Have you ever dreamed of generating your own electricity, right in your backyard? That dream could become reality with a residential wind turbine. Wind turbines won't work for everybody, but in the right conditions, they can provide part or all of the power you need to run your home electrical work. Read on to learn more about residential wind power and decide whether home generation is right for you.

Where the Turbines Turn

Wind turbines take up more space than solar panels, and they aren't as suitable for as many properties. For starters, wind turbines work best for homeowners who have at least an acre of property. The more open space you have between buildings and trees, the better. Additionally, they are usually a better option for people who live in rural areas and don't have stringent homeowners associations or local code issues to navigate.

Small, residential wind turbines can range anywhere from 30 to 140 feet tall, with the average being around 80 feet, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Generators usually have a capacity of between 2 and 10 kilowatts, depending on how much power the home needs and what the wind conditions are in the area. Turbines aren't cheap – costs can come in between $10,000 and $70,000 – but there are federal tax credits that help soften the blow, and you can usually recoup your investment in 6 to 30 years, depending on the specifics of your system.

The Power of Wind and Solar Combined

If you want to build in a layer of redundancy in your home power generation, you can combine a wind turbine with solar energy panels on your roof so you can create power in a larger variety of weather conditions. With a powerful storage battery, you'll be well on your way to eliminating electricity bills from your life.

For wind enthusiasts who are still on the grid, you can usually sell excess power that you generate back to your utility company, similar to how the process works for solar energy, helping to drive your electricity bills even lower. A solid turbine should last for at least 20 years, and hopefully much longer, although they do require yearly inspections to keep them running in peak condition.

The U.S. Government Has Your Back

The Department of Energy publishes a consumer guide for small wind electric systems packed full of even more information. If you are interested in learning more about home wind turbines, or need other electrical work performed, call up a trusted electrician today.

As a business owner, you need to ensure that your office has the right amenities, ambience and facilities and that your employees have a comfortable atmosphere to work in. Not only will that keep your staff happy, but will increase the overall productivity of your business as well.

When it comes to office or commercial interior design, there are a number of things that have to be taken into account; while most business owners focus on getting ergonomic furniture, installing well-planned work stations and having the right amenities, many overlook the lighting aspect.

Regardless of how well-planned and decorated your office is, if it is poorly-lit, that will only mar the appearance of your office and make the spaces look dull and drab. This can impact the enthusiasm of your employees; it will also affect the momentum of work and the productivity of your team. Here are some pointers that will help you get your office lighting right:

You don’t need to add very large or elaborate electrical fixtures to brighten up dark areas in your office. You can create a brighter ambience in the indoor spaces of your office by following these pointers:

If you are a business that is looking to attract traffic in the later hours of the day/night, you would have to consider outdoor lighting very carefully. The exterior of your building should be well illuminated. Not only does this add to the aesthetics of the structure, but increases the safety aspect of your property as well.

If you have a driveway and other large entranceways leading to your commercial property, make it a point to use the right fixtures so they have sufficient lighting. Some of the lighting features that can be installed in outdoor spaces include:

Commercial spaces are highly dependent on electricity to run their businesses efficiently. Regardless of whether you have an office, retail space or any other type of business, a power outage can result in downtime that can impact the productivity of your staff and the profitability of your commercial set up. This is why having sufficient and well-planned backup power is crucial to the running of your business.

Available in a variety of shapes and sizes and with multiple base types, these long-lasting LED bulbs are perfect for an elegant, vintage look. Chips-on-board (COB) LEDs imitate the look of thin filament wire in antique-style bulbs and emit a rich, warm white or ultra-warm white color. The decorative bulbs are great for many applications, such as chandeliers, wall sconces, ornamental fixtures, and light strands, and they consume only a fraction of the energy consumed by incandescent bulbs.