Holiday season takes on a life of its’ own and we are in the thick of it.  One more gift to buy, one more light to shine, one more guest to add to the table…   Take precautions to make sure you know just who and what you are inviting into your home.

Illuminate your home to the fullest, but know your lighting facts and be safe.  Check all lighting products for safety and buy all lights and electrical supplies from a reputable dealer.

Look for lighting showrooms that are backed by the American Lighting Association (ALA).  Check for a certified UL-Mark on all lighting products.

Decorative strings of holiday lights, Christmas Lights and novelty lamps from Bulbrite are of the best quality…

Get to know your lamps and lighting for a Safely Illuminated Holiday Season.

1.  The item has been evaluated and tested by certified-UL engineers to meet all UL safety requirements.

2.  The product is ensured against the risk of fire and electric shock as long as all safety instructions are followed according to the package directions and proper usage.

3.  UL’s green holographic label indicates that a product is for indoor-use only.

4.  UL’s red holographic label indicates that the product may be used indoors or outdoors.

5.  UL evaluates decorative lighting strings in accordance with the requirements described in the UL/ANSI 588, the standard for Safety of Seasonal and Holiday Decorative Lighting.

The Wonderland of Christmas pier lamp from Meyda Lighting is UL-approved for both indoor and outdoor usage.

The ANSI designation indicates that the American National Standards Institute approves the UL Standard as the American National Standard.

Elegant crystal table lamps from Schonbek are enchanting.

Accent lamps in crystal from Schonbek bring exquisite colors and sparkling brilliance to the table.

Find the best light fixtures and lamps for your holiday celebration at Capitol Lighting showrooms or visit 1800lighting.com, an ALA member showroom and company.  Lighting showrooms that are affiliates of the American Lighting Association (ALA) will only carry lighting products that have been tested for safety and are certified with the UL-Mark.

An automatic transfer switch consists of an electrical power control device that reroutes electricity under certain power conditions. It enables the safe switching of power from one source to another. Consequently, this ensures a safe and reliable transfer of power while minimizing the risks of fire, damage, or back feeding of power to the utility lines.

An ATS ensures continuity of power to the load. However, the time between loss of power in the utility line and the time the load is connected to the alternative power source remains critical in some applications. For example, a power loss for a few seconds is unacceptable in some hospitals or with emergency equipment. In some of these installations, an intermediate power supply is utilized. These include the battery-based inverter or UPS power to fill the gap between the loss of power and connection to the generator power.

Advanced ATS devices may have the ability to detect the voltage dips characteristic of power failures and automatically start the generator before the utility power goes off completely.

Consumers need to ensure that the ATS will have adequate capacity to handle the generator power. Things to consider include the voltage rating, continuous current rating, and type of load. In addition, consider the mode of transfer, desired transfer time delay, ATS style, and more.

The four main categories of ATS devices are defined by the following transition modes.

Open-transition: The open transaction mode of operation disconnects the primary power before connecting the power from the secondary source. This break-before-make operation means a short duration when there is no connection to either of the power sources.

Fast closed-transition: The ATS is based on the make-before-break switching operation. It parallels the two supplies for about 100 milliseconds after which it disconnects one of the sources. This operation ensures that the load is never disconnected from power.

Soft closed-transition: The soft closed-transition transfer synchronizes generator power with the utility line and then transfers the load from the utility to the generator. When transferring the load back to the utility, follow a similar process.  In this case, the generator output slowly decreases until completely off.

Sub-cycle transfer: These are based on semiconductor switches and are the fastest automatic transfer switches. Upon detecting a power failure, the ATS transfers the load to the other source within the first one-quarter of the electrical cycle. This ensures no power interruption to the load. Sub-cycle ATS devices are the most complex and expensive compared to those using mechanical switches.

Since consumers may not have all the necessary technical knowledge to choose the correct application, it can be a good idea to hire a qualified electrical contractor to select the correct sizing and installation.

Alternative Energy for the Win

Many aspects of the federal energy tax credit program have already been curtailed, with credits from most common upgrades having expired at the end of 2013 (but it’s not too late to claim the money if you haven’t already — see below). However, there are some credits still active for alternative energy installations. You are eligible for a kickback of up to 30 percent of purchase and installation price come tax time if you made any of the following additions to your existing home or new construction in 2014:

And it’s not just the purchase price of the equipment -- your credit can cover the labor to set up and install your new efficiency devices as well. Qualifying homes must be located in the United States. Heat pumps, wind turbines and solar all are valid for your principle or secondary residence, with no limit on the dollar amount. Fuel cells have more restrictions — they qualify for primary residences only, and have an upper limit of $500 per .5KW of power capacity. Renters are not eligible for the tax credits.

If you didn’t act this year, you have until December 31, 2016 to purchase and install your new equipment and still qualify for the credit.

It’s Not Too Late

And there’s more good news. The NonBusiness Energy Property Credit is still available on the taxes you fill out this year — provided you made the improvements in 2013 or earlier. If you made qualifying upgrades to your HVAC equipment, insulation, roof, water heater, windows, doors or biomass stove, you can claim up to $500 in credits on up to 10 percent of the costs. These credits are limited to upgrades made on existing homes, and each specific installation has a cap:

Installation costs cannot be included for doors, skylights, windows, insulation or roofing. Also note that the $500 limit is over the lifetime of the Property Credit, so if you already claimed $300 in past years, you can only get a maximum of $200 on this year’s tax return, even if you spent much more than that.

How to Claim Your Credits

To claim your credits, fill out Form 5695 with the appropriate information about your expenditures and include it with your other tax paperwork. Don’t forget to hold on to all your receipts and manufacturer’s certification statements so you can back up your claim if the IRS comes knocking on your door.

It’s a win-win situation — you get your tax credit, you can reduce or even eliminate monthly fuel costs, and you can sleep easy knowing that you are doing your part to help the environment by decreasing the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels. If you are considering a major alternative energy installation on your property, contact an expert today to advise you on what your options are and how to get started.