Commercial buildings are ideal for installing solar panels. They generally have greater surface area to install larger systems which lead to powerful long-term savings for businesses. How are commercial systems different than residential arrays?

First of all, commercial buildings aren’t always bound by the aesthetic concerns prevalent in residential applications. An office building, for example, has a rooftop concealed from the street below, an ideal location to install solar panels without an accompanying visual nuisance. This also allows a much larger array to be installed.

Larger solar installations tend to be more efficient since larger panels are generally more efficient than smaller ones. Since concerns for appearance are minimized, installation of commercial systems on flat surfaces is much easier and faster than on slanted residential roofs.

Interestingly, the price per kilowatt hour of power is the same. Since this is how solar panels are usually sold, there is no competitive price difference and some homeowners might find that commercial solar panels work just fine for their needs.

One striking similarity between residential and commercial solar panels is that they are both excellent options for saving on energy costs. If your business is looking for a way to improve its bottom line, solar panels are an investment that grow with time.

As energy costs rise by about 5 percent every year, so does your energy bill. Many businesses like yours have discovered that they can install a solar panel at no initial cost and pay off the cost of their solar system as time goes by. They lock into current power rates, enjoy immediate savings on their power bill, and watch as their energy costs gradually decrease, while their neighbors pay more and more every year.

Take a look around: sunshine is one of the most resources in southern California. You just need the help of solar installers to tap into it. Give us a ring to discover how to start.

In recent years, LED performance has caused an abundance of hype in the lighting technology market. What’s all the fuss about LED bulbs? Turns out there’s quite a bit to rave about…

The history of LED light bulbs Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are among the most rapidly advancing lighting technologies available today. Highly efficient, long lasting, and environmentally friendly, LED bulbs, like other forms of lighting technology, have progressed thanks to the work of multiple inventors….

LEDs – the future of lighting technology. Compared to the older lighting technology of incandescents and fluorescents, LEDs offer an array of advantages. Highly efficient, today’s LED bulbs are 100 percent efficient at turning energy into light, up to 50 percent more efficient than compact fluorescents (CFLs), and up to 85 percent more efficient than traditional incandescents. They also last 2-5 times longer than CFLs and 25 times longer than incandescents, reducing the need for frequent bulb replacement and excess landfill waste. Highly versatile, LED bulbs don’t flicker, are not affected by extreme temperatures, are dimmable, produce a high quality of light, and don’t emit UV light or contain hazardous materials such as mercury. What are LED bulbs made of? How do they work? Today’s LED bulbs feature solid-state lighting technology (SSL), emitting light from solid matter (a semiconductor), versus the vacuum in an incandescent or the gas in a CFL. Using a semiconductor made of a positively and negatively charged component, an LED produces light by moving electrons around its structure – a positive layer with holes for electrons and negative layer where free electrons can float. When electricity is used to move the electrons, they emit light as they flow into the positively charged holes. How common are LED bulbs?

Don’t throw away your hard earned money to the lighting costs associated with outdated incandescents. Contact Mr. Electric® for all of your LED bulb replacement needs. Start saving today with the help of Mr. Electric and the latest in lighting technology. 

Do you have a smart phone? What about a smart watch? Tablet? Laptop computer? Backup battery? Each of these devices needs frequent charging, which means the charger will take up a precious electrical outlet somewhere in your home for hours at a time, and could prevent you from having to plug in something else that you may need. What’s worse, what happens when you lose your charger and are left with nothing more than a typical USB cable? You can’t plug that into the wall, so what good will it do?

Well, that’s not exactly true anymore. In recent years, because the USB platform has become so popular for smartphone and other device charging, electrical component companies have begun to make wall sockets with USB plugs already built in! These combo outlets give you the best of both worlds, allowing you to plug in your devices with a regular USB cable while keeping your electrical sockets open for additional plugs.

A USB combo outlet is remarkably simple, and can be retrofitted to fit nearly any already-existing outlet. Essentially the two electrical outlets are exactly the same, but they also have two USB outlets squished right in between them. When the electricity is fed to the outlet, it also feeds directly into a step-down circuit, which brings the voltage down from 110 volts to about five, which is the standard for that particular plug technology.

The other benefit is you don’t have to worry about a large or bulky charger potentially blocking up the other outlet. While most manufacturers have gotten pretty good about keeping their wall chargers small, some larger units can take up a big chunk of space on your wall, potentially hindering access to the other charging unit. Getting rid of these units entirely and charging off a USB port keeps both plugs free and open for other uses.

Think something like this would be far too expensive? Think again. The average cost of a USB wall socket is generally anywhere between $10 and $25 each, making them remarkably cost-effective. When you consider you don’t usually need any more than three to four of these outlets, you can make this switch for at most about $100.

That is, provided your home can support these new devices. A wall outlet sits inside a small metal case that’s mounted inside your wall, known as a junction box. Most modern junction boxes are fairly large, and upgrading to these new outlets isn’t a big issue. But some older homes were built with smaller junction boxes that won’t be able to fit the increased size of a USB outlet, which is normally roughly twice as deep as a traditional standard outlet.

Part of the recent trend to go eco-friendly has been the emergence of electrical cars. Electrical cars emit no pollution and eliminate trips to the gas station, saving you money. Instead of going to the gas station though, you will need to find another destination to top up your new vehicle electric car’s batteries. Installing a car charger in your home makes it convenient and efficient to fill up every day.

Most electrical vehicles can be charged over the course of a night. For those commuting daily with an electrical vehicle, this ensures that you are charged and ready to go every morning. A car charger is likely to be installed at the location where the car is parked for the night. This is likely either in a carport or garage, but this doesn’t mean it cannot be installed outside. If you decide that the best location for your charger is not a covered area, (this may be the case for a housing complex installing a station), make sure that you purchase an outdoor charger.

When you are ready to purchase your indoor or outdoor charger, review your vehicle’s owner manual for the recommended charger requirements. The car may require either a level 1 or a level 2 charger and should specify a recommended voltage and amperage. Chargers can be purchased at a variety of different retailers. Some cars come standard with a 120V charger or a faster 240V charger. Once you have determined the specifications for your charger you can purchase the right one for your vehicle.

Electrical car chargers can be used on standard 120V outlets, but for faster charging, 240V chargers can be purchased. Even if the charger you purchased can be plugged into a standard outlet, it is recommended that you have your outlet and wiring inspected by a professional. The charging will increase the load on your electrical system. If your wiring, breaker or electrical meter is too old, you could run into issues. It is advised that if you are using a 240V charger, a dedicated circuit is installed for it.

If you are interested in having an electric car charging station installed in your home, contact Expert Electric. We can help identify the requirements and ensure that your home is prepared to charge your new vehicle.