should an electrical appliance come in contact with the water, the circuit is shut off in order to prevent the person using the appliance from being shocked.

Hard-Wired Smoke Detectors

You can add seconds or possibly minutes to your family’s notification of a fire in the home with hard-wired smoke detectors. When a single detector is set off, all the alarms in the house will sound, even if they are clear at the other end of the hallway or upstairs. These alarms are hard-wired into the home’s main electric and will need to be installed by an electrician. Beverly Hills homeowners will appreciate knowing the install has been completed by a professional.

Security Lights

Having a light shining on the driveway and a clear path to the front door will make you feel better when you or a family member comes home after dark. Being able to see your surroundings adds peace of mind while repelling predators.

Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your appointment to make your home a little safer.

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.

If an entire home lighting renovation isn’t feasible right now, a simple and affordable way to update your style is by getting creative with what you already have and combining it with what others have left behind.

There is nothing quite as rewarding to me as a good ol’ thrift shop gem. When my family moved into a new home last year, the builder-grade light fixtures didn’t do much for the decor, but upgrading them just wasn’t in the budget. I was faced with the challenge of incorporating my style into the house without spending a fortune — a perfect excuse to pay a visit to my favorite local resale shops. Check out what I came home with…

QUICK TIP: Don’t forget about Ebay, consignment stores, flea markets, Craigslist, Freecycle, local yard sales, or non-profit donation centers like Goodwill, The Salvation Army, or Habitat for Humanity ReStores.   

I always loved the height and elegant shape of this lamp. When the shade was damaged in our move, it was a perfect opportunity for me to get creative. A new lamp shade ($9.95 on consignment), a decorative finial (taken from another old lamp), and some leftover twine gave this light new life!