Are you still using incandescent light bulbs? Your electrician would recommend a different course. Efficient lighting technology has blown up in the last few years, and advanced technologies are just getting better. Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are at the forefront of modern lighting thanks to their inexpensive and long-lasting luminescence. Some of these new diodes are leading the pack in must-have lighting features, including smart home integration that you can control with your phone. Read on to learn more about the latest in LED technology.

Upfront Costs are Dropping

One of the biggest complaints about early LEDs was the price. Almost any LED will save you money over time compared to an incandescent bulb, since they use 25 to 80 percent less electricity and can last up to 25 times as long, but many consumers balked at paying the $35 or higher retail price for a single bulb. Newer models, however, can recreate the look of that classic 60 watt incandescent bulb with fewer LED panels, meaning they are cheaper to produce and sell for $10 or less.

Options are Expanding

Other common complaints about the first LED models were that the warmth of the light wasn't quite right and they didn't work with accessories like dimmers. With today's technologies, however, you can find LEDs that give off almost any color and lighting profile, allowing you to mimic the look and feel of your old incandescent bulbs or tailor your room to fit more eclectic tastes. Not every LED is compatible with standard dimmers yet, but many are – just check the label on the box to make sure.

Make it a Smart Bulb

Many new LED models are designed specifically to work with smart technology. That means you can control them from your phone no matter where you are, set up a schedule for them to turn on and off, and even have different colors or light intensities at different times. Newer bulbs are also optimized to work with your other smart home systems to move you closer to a goal of integrated whole-house control.

Turnkey Functionality

One of the biggest advantages of upgrading to LEDs is how easy it is. There's no need to hire an electrician to set up new wiring or fixtures – the bulbs screw right into the pre-existing bases, out of the box. If you want tips on how to make the most of your new lighting options and create the room profile that fits your home, however, don't hesitate to call up your local electrician for guidance and advice.

The most common definition of a distributor is a mediator or a supplier between a manufacturer and a retailer. Though this doesn’t sound as complicated or complex, the job of a distributor does not involve only supplying and can include consultation as well.

There are different types of distributors functioning in the market and one of the most crucial lines of businesses in this field is electrical distributorship. As with every job, you need to have the right approach and roadmap if you are keen to take this up as a career. The following tips will help provide a better idea.

After you’ve been around something for a while, you start to take it for granted.

Things like dissolvable cornstarch packing peanuts.

It took one imaginative 11-year-old boy and an email from a happy customer to remind us just how nifty these little earth-friendly peanuts are.

If you’ve received a shipment from Pegasus Lighting in the past few years, your box most likely had a sticker on it with those words. Inside the box is a note that shares the reasons behind our choice to use biodegradable cornstarch packing peanuts, not the least of which is because they are really fun to play with.

Thank you, Happy Customer, for restoring our packing peanut fascination by sending this great note and photo of your son’s clever art sculpture (whatever you decide that it will be)! Oh, and for the record, I’m voting Rocket Ship.

Tripped circuit breaker: many of us have experienced them at some point in our homes, yet instead of asking ourselves, “Why Do Breakers Trip?”, we reset the breaker without much thought. Before flipping the switch back over to the “ON” position, however, it’s important to understand why the breaker tripped in the first place, and what can be done to keep it from happening again.

As a Top Dallas Electrician, ElectricMan Inc. understands the danger of ignoring the warning signs of a tripped circuit breaker. But first, you need to know what a breaker does and how it works.

The Job of the Circuit Breaker

Simply put, a home or business circuit breaker is a safety device that monitors the amount of electrical current going through the electrical wires in your home and shuts off the circuit if too much electricity is being pulled through it, or if there is any disturbance in the current that could result in a fire.

Whereas a fuse performs the same task but can only be used once, a circuit breaker can perform over and over with the use of a switch that trips to indicate when it has effectively cut off current to a particular area.

What Makes a Breaker Trip?

So, Why Do Breakers Trip and what kind of things could cause a circuit breaker to trip? Some of the most common causes of a tripped breaker include:

For example, in some homes, running a microwave, a toaster oven and a refrigerator all on the same circuit may cause your wires to overheat, tripping the breaker. In this instance, making the load a little lighter, or splitting the circuit, may do the trick in keeping it from tripping the breaker.

Ignoring a Tripped Breaker is Not a Good Idea

Because of the many reasons why your circuit breaker could be tripping, and because of the purpose of the circuit breaker, you should never take a tripped breaker lightly. It’s important to understand that the circuit breaker is a safety device; simply switching the circuit back on without investigating the culprit can become costly in the long run and, in many cases, extremely dangerous.

If your breaker trips consistently, chances are there is a potentially dangerous electrical issue that needs to be looked at. ElectricMan Inc. is a Top Dallas Electrician with over 27 years of residential and commercial experience in the electrical field. Call ElectricMan Inc. at 972-792-7270 to make sure that your home is safe and free from the risk of a short or a fire.

If the bulbs in your fixtures aren’t easily replacable, you may need to buy new ones if you want to upgrade to more energy efficient lighting. Ultimately it will be worth the up-front investment either way, since you can save so much both in your energy bill and in replacement costs when you use LEDs or other similarly long-lasting solutions.

While some people like to own a house as soon as possible, it isn’t always practical. If you live in a rental, never fear! With just the right amount of ingenuity, you too can experience the joys of great lighting. Even if you aren’t allowed to tamper with the hardwiring, you can add more temporary fixtures such as battery operated puck lights under your kitchen cabinets or some really trendy plug-in lamps.