By Clarissa Allison | August 28th, 2015

If you are a homeowner considering outdoor lighting, then you have probably heard about solar landscape lighting. In addition to being environmentally friendly, light emitting diode which prevents the battery’s current from flowing back through the solar cell during the night. The battery charges during the daytime, and will meet its maximum charge before dusk. A photovoltaic cell then changes the sun’s light into electricity. Although environmental factors affect the performance of solar lights they will work outdoors throughout most of the year.

Many solar lights are self-sustaining, or “stand-alone” systems. These convert sunlight into electricity during the day, store the electricity in batteries, and draw from the batteries to power light fixtures after dusk.

Self-contained solar lights often have panels built right into the light fixtures. Solar lighting systems with panels separate from fixture assemblies, however, allow for only the panels to be placed in the sun, not the lights themselves.

Now, why is the blue LED so important? Quite simply because there are no white LEDs. The white light that our eyes detect is created by using a blue LED and some yellow phosphor. The yellow phosphor coating may be placed directly on the blue LED or on the glass envelope that houses the blue LED. Either way when the blue light from the blue LED passes through the yellow phosphor the resulting light appears to be white.

In late 2014 at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, the three Japanese scientists who developed the blue LED while working at Nichia Chemicals will share the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on the blue LED. In official terms the Nobel Committee awarded this year’s physics prize to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura “for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.”

Furthermore, the Nobel Committee pointed out in its announcement that the results of all the scientists’ hard work will be on display everywhere as the three recipients make their way through Stockholm: “the light from their invention will be glowing in virtually all the windows of the city.” And they can be assured that, as this century progresses, the ascendancy of the LED will only become more dramatic.

Time to ditch the band posters! Show off a new painting or favorite framed photograph with a battery-operated picture light that installs easily and without messy cords.by Celebrate home ownership by decorating the front door or mailbox  with a customizable house number sign.

Repairs are an inevitable part of home ownership and there’s nothing quite as frustrating as not having the right tools. Cover all of their bases with a 130-piece tool set. Make small repairs and upgrades easy with a flexible work light that can clamp onto surfaces and direct light right where they need it.

Everyone is a victim of the monthly electrical bill, and nobody likes to pay it, however electricity is a necessity to our everyday lifestyle. One of the benefits of electricity is that we have the power to manage it efficiently. Taking the right actions can mean saving money every month. We like providing you with helpful reminders of how you can be saving electricity in your home to make energy wise choices and save money on your bill.

Upgrade home windows – As winter approaches, you will find yourself wanting to maintain a warm and comfortable home. A great way to keep the heat in the home from escaping outside is by upgrading to more efficient windows. Windows with more glazes/panes help to capture the heat and keep it in. While this could prove costly to replace all the windows in your home, in the long run it is a wise investment to reduce the monthly electrical bill.

Regular furnace maintenance – Just because your furnace is running does not mean that it is running properly. If you are neglecting your furnace it could be running inefficiently. A professional inspection of the home’s furnace can lead to the identification of a number of areas of potential improvement that when resolved can lead to increased energy efficiency.

Use portable heaters -We have previously spoken about the user of portable heaters in the past and it is always worth revisiting. When heating the home, it is more efficient to turn on a small heater in the room you are in, rather than turning up the thermostat. Heat only the areas that are in use and not rooms that are empty.

Use the right bulbs – Each light fixture has a specification for the bulbs that should be used. Matching the right bulbs to the fixture leads to higher efficiency as energy can be wasted powering an incompatible bulb. And, if you haven’t replaced your home light bulbs with LEDs or compact fluorescent bulbs its time to!

Smart Thermostat – We visited this topic in last week in detail – turning down the home thermostat when heat is not needed is the easiest way to save on energy. A smart thermostat will help your set better heating schedules and allow changes to be made remotely from a smart phone.

Unplug unnecessary electronics – Electronic devices that are not currently being used should be unplugged. Items such as phone chargers, kitchen appliances, and laptops can still consume electricity even if they are off.

Repair your roof – In addition to windows in a home, the roof is another area where heat can escape. Heating a home is not cheap, so each degree should be kept inside, not outside. A damaged, or improperly insulated roof can lead to heat loss. A professional will be able to inspect your attic and roof to identify areas of heat loss and repair them.

Home Electrical inspection – Old and outdated wiring is not only inefficient, but dangerous. Schedule one of your licensed electricians to inspect your home to identify areas your can take advantage of to improve electrical efficiency.

Making the right investments in your home can lead to saving thousands of dollars in the long run. Before the thermometer starts to drop this season, review your energy consumption habits and areas in the home that can be improved. For a home electrical inspection, contact your local Expert Electric.