It is always nice to have a little extra change in your pocket. Sometimes, when the cost to buy gas or groceries always seems to be going up, it can be tough to find that change. You could start cutting down on your electric bill by following these handy tips from your Pasadena electrician. Every extra dollar helps and by making your refrigerator a little more energy efficient, you will be doing something good for your checking account and the environment. The team at The Electric Connection wants to help you and is ready to answer any questions you may have.

1-Do what you can to keep your refrigerator as full as possible. Don’t be so quick to toss out the little bit of milk in the jug to clear out some space. Space takes more electricity to cool. A full fridge will maintain its temperature better than an empty fridge.

2-Avoid putting the toaster microwave, coffee pot and if at all possible, the oven next to the fridge. You want to limit the heat near your fridge. If you are heating it up from the outside, it will make the fridge work that much harder to keep cold. If you need to move your fridge, considering hiring an electrician. Pasadena residents who want to renovate their kitchen to keep the fridge away from the hot appliances will need an additional outlet.

3-Make sure there is a couple inches between the wall and the back of your fridge. Keep the coils dusted. Lint, cobwebs and dust will clog up the filters on the refrigerator and make it have to run more often and work harder to function properly. Keep it regularly maintained and you will extend the life of the appliance and reduce your electricity usage.

Give The Electric Connection a call today if you need a new outlet for your fridge.

Image via CleanTechnica.com

In Lighting Tips…

Other Cool Stuff…

As part of the UN Conference For Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, this Image via UNCSD2012.org

OSRAM introduced a new OLED fixture, called “Rollercoaster” for its interesting architectural design. It features the innovative transparent OLED panels, and OSRAM hopes to begin mass production of these products by 2014. Read more on the fixture Image via LightNOWblog.com

Have you made any lighting changes to your home or building this month? Or have you learned anything new about light? Please share!

Most families have a fire plan, a tornado plan, and even a “what to do when you’re locked out of the house plan.” What many families don’t have is a practiced electrical safety plan. You may have told your children a million times not to put their fingers in wall sockets, but have you told them a million times not to fly a kite under power lines?

Here are five key safety tips that your children should not only know, but memorize, when it comes to electricity:

Kids love to climb trees, but trees under power lines may be too dangerous to climb. Teach your kids to always look up before climbing trees. If power lines are running through or near the branches, it is not a safe to climb that tree.

Teach children to never fly kites or carry helium balloons on long strings under or near power lines. Electricity is always looking for a route to the ground; kites and balloons make the perfect conduits.

In some neighborhoods, power lines are buried in the ground. It can be difficult to tell where these lines are located. Teach your children not to dig in the ground in any areas you have not told them are safe.

Transformers are often large, green, metal boxes sitting on the ground. Teach your children that these are not mountains to be climbed or treasures to explore. Tell your children that if they notice one of these boxes open, they should alert an adult immediately.

When lightning strikes, it’s time to head inside. Children should know to go indoors when storms are approaching, but especially when thunder sounds and lightning strikes.

Don’t tell your children these things just once! Make sure that an electrical safety plan is part of your overall emergency preparedness plan. When your children know what to do and not to do around electricity, accidents are less likely to occur.

Solar Farm

From science fiction to massive solar plants in the American West, solar energy has fascinated and tantalized scientists and writers for generations.  The promise of easily-accessible, virtually free energy from the large fusion reactor at the center of our solar system (the sun) is enticing and we’re getting closer to harnessing its power effectively every day.

Solar power is interesting because it’s one of the few electrical energy systems that does not use a turbine to generate energy.  Photoelectric cells contain a material that releases electrons when hit by a photon, generating electrical power.  There are no moving parts, no fuel to burn and pay for, and only occasional maintenance to keep the system performing optimally.

So what is holding back the proliferation of solar energy?  Space and storage.  We can generate large quantities of energy from solar, but we do not, at present, have the right method to store that energy for periods without sunlight (night time and storms).  So far the best response has been homeowners installing solar cells on their own homes with battery storage systems linked into their own neighborhoods.  By splitting up generation and storage within the neighborhood itself, enough solar cells can be installed to generate energy both day and night.

Space is at a premium when it comes to energy generation.  Solar power plants take up more space than traditional plants, while generating less energy per square foot.  Because solar cells need to be placed over large areas to maximize sunlight, installing power plants in urban areas can be difficult.  Though installing solar cells on your home can be done simply.

We mentioned self-starting or “œblack-start” energy systems.  These systems can be started without power applied to the system, a huge benefit to fuel-fed power plants, and necessary in the event of major blackouts and power losses.  True, we can supplement with gas turbines or nearby power generation, but we also want black-start renewables.  Fortunately, hydroelectric power plants require no off-system power to function.

Hydroelectric plants are special because, while they also have a somewhat variable energy source, they also have one of the best energy storage systems available: potential energy.  Hydroelectric dams use flowing water to spin turbines, typically generated from lakes and rivers.  Rather than storing generated electricity, hydroelectric plants can store water at a higher altitude.  By storing water in special tanks, they have access to electrical generation potential by simply releasing the stored water and allowing it to spin the turbine.  Hydroelectric power is perfect for energy storage, but they’re limited to specific areas.