Almost 2/3rd of Americans decorate there home with some sort of electric lights during the holiday season.  Over half require the use of some sort of extension cord and or power splitter during there holiday lighting decoration process.  The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Reports that Christmas tree fires alone cause on average an estimated $16.2 million in direct property damage, 16 injuries, and 6 deaths every year.  This statistic does not include injures or deaths due to outdoor lighting electric shock or fall injuries such as ladder work.

The National Weather Service is predicting a lighter hurricane season than normal this year, but that doesn’t mean everyone shouldn’t be prepared. As we’ve seen in the very recent past, it only takes one major storm to make landfall and throw everything into chaos. One of the best ways to prepare for a major storm is to make sure you have a properly maintained standby generator. Consumerreports.org has some excellent advice for those who are looking for or who already own standby generators—read on for some great tips!

Depending on what you plan on running in the event of a power outage, you’ll need a different size of generator:

Midsized standby generators (5k – 8.5k watts): standby generators of this size can power the refrigerator and sump pump as well as most lights in your home, a portable heater, computer, and heating system.

Large standby generators (10k to 15k watts): large standby generators can power everything a midsized standby generator can, along with a small water heater, central air conditioner, electric range, clothes washer, or electric dryer (although not all at once).

While we don’t often feel the brunt of major hurricanes around here, we still live in a risky area and it’s important that proper precautions are taken. Here is a list of hurricane preparedness tips from Ready.gov:

Before the hurricane:

When a hurricane is likely in your area:

During the storm:

After the storm:

We don’t often experience major hurricanes in our area, but it’s still important to be prepared! Kolb Electric sells and installs Generac generators, so if you want to be extra prepared this hurricane season, call us today!

Modern buildings, commercial spaces, and even homes increasingly implement advanced building automation and control technology to improve energy efficiency, user comfort, and extend the life cycles of equipment.

At the core of any building automation system, or BAS, remains a central computing hub. This is where software processes the variety of signals it receives from connected sensors, switches, and user inputs. In a typical home, a Wi-Fi network connects devices wirelessly. Further, it will often connect them to the internet, allowing remote access from any web-connected device.

The only real difference between homeowner systems and commercial applications is scale. A large building can have many more devices and sensors connected, but the core function remains the same. The primary focus of commercial systems, however, is energy efficiency over user convenience.

In a large building or factory, even a small percentage of energy savings can have a huge benefit, not only in lower utility costs but also in reductions of CO2 emissions. With an efficient BAS, a building can attain a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating, which is a measure of energy efficiency and low environmental impact in building design.

As technology advances, the potential risks grow for building automation. Each day, more devices become connected to the internet. This is now referred to as the “Internet of Things”. The ease and convenience increases, but so does the potential reward for hackers. Anything controlled by the user or by software could potentially be taken over by a malicious hacker.

It is vital that digital security remains a priority, especially in a home setting. Many smart devices are not as secure as they may seem and are often only as secure as the home’s Wi-Fi network. Some good first steps include changing your Wi-Fi network’s password to something unique. Use the latest encryption protocols and enable MAC address filtering, which allows only devices specifically approved to connect to the network.

Building automation systems will continue to grow in ability and convenience. As long as the potential risks are managed, the possibilities for energy efficiency and user comfort remain nearly endless.

This year, Pegasus Lighting is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and to commemorate we will be posting articles every month about what was going on – you know, in terms of pop culture – in 1999. Just so we don’t forget where we came from.

Here are 15 things you might remember from 15 years ago.

1) Impeachment Trial of President Bill Clinton Begins in the Senate

A tense moment in U.S. history, Bill Clinton’s Senate impeachment trial began in January 1999. Clinton had been impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. It was only the second time in history that the House had impeached The President of the United States. The Senate trial, however, would end in acquittal.

2) Superbowl Commercials

Sure, there were a lot of interesting things about the game itself, but the commercials are what really bring us back to the 1990s. The Broncos won for the second time in a row. Depending on your football affiliations, this could be an omen or a prophecy for the game coming up soon. Also noteworthy is that in 1999 John Elway was the oldest NFL player to be named Super Bowl MVP.

3) Britney Spears Releases Debut Album

Can you imagine a world in which the name Britney Spears was met only with a “Who’s that?” That was the world of 1998. The world of 1999, in contrast, started off with a teeny bopping BANG, as Britney’s debut album was released, and her infamous single, “…Baby One More Time,” blasted to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Pop music was forever changed in January 1999.

4) Michael Jordan Announces His Retirement…Again

When the world considers you the best in the game, both physically and mentally, retiring is probably more difficult than playing ever was. So it’s understandable that Jordan, late in his career, struggled to call it quits in basketball and sports in general. In January 1999, we had to get used to the idea that watching NBA basketball would no longer entail watching Air Jordan in action.

5) Family Guy Debuts on Fox

Immediately after the Super Bowl in January 1999, Fox aired the first episode of FAMILY GUY to 22 million viewers, immediately generating controversy over its risque subject matter. Since that fateful evening, Seth MacFarlane’s animated sitcom has won 3 Emmy Awards, and FAMILY GUY has become a household name.

7) The Euro Is Introduced

Before January 1999, the word “euro” was mainly used to describe dance clubs or outlandish fashion trends. Now the euro is the second-most traded currency and the second-largest reserve currency in the world. In November 2013, the euro surpassed the U.S. dollar as having the highest combined value of banknotes and coins in circulation.

9) N’Sync Wins American Music Award for Favorite New Artist

It was the era of the boy band, and N’Sync had just displaced The Backstreet Boys as the newest teen idols. The American Music Award, based on a public poll, made it decidedly so. They stopped recording in 2002, but they have sold over 50 million albums so far, so I think they are all doing pretty well.

10) Jon Stewart Hosts His First Episode of THE DAILY SHOW

Up and coming comedian Jon Stewart starts his new job as host of Comedy Central’s THE DAILY SHOW in January 1999. One of his first guests, Michael J. Fox, claims that he has been on THE DAILY SHOW more times than Stewart. One of the central topics of the night? You got it, the Senate impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton.

12) A Ridiculously Large Cocaine Bust

The amount of cocaine captured by U.S. Customs agents in January 1999 would make Tony Montaña of SCARFACE wag his finger in disapproval. 9,500 pounds of the illegal drug were being shipped to Houston on board a cargo ship carrying iron ore when they were stopped and searched near Jamaica. Texas had never had a larger drug bust.

14) He’s Backkkk: Mike Tyson Returns to Boxing (With a Vengeance) 

Remember when Mike Tyson was a boxer? You know, before he became the comedic actor and performance artist with the face tattoo? If so, you’ll recall that Tyson had his boxing license revoked for biting a chunk out Evander Holyfield’s ear. After a two-year hiatus, Tyson returned to boxing in January 1999 in a bout with Francois Botha. Tyson started off the match a little sluggish, according to the commentators, but – oof! – check out that KO punch! Botha needed both a drink and a vacation after that one.

15) World Premiere of Music Video for Eminem’s “My Name Is”

In January 1999, the music video for Eminem’s “My Name Is” premiered, and Eminem became a superstar. The video really got people’s attention. You know how I know? BECAUSE HE IS THE BEST-SELLING ARTIST OF THE 21ST CENTURY!

So there you have it: 15 moments from 15 years ago. Stay tuned for my monthly pop culture updates as we celebrate Pegasus Lighting’s 15th anniversary. In the meantime, what are some moments YOU remember from 1999? What was your favorite music artist? Favorite movie? Tell me in the comments!

Ready.gov recommends that you keep an emergency kit in your car with a few essentials:

When branches become heavy with ice and fall on power lines, many are left without electricity and need to find alternate sources for keeping their home warm and safe.

If you live in the South, you know this: if it snows, you can pretty much count on school being cancelled. By about day three of last week’s #snowcation, videos started popping up in my news feed of kids dancing on kitchen tables and singing their 800th rendition of “Let It Go” while frazzled parents held onto their sanity. What’s a parent to do? The web is full of great ideas that creative parents have come up with, but here are a few of my favorites:

Growing up in North Carolina, the novelty of a real winter snowfall still catches me by surprise. By being as prepared as I can, I’m able to spend time enjoying the magic of winter with my family. How do you prepare for a winter storm? Do you have any creative ideas for keeping home-bound kiddos entertained?