Here's a novel idea to ponder: One day, your car could be the power source for your home electrical work. That's right, electric cars are being primed to send electricity from their batteries back into the home and even to the electric grid. They aren't full-time power sources, of course, but cars do have the potential to get you through a power outage and even help you save money on your electric bills. Read on to find out how.

Upending the Human-Car Relationship

The typical relationship between electric cars and our home electrical work is a one-way street – you fill up the car's battery from a home charging station, a process that takes hours. However, new fast-charging technology that is becoming available has a second intriguing function: it also allows the car to discharge electricity into the home. Nissan has already developed a system that would allow the car to hook up to home electrical work and keep it running in an emergency.

The battery in the Nissan Leaf holds enough energy to power a typical home for about 24 hours, longer if you take energy conservation measures. It won't keep the power on forever, but it's enough to keep the lights on and the fridge cold for a while during an outage. Even more impressive, since cars are, after all, mobile, the autos could be driven to areas in need of power in the event of a black-out to help with emergency services.

Smoothing Out Demand

The next step would be to use cars to actually sell electricity back to the grid. In a twist on time-of-day pricing, in which electricity costs more during the day and less at night, manufacturers envision a day when our cars are used as giant storage batteries, soaking up electricity at night when it's cheap and then discharging it back to the grid during the day to help even out demand and reduce bills at the same time.

With the right technology in place, utility companies could control exactly how much electricity comes and goes from plugged-in cars. This could reduce expenses dramatically, because it costs a bundle to bring on incremental power sources to meet extra demand during the day.

A Vision of the Future

This futuristic vision of the electrical grid isn't here yet, but the technology already exists. As more and more electric cars hit the road, we get closer to realizing their potential as mobile power storage devices as well as human transportation vehicles.

To find out if your home is suitable for an electric car charging station, call a local electrician today.

Are you trying to think of the perfect gift to give your family? Maybe you are planning for the future and thinking about your goals for 2017. Each year, we get a chance to make a difference. In fact, we can make a difference every single day, but we often feel as if the new year is a clean slate. Whatever the case may be, this is your year to make a difference in the world. Yes, you can do a little something that will impact the environment around you. It is all about energy conservation. There are many ways to do that, but something you could consider spending your money on this year is going solar with the help of an electrician. Glendale homeowners who want to get some freedom from the vulnerable power grid can have solar panels installed and save money on their electric bill while having a positive impact on the environment. The team at The Electric Connection can help.

There has been a big push in recent years by big business and governments all around the world to find alternative sources of power. Your Glendale electrician wants you to know it isn’t all that difficult to make the transition to alternative power. In fact, you may not even notice the difference at all. Today’s systems are installed with the idea of using the solar energy for the majority of your electricity needs, but remaining connected to the power grid just in case enough energy wasn’t generated. This gives you the best of both worlds and makes the transition a little easier.

An electrician in Glendale can go over all of the basics of solar power with you. Imagine giving yourself the gift of smaller electric bills and teaching your family that every person can make a difference. A little gift that will go a long way. Give The Electric Connection a call today and talk with a professional about giving the gift of energy conservation.

Saffron’s Drift Light is here to help. The Drift Light is like a normalAmanda Kooser reviewed the Drift Light earlier in the month. Kooser reports that during the first night, she was highly aware of the way the light was dimming, but during the next few nights, she never caught the light turning off because she was already asleep. As somone who claims to have “notorious” sleeping troubles, this would imply that the Drift Light works pretty well.

Kooser says that since you know the LED light bulb will dim over the course of 37 minutes, it’s easy to plan for the light to turn off around the time you want to fall asleep. The most compelling statement Kooser makes about the Drift Light: “There is something soothing about the world dimming around you. It’s like being a kid with an early bedtime, sensing the sun set outside your window.”

I’m interested to see if this product will become popular. Have you ever tried anything like this to improve your sleeping habits? Leave a comment, and let us know!

If you have recently purchased or inherited a home, you may be excited to move in and start your new life. Before you do, take a few moments to consider the safety of the home. If it is an older home, it may need some work done to bring the home up to code. An electrician in Santa Monica will need to do an inspection to evaluate the current status of the electrical wiring. From there, you will know what needs to be done to make your home safe and insurable. The team at The Electric Connection has the electrician you need to make this happen quickly.

Recently, the US Fire Administration released some alarming statistics about home fires in the United States. These statistics are based on 2012 numbers.

• Home fires caused more than $5.7 billion in damages • 14 percent of all home fires were caused by heating equipment (2011 statistic)

When you look at these figures, it is alarming. We depend a great deal on electricity. We don’t want to live without it. You don’t have to. It is about learning to be safe and making sure your Santa Monica electrical work is up to code. Electrical wiring is constantly evolving and being made safer. If your home is more than 50 years old, you probably need an upgrade if it hasn’t been done in the past 10 to 20 years.

Do what you can to make your home as safe as possible by calling an electrician to complete an inspection. Sadly, homes that have had an unlicensed electrician do the electrical work may not be eligible for a homeowner’s insurance payout in the event there is a fire. Don’t risk it! Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your electrical safety inspection.