Homeowners have a powerful tool at their disposal that they may not even be aware of. Lighting can make or break a room. Having new, updated light fixtures in a room can completely change the way the home looks and feels. And although the actual work is not all that labor intensive, it is crucial you have a Glendale electrician perform the work. Working with electricity is something that should be left to the professionals like those at The Electric Connection.

It is amazing to see the difference a single light fixture can make in a room. Changing lights throughout a home is like giving your house a major facelift without any serious expense. There is so much you can do to change the look and feel of a room simply by visiting your local lighting store or your favorite home improvement store. Hanging chandeliers, recesses lights, track lighting and so much more is all available for you to use to your advantage.

You can easily turn a dark kitchen into a brilliant space with plenty of lighting right where you need it. Turn your dining room into a romantic area with lights that are controlled with a dimmer switch installed by an electrician. Glendale homeowners will have the freedom to control how much light you have. That one particular picture in the living room hanging over the mantle deserves some special recognition. Use recess or track lighting to direct light onto a family picture or a prized piece of artwork to really make it pop and become a focal point in the room.

The possibilities are endless. Take a walk around your home and look at your current lighting scheme. Could you do something different? Then head to the lighting store and pick up the fixtures that will compliment your home and décor. When you are ready, give The Electric Connection a call and schedule your appointment for your new lighting fixtures to be installed. It is that simple!

I grew up in the 90’s, back when thrift store shopping was considered alternative and grunge.  While I tooled around Goodwill listening to Nine Inch Nails on my Walkman, my more sophisticated friends were at the mall, looking adorable & stylish in the latest trend from The Limited.

But that was the 90’s.

Thrift-store shopping, dumpster-diving, and hand-me downs deliver a new parlance that has clever DIY’ers quaking with excitement for Saturday yard sales and obsessively scouring Craigslist for the Next Big Find.  This elegant new term for taking used items and making them new = REPURPOSING.

Also commonly referred to as recycling, upcycling, reinventing, revitalizing and/or reusing, entire boards are dedicated to this subject on Pinterest. Everything – and I mean everything – can be repurposed.  So why not the light bulb?

With a few basic tools and a steady hand, a light bulb can be hollowed out and transformed into a unique gift or decorative project.  Prepping the bulb, however, is not a task that we recommend for the kids.  Before you undertake any of these projects, take a moment to read a tutorial on how to safely hollow out a light bulb.

1. Witches Brew

We are all quite aware that ever since B. Franklin decided to go outside with his kite in the midst of a thunderstorm, this thing called electricity pretty much rules our life. To understand this, you must recall what it felt like that one time your power went out for the entire day. This meant nothing worked, no computer, no refrigerator, no television and not to mention no Wi-Fi!

We know that electricity plays an important role in people’s lives from the moment they wake up to the time they go to sleep. Since electricity is always available, people usually don’t think twice about how important it is in terms of complementing their lives. Electricity makes our lives comfortable. People are so accustomed to using electricity in a range of activities. When at home, electricity is used for lighting, air conditioning, , cooking food, using computers, watching TV, and operating other appliances and devices. With the help of electricity, people function better at night because electricity has enabled them to see even through the dark. Gee, thanks Benjamin Franklin!

However, there might come times when you should find yourself encountering problems with the wiring or any other electrical work. Often, homeowners decide to feed their ego when they think these are problems they can easily fix on their own, which is highly untrue. Whenever someone who lacks knowledge, experience and training to deal with electrical issues deals with electrical issues, it has catastrophic results.

Before you decide to put your hand inside the fuse box, you must know how power works, how it moves and what could happen should you be electrocuted. I am guessing these are things you didn’t think about as you didn’t even consider the possibility of something going wrong. Don’t fret, as you can easily call in a certified electrician.

Underrated as they may be, they are the reason the wiring in your house doesn’t go bonkers and burns your house. Certified electricians not only know their work inside out but they also adhere to the best practices and follow the guidelines and rules laid down by the state. You can rest assured they will deliver a level of service that ensures peace of mind for you.

Remember José from two blocks down? He hired an electrician who wasn’t certified and he had to get whole new electrical wiring done for his house at a great cost. Do you want to be that guy?

To conclude, there are numerous benefits of hiring a certified electrician for any electrical work you have around the house. Even the government trusts their capability, so why shouldn’t you! So, before you call the first electrician you find in the directory, ask whether or not they are licensed.

Now when most people would be shy asking, and most electricians offended when asked for a licence, you should know it is within your rights to ask for it. Should something go wrong, you are liable legally while certified and licensed electricians take full responsibility for their work and the leading ones guarantee the quality of their work. Now, think about that the next time you feel shy or reserved asking for a licence when hiring an electrician for electrical work. It will go a long way, my friend.

From movies candle-lit dinners, lighting is one of the most important factors in everything we do.  Science and technology teams around the world have put an amazing amount of effort into developing the sturdiest, longest-lasting lights for any application you can think of.  Color, saturation, brightness, and even beam shape are all important when it comes to picking the right light for the situation.  The best part?  Mood lighting is a careful art that’s pretty easy to pull off once you know which settings work best.  Romantic lighting is especially simple and can set the stage so long as you have the right room and the right lights.

It could be our culture that has led us to see certain settings as romantic.  But there are also a few scientific aspects of lighting that genuinely make a setting more romantic.  While it may be that decades of amber-colored lights or the flicker of candlelight have fashioned our notions of what makes for romantic lighting, there’s also the effect of the light itself to consider.

Light with a low color temperature (below 3000K, or ‘yellow’ light) produces a very interesting effect on surfaces.  These lights, which are standard for most incandescent lamps, soften features and improve appearances.  If you want to look good, use an incandescent lamp.  While not ideal for getting ready in the morning, a standard light gives that warm and cozy feeling we all enjoy from standard incandescent bulbs.

The next step is to keep the lights dimmer than normal.  Dimmer lighting creates a closer, more intimate feeling to any room.  But there is a trick to this.  Don’t simply remove a few light bulbs from the dining room, you need to use an actual dimmer.  Uneven lighting is jarring and distracting.  Removing lamps or relying on recessed lights that have been dimmed can ruin the effect.  Recessed lighting that’s been dimmed can create cave-lighting (when there are unintended dark corners along the upper part of the wall).  Uneven lighting isn’t cozy, it’s distracting.  Use a dimmer switch.  Just be sure to match your dimmer to the type of lights you’re using.  If you plan to use LED lamps, make sure the dimmer is compatible with your brand of LEDs.

When we say to keep lighting even, we don’t mean equal throughout the room.  Even lighting in this case is designed to highlight focus areas.  Think about how restaurants stagger their lighting, with islands of light at each table and muted lights everywhere else.  If you want the greatest effect, use a fixture that focuses a soft light where you’ll be spending your time while ambient lighting casts a light glow everywhere else.

A romantic setting demands more than just the right lighting.  Pair the lighting with a favorite meal or entertainment.  Some background music will set things off nicely, but only if you select something that matches the mood.  You may enjoy electronic dubstep, but when the lights are lower something quiet and soothing is the way to go.

For the best in quality electrical repair work and installations, contact the professionals at Custom Electric!  Be sure to check back here each week for helpful advice, news, and guides or follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Categories: Holiday Lighting« Why You Should Use a Surge Protector  |  What is a Circuit Panel? »