Now that winter is around the corner and the temperature is already dropping, the heating bills will start to increase. Here are a few ways you can keep down your expenses this season.

Using electrical space heaters will also help you control the heating expenses. Electrical space heaters are a cheap way to heat only the rooms that you are using. They will be more efficient then turning up the thermostat for the whole house, but don’t leave them running all day. Just make sure that you keep your heaters away from curtains and furniture, and keep any children or pets from burning themselves.

For more information or any questions contact your local Expert Electric.

You can look at your house and think of it as a piece of clay to be molded into image and design you want. Owning a home gives you the luxury of creating the perfect living space for your family by remodeling, upgrading or even adding on as allowed by your city building codes. Many older homes are equipped with basements. Those basements are often ignored and overlooked as viable living spaces. Instead, they are filled with the overflow and not given any kind of attention. You can change that with the help of an electrician. Glendale homeowners who want to add living space without knocking out walls can use their basements. The Electric Connection has a team ready to help you light up your basement and make it warm and inviting.

You will want to hire a general contractor to help you come up with building plans that will transform the basement into living space. There are plenty of options depending on how big the basement is. You may be able to create a hobby room, den, office or just a nice space to relax and watch the game. One of the most important elements of a basement is the lighting explains a Glendale electrician. The windows tend to be a bit smaller and don’t always get a great deal of natural light. You need to compensate by having plenty of lighting installed.

Basements are notoriously dark and dingy. The ceilings tend to be lower in a basement than in the upper levels of the home. You need to get creative with your lighting. One way to get maximum light without losing any head space is to have an electrician in Glendale install can lights or what is known as recessed lighting. You will love the brightness and the overall transformation of your new space. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your basement lighting transformation.

Chances are, the computer, tablet or phone that you are using to read this post is powered by electricity produced by coal, natural gas or nuclear energy. Currently, the overwhelming bulk of power for the nation's electrical work is generated in large, centralized plants that use those three fuels. However, with the rise of renewable energy sources as well as a transition to modern and responsive grid technology, the country's electric infrastructure is poised to move toward a more dispersed generation system. Read on to learn what that means for you.

Huge Generating Plants Vulnerable to Disruption

According to the Energy Information Administration, 39 percent of the nation's electricity comes from coal, 27 percent from natural gas and 19 percent from nuclear fuel. In addition to being non-renewable, the three fuels that make up 85 percent of our electricity production also work best in massive power plants that produce large amounts of power, which is then sent out long distances through the grid to power our electrical work.

This large-scale generation has advantages – economies of scale, for one – but it is also inflexible and can be subject to disruption. An event that causes a plant to shut down or interrupts its distribution, for example, could leave entire communities without power. The grid is also, in effect, a one-way street – electricity leaves the generating plant and arrives at your home, where it is consumed.

Renewable Energy and Advancing Technology

However, several changes are occurring that will create a more dispersed and flexible generation system to power our electrical work. For one, the share of renewable energy sources, which don't require large generating plants, is continuing to grow. Solar panels are popping up on rooftops across America, while wind power could provide as much as a third of the electricity in the country by 2050. In addition to being far better for the environment than fossil fuels, these power generators can scale down to even a household-by-household basis.

The other change that is facilitating a more dispersed power generation system is an advance in technology in the electric grid, which allows power to flow in two directions, both to your home and away from your home. That means that electricity can be generated almost anywhere and then zipped along the power lines to wherever it is needed. Breakthroughs in power storage technology will also help guide us toward a future where the power for our electrical work is created when and where it's needed, freeing us from the constraints created by large, inflexible power plants.

Generate Electricity at Your Own Home

If you want to learn more about adding renewable power sources to your property, or need any other electrical work done, call up an expert electrician today.

Electrical motors are wonderful devices that are used in a myriad of ways, making things easier in our daily lives as well as a wide range of industrial applications. When these gadgets fail, work often grinds to a halt till they’re back up and running, and the reasons for electrical motor failure can range from the commonplace to the bizarre.

While the list of possible causes can go on forever, we’ll take a look at some of the most common ones here:

Exposure to high heat is a top culprit for all kinds of equipment failure, and ranks as the number one reason for motor malfunctions and deterioration. Optimal running temperatures extend motor life, which is why they should be your first priority.

In fact, most of the other possible reasons for electrical motor malfunctions also lead to the generation of extra heat. A rise of even a few degrees can cause trouble over time, and if motor windings are exposed to an extra 10° C of heat, the life of their insulation drops by half!

Being prepared for anything is nearly impossible, but you can be prepared for some of the little eventualities in life like a power outage. If you are prepared for the outage it is a lot less inconvenient than if you were taken completely off guard. Power outages happen for numerous reasons. Most of the time the outages are not long in duration, but there are times the outages can be extensive and your life is sorely interrupted. An electrician in Santa Monica has some advice for you to follow before an outage happens so you can be ready to deal with the aftermath. At The Electric Connection, you will find a team of knowledgeable electricians who can provide you with service to deal with any electrical problems caused by an outage. There are times appliances malfunction after a power outage. You can prevent this from happening by having a whole home surge protector installed.

You can also prepare for the lack of lights by putting a couple of flashlights along with extra batteries in a safe place that you can easily find when the lights are off. A kitchen drawer, a nightstand table or near the front door are all good places. Along with flashlights you will want to have a supply of emergency candles along with matches or a lighter. Don’t forget to keep candleholders handy as well. If you are not comfortable with using candles or relying on flashlights, you can talk with a Santa Monica electrician about installing a standby generator.

Keep the phone number of the power company handy as well. Most power companies will have an emergency number. This is the number you would call to find out how long the outage will last. If you have any more questions or would like to learn more about generators or surge protectors, give The Electric Connection a call today.