The most dangerous time of the year for electrical fires in Des Moines is undoubtedly during the holiday season. Christmas decorations, in particular, lead to a dizzying amount of house fires each year. On average, over 200 homes burn down each year directly because of Christmas Trees and other decorations, and this figure doesn’t include the small, contained fires and those caused by candles. Needless to say, safety should be a major priority when planning out and putting up your holiday decorations.

Many electrical problems are caused by outdated technology and old incandescent Christmas lights; when you start digging out your decorations, ask yourself if it is time for an upgrade. While more expensive, modern LED Christmas lights use far less power, generate less heat, almost never require bulb replacements, and last far longer than their incandescent ancestors and inexpensive alternatives. In terms of cost alone, the new lights will likely pay for themselves in energy savings after only one, maybe two, holiday season(s).

For instance, running 1,000 incandescent Christmas lights for a month in Iowa will likely cost about $122, whereas the same amount in LED bulbs (which shine brighter, by the way) will cost less than $1.50. That extra $120 can go a long way towards buying a few better presents or do some real good in the community. By upgrading your lights this holiday season, you’re ensuring that you don’t have to hike up your energy bill to decorate the house each year while keeping the family much safer than they would be with your old lights.

For any strand you choose to not upgrade this year, be sure to thoroughly check each strand for frayed wires or cracked bulbs. Incandescent bulbs can easily create a completed electrical circuit with a Christmas Tree, gutter, or just about anything else it may be hung upon, creating a very real fire hazard.

If you decide to get out the extra-tall ladder that you seem to only use to decorate and un-decorate the house each year, take special care to avoid power lines. One of the easiest ways to get injured when using a tall ladder isn’t actually from falling, but from electrocution while moving the ladder. Take the time to locate all power lines before beginning work and always get down and collapse the ladder before moving anywhere around power lines.

No carpeting, drapes, curtains, or other fabrics should ever come into contact with your lights. Furthermore, be sure to never wrap cloth-like decorations around your lights. The mesh commonly found at holiday stores is made for wreathing and often contains metallic elements for a shimmering effect, making it especially potent at conducting electricity and starting fires in the event of a short.

We hope you’re safe this holiday season, but if you happen to overload your circuit breakers or have a concern about the lighting of your holiday decorations, be sure to give us a call right away. The electricians at Electrical Gurus want to help to keep every Des Moines family happy and healthy throughout the holiday season.

When it comes to lighting areas where color accuracy is crucial, such as portrait studios, retail stores, hospitals, medical and commercial offices, display cases, and warehouses, a high color-rendering index (CRI) is key. CRI refers to how accurately a light source reveals the true colors of objects, people, and surroundings and involves a distinct testing method with comparisons to incandescent light or daylight.

The spectral graph below can be helpful in understanding the advantage of high-CRI light sources. Lights with a low CRI will show fewer colors while high-CRI lights cover more of the spectrum. A light source’s ability to show more colors increases its accuracy in revealing the true colors of people, objects, and surroundings.

can light, linear light, or other high-CRI bulb or fixture. Lights with a CRI of 80 or higher are considered to show colors most accurately. The photo below shows how different CRIs can affect colors and skin tone.

We’ve recently added a new explosion-proof light for use in granaries, paint booths, mills, mines, oil refineries, auto shops, marine vessels, shipyards, and other hazardous locations.

This LED light is listed as UL1598 for wet locations and UL1598A for outdoor marine applications. It is classified as UL844 and meets National Electric Code—NFPA 70, article 500—requirements in the U.S. for Class 1 Division 1 (groups C and D), Class 1 Division 2 (groups A, B, C, and D), and Class 2 Division 2 (groups F and G) hazardous locations. The light fixture meets IECEx Zone 1, 2, 21, and 22 requirements for safe operation around combustible gas and dust.

Designed to replace 320-watt metal-halide (MH) fixtures with comparable output—the 100-watt LED explosion-proof light emits 13,000 lumens of natural white illumination. This weatherproof LED fixture operates within a 100-277V AC range and is built to last five times longer than MH lights.

The durably constructed light has a vibration-resistant anodized aluminum housing that prevents the release of sparks from internal components. The die cast housing is also powder coated for corrosion resistance and has a removable back plate for access to the constant-current driver, which is sealed with a silicone gasket. LEDs are protected by a tempered glass lens.

A conduit is required for installation, and the fixture has two openings for input and output connections. The LED explosion-proof light can be pole mounted or mounted to a wall, floor, or ceiling with its included bracket. A five-year warranty protects against any manufacturer defects or malfunctions.

This months roundup post is for the month of November, 2016. It’s been a crazy month, but nonetheless; happy thanksgiving!

This month has been filled with tons of crazy news, and we are about to share it all with you in this months LED lighting link roundup. From insects and LEDs to towns and cities retrofitting their streetlights, we are going to cover these and many more in this edition.

Now… Here is the third addition of A Month in The LED Lighting Industry Link Roundup…

Several Cities Convert To LED Streetlights In Conservation Efforts

Listen (or read) in on this conversion where they talk about cities that have made the conversions, what it has done, and who is planning to convert next. It’s exciting stuff to hear about all of these cities making the conversion, especially since they are all saving money and producing better light.

East Lyme to begin retrofitting streetlight with LEDs

This town is making a smart move by retrofitting their streetlights throughout the town. Not only will they save in energy consumption reductions, but they will also reduce initial investment costs by Insects and LED Lights New Research

How are wildlife and insects affected by outdoor LEDs? This *video* goes over the topic, and how they may be affecting insects specifically.

LEDs Light Up Indoor Farming and Marijuana Cultivation

Marijuana growing is becoming a huge industry, and quickly too. LED technology is making growers be able to turn a better profit all while growing better crop.

LEDs come in rainbow colours

A new way to achieve various vibrant colors is making it cheaper and more efficient to do so. Learn how it’s done by reading this one!

New LEDs may offer better way to clean water in remote areas

Engineers at The Ohio State University are developing foil based LEDs which will allow people to purify water for drinking and sterilize medical equipment on the go.

Would you like to suggest an interesting piece of news or related topic to LED lighting for future publications of our lighting link roundups? Simply comment below and we will consider it for future publications!

Nobody likes feeling hot and uncomfortable while they are trying to take respite from the heat in the comfort of their own home or when they are trying to focus on their work in an office building. While you may be tempted to crank up the air conditioner in an attempt to stay cool, you could literally end up spending hundreds of dollars by overworking your air conditioning unit. What can you do? Suffer in the heat or throw tons of cash at the electric bill?

Before you make any rash decisions, realize there is another option—a ceiling fan. A cost-saving measure to help keep you comfortable can be achieved with the help of an electrician. Burbank home and business owners can benefit from installing a fan to help circulate the air in a room and prevent that hot, stale feeling that tends to envelope you when the temperatures are soaring outside.

A ceiling fan is an energy efficient way to help keep the air circulating, which automatically makes you feel cooler. Using a fan to stir the air can help cut down on the need for the air conditioner. The slight breeze the fan produces is very soothing. You will want to discuss the various options and fan sizes with your electrician. Burbank residents can call The Electric Connection to help the pick the right fan for their needs and schedule an installation.

It isn’t just the hot summer months that benefit from a ceiling fan. In the winter, the fan can be turned to spin in the opposite direction to help circulate the warm air by pushing it down and pulling the cold air up. You can choose to install one fan in the main living areas, or install several fans throughout the home or office to keep the air steadily moving. The friendly team at Electric Connection is ready to serve you.