It is not news that LED is becoming the new standard in saving money on your lighting bill. But with every new technology, the options are endless and plentiful, and sometimes clever marketing hides what really is important. If you understand the technology, its easy. If your new to the technology, you have to try and determine what is or isn’t important. Which makes the purchase decision even harder for those trying to navigate this maze of product availability and specifications. And to confuse the consumer even more, there is a lot of data being presented that is not created based on any agreed to standard. Read 10 different product brochures on what the marketers believe is the proper solution to replace 1000W Metal Halide and you will read everything from a low as 26,000 lumens to 70,000 lumens. Or what one manufacturer calls day white is total different than what another manufacturer thinks day white is. The best advice we can give the consumer is walk through the same process we do when we select our products to sell. We look for quality, performance, efficiency and great engineering. Let’s break that down to what that means.

Are the LED Lights UL or ETL Listed. This is the safety test. No one wants an unsafe product. The product must be able to perform without any chance of hazard. Are the lights DLC or Energy Star Rated? DLC (DesignLights Consortium) is a performance standard that makes sure the lights are efficient and perform at a high standard. It typically applies only to LED lights, but lately the standard has been broadened to include lighting controls. Energy Star is a consumer standard that applies to many products including small LED screw in bulbs. Up until recently, DLC did not have a provision for screw in bulbs, but has recently changed to allow some screw in LED bulbs.

Are the factories ISO Qualified? A lot aren’t, a lot say they are but aren’t. Some will say they abide by the ISO standards. What does that mean? Some will come up with their own marketing buzz words that sound great on paper and are very clever, but aren’t ISO certified.  To us, ISO certification gives us the peace of mind that the products we supply our customers are built and tested in an exacting and consistent manner with the least amount of risk of failure.

Although it is an option that many homeowners choose, installing solar panels on your own can be a very time-consuming and difficult process, especially if you have never worked with solar energy before. While most panels or solar kits are not terribly difficult to connect and get working, there are many factors that can help ensure that your panels last while providing you with the maximum amount of solar energy. That being said, most areas have any number of solar installers available and ready to install your solar panels for you so that you do not need to worry about any of these issues.

For most homeowners, the largest barrier to solar panel installation is the price. Although prices have gone down a little over the last few years, buying solar panels outright can be very expensive. Even though you will typically recover your investment in just a few years, it can be very difficult for many to spend that type of money up front. Luckily, there are a variety of programs available across the country that are helping to make the amount that solar panels cost much more manageable for the average family.

Naturally, it highly benefits the solar industry to have as many panels as possible on as many roofs as possible. In order to make solar installation easier for a wider number of people, many companies have developed solar financing and solar leasing programs that can help to spread the cost over a number of months. In the case of solar leasing, you simply pay the leasing company a monthly fee. In most cases, the amount that you save on your electric bill will completely offset the cost of the lease. What this means for you is that almost anyone can install solar panels without incurring a large, unmanageable up-front cost. For more Solar Power Info, browse the resources that we have available on this website.

There are many electrical hazards in industrial plants including arc blasts, shock and arc flash. These can result in serious injuries. Accidents involving electricity may sometimes be fatal. Industrial plant environments create potential for these events to occur not only to plant owners, but also to maintenance staff.

Electricians often assume that these hazards do not apply to them. These beliefs often persist until a major incident occurs that results in both financial and personal repercussions, that result in a change in policy within the plant.

Implementing policies that encourage a culture of electrical safety doesn’t have to be reactive. Taking steps to minimize the risks associated with electrical hazards will create a safe working environment for everyone, and not just the maintenance team.

One of the most important aspects of enhancing safety is establishing a routine for the maintenance of electrical equipment in the facility. This is not only vital for optimizing the performance of the equipment, but also ensuring reliability, safety and preventing unnecessary downtime.

By Clarissa Allison | March 18th, 2016

Using the right mixture of outdoor lighting in your front yard will enhance your home’s safety, security and beauty!

While it may seem like we can simply duplicate our backyard lighting scheme in the front of our homes, there are actually differing objectives to lighting your front yard. Lights in your front yard add security by deterring unwanted visitors while also adding ambient lighting to our landscape, and highlighting the architecture of our homes.