Electrical transformers come in various sizes and shapes and there is a distinct possibility that you have seen one in the area your business is located in. The larger transformers are typically grouped together and are found in power plants and isolated and fenced-off areas.

While most people know that they shouldn’t get too close to these installations, most aren’t sure what the purpose of these transformers is and how they work. Here is some more information that will give you clarity about this.

These are essentially electrical devices that are used in transferring electricity from a higher voltage to a lower one and vice versa. Most of the electrical transformers are designed to serve the latter function. Without using too much of technical terminology, here is a short explanation of what they do – The process via which energy is transformed is called electromagnetic induction; this uses a magnetic field right through the process.

There are transformers of different types and they all serve different purposes, based on the scale of the project and output requirement. In household applications, they are used to power equipment and appliances as well as kid’s toys. The power that is generated from the large power plants is generally just too powerful for the application it is to be used in. This is where a transformer comes into the picture. It downsizes the electricity and turns it into the required voltage which then gets transferred via coils.

Apart from powering equipment and appliances in your home, electrical transformers also have a massive impact on our daily lives. Most homes and businesses aren’t situated close enough to a power plant. How then do these establishments and homes get the amount of energy they require to function correctly?

This is the point at which transformers come in use. The technology used to drive these transformers gives them the ability to transfer energy across long distances at quite an impressive speed.

Transformers are categorized in many different ways, based on their application, construction and purpose. The different types of transformers are:

Aside from these, the types of transformers used in residential and smaller commercial uses are:

Ceiling fans are your answer to staying cool this summer without costing you a small fortune. You have probably heard about the benefit of ceiling fans in the past, but there is truly a major benefit to having one installed. The energy savings are worth the initial investment, which is actually quite minimal. A Santa Monica electrician, like those at The Electric Connection, can take care of the install for you. All you need to do is pick out the perfect fan for your room. Here are a few facts that will help you truly understand the benefits to running a ceiling fan.

*A ceiling fan costs about 2 or 3 cents an hour to run. An air conditioner costs about 50 cents an hour. Do the math, to run your air conditioner all day, it will cost you $12. Not much, but when you calculate an average month, that is nearly $360! The fan will cost about $22 a month.

*An air conditioner uses about 3,500 watts when it is running versus 60 watts a ceiling fan uses.

*Fans can be installed in place of the light fixture in the room. Most fans are either equipped with lights or a light assembly can be added to a fan.

If you run your ceiling fan on high, spinning counterclockwise, you can crank up your air conditioner a few degrees and still feel comfortable. While your fan won’t produce cool air, the breeze the blades will create feels cool and you won’t be tempted to turn the AC down. You can discuss this more with your electrician. Santa Monica homeowners may even choose to install fans in bedrooms as well. This makes sleeping much more comfortable. The whir of the blades is soothing and the gentle breeze keeps you comfortable despite the heat. Take the first step to staying cool this summer and call The Electric Connection to have your ceiling fan installed.

Smoke detectors are wonderful devices. They save homes and property, prevent countless fire-related deaths, and alert people to potential fires before they are out of control. In fact, these alarms are so invaluable, many insurers offer discounts on homeowners coverage for homes equipped with working smoke detectors.

Tired of breaking the bank just to keep up with the Joneses? Forget fancy cars and other status symbols. How about a way to maintain a friendly neighborly competition that actually involves saving money instead of spending? Americans have a wealth of resources at their disposal to empower families to cut back on energy consumption and reduce their electricity bills, but we don't do a stellar job of taking advantage of that information. Recent research, however, has shown that homeowners are more likely to take efficiency measures with their electrical work when they can compare their own consumption to that of their neighbors.

Whose Bill is the Lowest?

The experiment took place last summer, when the Vermont utility company Green Mountain Power worked with Opower, a software company that specializes in behavioral economics. During very hot days when air conditioning use was expected to be high, the utility reached out to customers with tips on reducing the amount of energy they need to power their home electrical work.

Afterward, the utility gave a report which ranked households in the neighborhood based on how well they had done on cutting back. By the end of the summer, electricity consumption among Green Mountain customers had dropped by five percent during hot days. That's some serious savings!

Peer Pressure at its Best

That five percent resulted from simple behavioral changes like bumping the thermostat up a few degrees and using curtains to block out sunlight during the hottest part of the day – no major investments or new equipment needed, just a little peer pressure. This research should be useful in helping understand what motivates people to save energy in order to develop more effective outreach programs for utility companies around the country.

One of the big takeaways is that the utility didn't give its customers any kind of incentives or payments to change their behavior – just the money they saved through efficiency, and the bragging rights of being more conservation-minded than their neighbors.

"Some of the decisions we make are not entirely rational, and they are due to a lack of context," Kevin Hamilton, Opower's vice president of marketing, said to Utility Drive, "and by providing that context you can encourage individuals to adjust their usage in ways that can benefit both the customer and the utility as well."

Little Changes Mean Big Savings

People come up with all kinds of reasons not to implement efficiency measures: It costs too much in initial capital, they are too busy to think about it, or they simply don't think the savings are worthwhile. But the reality is that even making small behavioral changes can add up in the long run.

If you want to decrease the cost of your electrical work and impress your neighbors, have a qualified home services technician perform an energy audit on your house to identify the most cost-effective ways for you to cut back.