Holiday lighting products have evolved into a much safer product over the years.  With the development of properly sized wires and fuses and LED lighting to reduce the consumption load and the heat the lamps produce, holiday lighting has never been more safe.  In the past people would take the old C style lamps and hook one string of lights into the other.  Often overloading one the strings or the weakest link.  This overload would often melt wires, create sparks, and in some cases even cause a fire.  The manufactures and improved safety standards and testing, help reduce to the chance of an overload by installing a fuse at the starter end or male end of the light string.  This fuse would blow or trip when the load became greater than the fuse capacity, which would then project the wire from the overload.  It is always recommended to install lights that are interconnected (one light string plugged into the other) to manufacture specifications as listed by there instructions.

LED or light emitting diodes have not only made holiday lighting more efficient but even safer.  The old style C7 and C9 lamps could reach temperatures of up to 350 degrees.  The hot lamp if rested against wood or dry Christmas tree, has the potential to ignite the material from the heat the lamp produces and cause a fire.  With LED’s to replace the old style incandescent lamps the chance of fire from heat is almost non existing.  However, it is still possible to cause a fire from electrical spark or short.  These sparks or shorts produce heat much greater and can easily ignite flammable material.  Sparks or shorts are often caused by frayed or damaged insulation on the electrical wires and also loose connections.  It is important to inspect your holiday lighting for damaged or loose components and replace when needed.  Be sure not to use any damaged equipment and immediately discard them to eliminate the chance of future use.

A common mistake made people make with holiday lighting is to plug to many holiday lights into each other.  UL listed holiday lighting and cord splitters are tested to specific tolerances and should only be installed to manufactures specifications.  The easiest location to find the manufactures is specifications is to look at the tag on the cord most commonly found near the male end of the cord or light string.

If enough standard wall sockets are not present and you must plug in multiple cords, it is highly recommended to install a plug switch with a built in overload device to reduce the risk of overload.  The built in overload should not be mistaken for a surge protection device.  A surge protector reduces or eliminates the excess voltage going to the device plugged into itself.  Where an overload device will shut off power at the point of installation if to much power is being drawn through it.

On many new homes we will install plug ins located in the soffit or eve to reduce or eliminate drop cords for holiday lighting.  These soffit plugs are installed on a special heavier 20 amp circuit and often include a convenience switch located inside the home to shut the lights on / off as needed.  The special circuit makes sure your holiday lighting is not installed on regular interior circuits so the chance of variable loads and overloads are dramatically reduced.

Permanent holiday lighting can be installed by a licensed electrician.  The most common type of permanent holiday lighting is LED strip lighting.  These are can be installed on the under side of eves or soffits for a permanent installation.  Depending on the type of LED holiday lighting you choose you may even have the option to change the colors of the lights with a push of a button.  This allows the holiday lighting to be used for many occasions throughout the year.  You can call today or schedule online to have a lighting specialist come to your home or business and provide you with a written no obligation quote.

It is now easier than ever to find the right electric car to fit your needs. In the past, the only models available were rather small and compact. People scoffed at the idea of a car that was barely big enough for two people. Nowadays, there are plenty of makes and models to choose from. You have the freedom to go big or small. You will be able to save money on gas once you make the electric car purchase, but only if you have the right set up at home to effectively use your electric car. This is where the help of an experienced electrician in Los Angeles, like those at The Electric Connection comes in.

When you buy your car, you will typically be offered the choice of a Level I charging station. This is a system that you can plug in anywhere. It can plug into an available outlet in your garage or carport. This charger is the least expensive and will fully charge your car—in about 24 hours. Most people don’t have the luxury of not leaving their house for a full 24 hours. This means you would either not be able to use the electric power for your drive and have to rely on gas or only be able to use it for a short while before the car resorted to fuel.

Your Los Angeles electrician can help solve that problem by adding the proper outlet needed for a Level II charging station. These chargers will get the car to a full charge in less than 8 hours. That is a little more practical for daily use. The charger requires more volts to run, which is why you need an electrician. Los Angeles residents can call The Electric Connection to schedule their 240-volt outlet installation in their garage and make their electric car investment a little better.

Time to fall back and re-adjust to a new light!  Daylight Savings Time ends on November 2nd and our circadian rhythms may be upset as we are forced to accept the darker mornings.

Don’t despair, a few simple tips will help make for an easy transition.  From landscape to living room, we’ll show you how to adjust your lighting design for the change of season.

3 Surefire Ways to Keep your Circadian Rhythm in Check and Attune your Light to the Season

1.  PERFECT TIMING:  Reset timers on outdoor and landscape lighting.  Timers for outdoor lighting should be set to go on after sunset.  Automated timers may be wall-mounted indoors or on transformers outside.  Newer systems may be powered to photocells which adjust light fixtures automatically for Daylight Savings Time. Photocells are activated by natural sunlight, so that lights will go as soon as it gets dark outset.  For the coming winter months–timers for outdoor lighting should be programmed to go on around 5 pm and shut-off around 3 am.

2.  KEEPING YOUR SPIRIT UP:  Many individuals experience a lack of energy and/or depressed mood during the winter months due to their decreased exposure to sunlight.  Adding daylight bulbs to table or floor lamps will brighten up your interior space and may help to keep your energy and spirit up throughout the day.

Frosted True Daylight lamps from Bulbrite Industries utilize neodymium to replicate sunlight to  help you “see better, feel better” and adjust to seasonal changes.

3.  STAYING IN TUNE TO THE NEW NORMAL:  Studies have confirmed that lighting our homes and offices in tune with our natural circadian rhythms is beneficial to overall performance and well-being.  “Tunable” lighting is the wave of the future.  From setting our lighting designs to be in perfect unison with our sleep-wake-performance schedules to illuminating entire rooms in our favorite colors, we have the technology to change our lighting design according to the season and the ceremony!

Visit with a professional lighting consultant at a Capitol Lighting showroom or 1800lighting.com for personalized attention to your lighting design scheme.  Keep abreast of the latest lighting news at 1800lighting.com.