Electrical engineers usually have a huge responsibility in implementing safe electrical conduits to ensure safety and efficiency in designs of power substations. Conduits are the means in which power cables run from the ground to the electrical equipment and appliances. In addition, conduits provide protection of medium-voltage circuits in the power substation. Examples of circuits that need this protection are collector circuits entering the substation and distribution circuits leaving the substation to feed residential and commercial power needs.

One of the most important parts of hiring an electrician is screening and selecting the right contractor to work with. While this task may seem tedious at times, taking a little bit of time to do your due diligence at the onset can save you significant time and headache later on. By grading each contractor that you are considering by a number of variables, you can make your job a little bit easier. One important thing to consider with any electrical contractor is their rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Why should you care about a contractors’ Better Business Bureau rating? In a nutshell, the BBB is one of your best sources for learning more about a business’ track record. While customer testimonials should always be read with a grain of salt, complaints made to the Better Business Bureau are researched and responded to. Whenever a company has a longstanding A+ rating with the BBB, you can be sure that they have a reputation of upholding high standards of work and customer service. Furthermore, you can view any prior complaints to see how a business responds to any complaints that have been made.

In addition to giving you an idea of how many complaints an electrician in Glendale has received, knowing how they are responded to can be valuable information. A company that cares about its customers will take the time to properly address and fix any legitimate complaints, while a shoddy contractor may just brush them off.

With a little bit of research and the proper resources, you can find a high quality contractor that can take care of any and all of your electrical needs. The Electric Connection  holds an A+ rating and takes pride in the service that we provide. Please don’t hesitate to call us or visit our website for consideration in your next electrical project.

The short answer is, yes, you can charge your new electric car overnight and drive out into the world with a full charge in the morning. Both new electric cars, the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, started deliveries in Los Angeles in December 2010. If you’re anxiously awaiting delivery of one of these vehicles, it’s time to consider your charging options.

The all-electric Nissan Leaf can drive about 100 miles before it needs a battery charge. The Chevy Volt can drive about 40 miles, and then it starts burning gasoline. It’s a hybrid. Both come with a complimentary charging cord called a “Level 1 charger.” It plugs into an electrical outlet in your garage or carport and requires only ordinary house current. But a Level 1 charger works slowly and won’t take you from a depleted battery to a full charge overnight. You may still be able to use a Level 1 charger if you have a short commute which would allow you to top off your battery overnight. Here’s more about Level 1 charging.

Drivers who have longish commutes or who don’t charge up every night will want faster charging with a Level 2 charger. A Level 2 charger takes a Nissan Leaf battery from completely empty to completely full in 8 hours; 4 hours for the Volt. So, even if you totally drain your battery, with a Level 2 charger, you’ll be able to fill it by morning. A Level 2 charger is usually purchased along with the car. It’s housed in a container about 18 inches around and hangs on the garage wall, sticking out about a foot. It requires installation of a 240 volt circuit, higher than ordinary house current.

Both Nissan and Chevy will arrange your purchase and installation of a Level 2 charger if you wish. Both car manufacturers have contracted with electrical contractors that they’ve trained and certified. Or you can make your own arrangements with an electrical contractor.

Purchase and installation of a Level 2 charger costs about $2,000. The price can vary quite a bit depending on the distance of the charger from your electrical panel and on whether you need an upgrade of your panel size to accommodate the additional power demands of the charger. Some lucky homeowners, who registered for a California state research project on electric vehicles, will qualify for a discount, or even free purchase and installation. And, here’s some good news: A few days ago, on April 27th, L.A. DWP announced a rebate of $2,000 to homeowners who install a Level 2 charger as part of their research project. A rebate of this size is significant as, in many cases, it can cover the entire cost of the purchase and installation of a charger. Click here for more information on L.A. DWP rebates for EV chargers.

All homeowners who buy an electric car will benefit by their far-sightedness. No more stops for gas. No more worries about gas prices creeping up to $4 or $5 a gallon (or more?!) any time there’s unrest in the Middle East or a natural disaster. They’ll know that they’re contributing to the solution to our dependence on foreign oil — about 60% of that oil is sucked up by our gas tanks. For this reason, President Obama has set the goal of one million electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. For us in Los Angeles, every electric vehicle makes our skies bluer — when you’re running on electricity, your car is emitting no pollution or greenhouse gases at all.

For more about my company, The Electric Connection — all the stuff you wanted to know but were afraid to ask — If you’re interested coupons for electrical work, for example, $50 off installation of a Whole House Surge Protector in the L.A. area, click here on our coupon page.

via Wikimedia

2. Ricky Martin wins Song of the Year

Puerto-Rican heart throb Ricky Martin played a huge role in bringing Latin pop to the American music scene during the 41st Grammy Awards show in February of 1999. In December he was rewarded again at the Billboard Music Awards by winning Song of the Year for his hit single “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”