If you are upgrading your home’s electrical work for a renovation or remodel, then there are some truly simple ways you can elevate your new lighting to “wow” status, and now is the time to do so!

If your home is a bit on the older side, the best way to modernize is with new LED recessed lighting cans. The reason for this is simply due to the smaller nature of modern cans, which allow for a much higher ceiling than you may have. Areas like kitchens, for instance, very often have lowered ceilings to account for the room that antiquated fluorescent or recessed lighting needs to have. Today’s recessed lighting cans can fit in the space between the floor joists and the future drywall, allowing for the absolute maximum ceiling height, which immediately improves the feel of most rooms.

Do you have a dedicated entry to your home, such as a mudroom or enclosed patio? Nothing modernizes and simplifies these areas as easily as a motion-activated switch. In fact, these upgrades can be done after-market if your switch is positioned correctly using inexpensive switch replacements found at your local hardware store. The key here is that your switch has to be positioned correctly, often on the adjacent wall, which is often not the case. Otherwise, you will need to enter the room before the switch can sense your movement, which defeats the purpose in most applications. Planning for motion switches during the remodel can open up this possibility with ease.

Here is where we really get to go wild; a pressure switch may seem like a frivolity, but actually adds a great amount of value when used correctly. For instance, if there will be space between your upper kitchen cabinets and the ceiling, then adding in over-cabinet lighting creates an incredible effect; better still, piggybacking off of the circuit used for under- or over- cabinet lighting to create an interior cabinet lighting system is really not difficult to do at all. From there, simply add a pressure switch to your cabinet doors and voila, you’ve achieved a million-dollar home look for almost no extra cost if done when your other cabinet lighting circuitry is being installed. Similarly, if you’re able to reimagine your pantry with a closing door, simply put a pressure switch in the door frame that compresses when closed, turning off the light immediately, and depresses when opened to instantly turn on the light. It may not sound like much, but anyone visiting your home will be amazed by your ingenuity; plus, it takes almost no extra work to install, only requiring the switch box to be located on the corresponding portion of the wall and a small wire to snake through a drilled hole in the door frame.

The best way to achieve these and other inexpensive tricks for added value and usability is to partner with inspired electricians that are willing to make these types of suggestions. At Electrical Gurus, you’ll find the most skilled and dedicated electricians in Des Moines.

Many would argue that Christmas lights and decorations are one of the most enjoyable aspects of the holiday season; one can’t help but “ooh” and “aah” at all the dazzling lights and angelic sceneries.  In fact, a testament to this is the popular tradition of driving around neighborhoods at night just to see all the different displays homeowners have put up.

When it comes to Christmas lighting and decorations, the possibilities are nearly endless. Whether you decide to go with blown-up animated cartoons such as Frosty and Rudolph, lighted Santa sculptures, pathway lights, or hanging lights such as icicle or snowflake, we guarantee your home will be a beautiful masterpiece by the end of it.

While lighting and decorations are a great way to illuminate your holiday spirit, it’s important to follow safety guidelines to ensure your family and home remain safe.  Homeowners use exponentially more electricity this time of year, which can make way for electrical hazards. Make sure to follow these Christmas tips from the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI).

relatively high ceilings. Drive by any industrial park, warehouse, or factory, and walk inside and what you will see is a high bay light.

But walk into any factory or warehouse and you will see different styles and options, wattage’s and configurations. Traditional high bay fixtures that were once common place were Mercury Vapor, which were then replaced with High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide bulbs. As new technologies were introduced, and old technologies became more common, the old HID bulbs were replaced with Induction and Fluorescent light sources. And more recently with the more wide spread approval and popularity of LED, we started to see conversions from these older technologies to the latest energy saving LED High Bays.

A High Bay Fixture, depending on the light source, can take on many forms and shapes. If you consider a Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium fixture, they typically consist of a large heat sink block at the top of the fixture that typically houses the fixtures ballast. Below is an aluminum or acrylic dome and at the top of the dome is the HID bulb. These bulbs typically come in two wattage’s, 400 and 1000. 400 Watt Fixtures tend to be installed in ceiling heights no higher than 30 feet, 1000 watt fixtures are typically 40 feet or higher. Interestingly enough, spacing of lights is similar to the height they are located off the floor. A fixture installed at 20 feet from the floor is installed in a 20X20 pattern, 30 feet in a 30X30 pattern, 40 feet in a 40X40 pattern. Of the 3 type of HID bulbs, Metal Halide tends to be the best option. High Pressure Sodium Bulbs are very low on the temperature color and have the warehouse aisles have the ability to focus the light where it is needed. A light designed for a warehouse aisle is a lot different than a light designed for a gymnasium or a factory floor. In these spaces, a light that can flood the area evenly is important, in a warehouse aisle, a light that can light up the face of the shelves and the floor below is important. And when selecting energy efficient options, its just as important to understand the technology and what it is capable of doing. Adding controls to a T5 fluorescent fixture is a good idea only if the ballast is designed to handle that requirement and not lower the life expectancy of the bulbs. Motions sensors and daylight controls that dim the light output based on occupants and the amount of daylight available in the space. Technologies such as metal halide and high pressure sodium are not a good choice as these technologies are not good at dimming or turn on or off quickly. Fluorescent can dim, but you need special ballasts for them. So knowing what you want to do and may want to do is important at time of purchase, because not having the proper equipment or options could mean a costly lighting warehouses, factories, gyms and readily available through the utility companies, and mass adoption means the technology of LED had matured to the point where the questions and disbelief of past years have gone away.