Looking to jazz up your yard for this season’s summer festivities? A little outdoor lighting can go a long way! From fancy patios to tree-lined country yards, the right outdoor lighting can help you meet an array of needs, including illumination that makes tasks easier, sets the mood, and keeps your family and guests safe.

Cooking and entertaining festivities held outside after dark need lighting that is convenient and safe. Practical and economical, wall mounted lights can meet an array of needs, providing focused task lighting for…

Carriage lanterns can help define patio and walkway edges, lighting the path to doors and entryways and illuminating obstacles such as stairs and garden beds.

Parameter lights offer form and function, adding a decorative element, but more importantly, when properly placed at key points in your yard, add guidance to entry and exit points on your property.

Mixed lighting can create a truly magical effect throughout your property. Professional installation can save you time and money, conveniently planning and tapping into preexisting electrical lines.

To easily control brightness levels according to time or mood, you may wish to consider adding dimmers to newly installed or existing outdoor lighting.

Make plants and landscaping pop with LED illuminated planting pots. Far from the average run-of-the-mill flower pot, these amazing lights not only make plants pop, but radiate high level outdoor light, making them an excellent choice for walkways.

Not just for holiday lighting anymore, string lights can add sparkle and mood to any outdoor setting, such as trees, pergolas, arbors, posts, and furniture. They are also very effective when used to line railings, guiding guests along walkways.

From classic outdoor camping lanterns to fun craft finds, suspending lanterns from trees with fishing line can bring romance and magic to outdoor entertaining spaces. Battery operated or real tea lights make illumination a breeze, just be sure to keep candles a safe distance from leaves.

When choosing fixtures and bulbs for outdoor lighting options, consider energy saving LED options, which use up to 85 percent less energy than incandescents and up to 50 percent less energy than fluorescents. Hate changing outdoor bulbs? LEDs last more than 10 years on average - that's 25 times longer than incandescents and 2-5 times longer than fluorescents.

Solar lighting options are also an excellent choice, converting and storing the sun’s energy and coming in a variety of types and uses, including wall-mounted, lamppost, security lights, and lanterns. Be sure to check “nightly run times” on product labeling to ensure you have enough sunlight for operating solar lights in your area. Feeling crafty? Make a few solar decorative lights of your own.

Adding outdoor lighting to your property can be fun if it’s done properly and safely. Some installations may require running underground electrical cables, additional wiring within the walls of your home, the installation of fixtures, proper GFCI outlets, and more. Ensure all outdoor home electrical work is installed properly and safely by a licensed professional, using UL listed, weatherproof, safety compatible materials and devices.

Transform your space and take full advantage of your time outdoors. Contact Mr. Electric® and brighten up your yard with the latest in outdoor lighting today.

It’s football season, which means every Saturday and Sunday, your home’s TV becomes an essential gathering point in your home. Sadly, in the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia area, autumn is also thunderstorm season. So how can you protect your expensive TV from electrical surges and storms? The electrical experts at Kolb Electric have the answer.

Electrical surges—whether from lightning strikes or otherwise—are easy to prepare for with proper equipment. And if you’ve spent four figures on a television, it might just be worth the investment! You can protect your TV from a power surge in two ways: by installing a dedicated circuit and/or installing a whole-home surge protector.

Your dedicated circuit for your TV will make sure that your TV isn’t having its power leached from other electronics in your home, making its sound and picture clearer, while the whole-home surge protector will protect your TV from lightning strikes and power surges.

Effectively defending your home from power surges requires a two-step approach: first, outfitting it with a whole-home surge protector, then using surge-protected outlets and power strips indoors. Both types of surge protectors act essentially like pressure relief valves, diverting excess energy away and restoring normal operation once levels regulate.

Whole-home surge protectors are usually wired to a service panel and are designed to stop surges of at least 40,000 amps, though larger ones can be installed. Pairing them with individual plug-in surge protectors should do a good job of catching any potentially damaging energy that may get into your home.

Like many safety-related things, whole-home surge protectors are appliances you buy and hope to never actually use. But all it takes is a single downed line or big lightning strike to cause thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to your home—not worth the risk!

John is a critical part of our residential service division.  John is a very experienced electrician, skilled in fishing in wires, and updating existing homes to bring them up to code or even install elaborate upgrades.  John is also a recent graduate of a service training program he attended last October in Palm Springs California were he brought back with him skills and various techniques to provide the best possible customer experience to our customers.  John takes pride in is work and takes his job serious.  He takes time to understand the customers needs and makes sure they fully understand the options they have available to them.  He is a dedicated team member always making sure our customer needs are meet first and is willing to help other team members with any issues they encounter.

John is a resident of Grimes Iowa and has two kids.  He is a former paramedic and also recently became engaged and has spring wedding plans in his future.  Congratulations John!  Thank You for being such a critical part of Custom Electrical Services!

Categories: Team Member Spotlight« Free Blue Lives Matter Bracelets To All…  |  Safe Commercial Electrical Work 24 Hours Per Day »

Fun Fact: “Americans might not have a Columbus Day if Christopher Columbus had not been born in Italy. Out of pride for their native son, the Italian population of New York City organized the first celebration of the discovery of America on October 12, 1866.” *

Although declared a federal holiday in 1937 by President Franklin Roosevelt, Columbus Day is not celebrated in California, Nevada or Hawaii. Controversy over the “discovery” of America exists because native people inhabited the land prior to the arrival of the Europeans. **

While the “discovery” of America may be in question, there is no doubt that the European influence and influx of cultural diversity is worth illuminating. And, some of the most outstanding home lighting concepts incorporate Old World artistry with New World technology.

DISCOVER THE UNDENIABLE BRILLIANCE OF EUROFASE LIGHTING:

Established in 1989, Eurofase enters its third decade of excellence with cutting edge contemporary lighting and classic, traditionally-inspired designs.

From Gothic wrought iron chandeliers and grand crystal foyer fixtures to modern “green” lighting and energy-efficient outdoor lighting, Eurofase demonstrates a close attention to detail, embracing technology and a fusion of creative energy.

EUROFASE: WHERE OLD WORLD ELEGANCE MEETS THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF MODERN QUALITY CONTROL…

Headquartered in Toronto, a city rich in inspiration and cultural diversity, Eurofase’s inventory of over 2,600 unique products is controlled by state-of-the-art technology with world-class accuracy.

A Quality Control team overseas the mechanical and electrical integrity of every Eurofase product.

A stringent control process ensures that all crucial elements-such as safety approvals, longevity testing, packaging and instructions-meet the highest standards.

With an in-house UL (Underwriter Laboratories) Standards Testing Lab, Eurofase independently monitors the safety approval process.

Eurofase Lighting is credited with introducing several new designer and technological trends to the North American marketplace….

Visit a Capitol Lighting showroom or shop 1800lighting.com to view these sensational collections and enjoy promotional pricing on profound illuminations from Eurofase.

Also, this week enjoy Columbus Day savings on award-winning Hinkley Lighting. Winner of the “Lighting for Tomorrow” 2012 award, Hinkley Lighting offers outstanding energy-efficient outdoor lighting, as well as, superb chandeliers, ceiling fixtures, wall sconces and bath lighting for the distinguished home.

Discover great discounts at Capitol Lighting…take 30% off ALL new bath and outdoor fixtures now through November 1st!  From pendant lights and chandeliers by   Eurofase to gorgeous outdoor fixtures by Hinkley Lighting, Capitol Lighting carries the best brands and products to light your home with distinction and style.

*www.usafederalholidays.com/Columbus_day.html