With the start of the school year and the holiday season approaching, it seems as though the mound of expenses just keep piling up. You’re budgeting for school shopping, lunches, holiday shopping and making sure your lights stay turned on. This season tends to be the most expensive for many home owners.

Luckily, we have a few ideas on how to cut back on utility bills and lower your electric bill. We also provide home inspections for everyone in the Northern Virginia area and look at ways you can utilize the most out of your electrical appliances. You may be heading into a time filled with many expenses but you can pad your pocket with money saved from lowering your utility bill. Check out these tips that will help you with your utility bills and give you peace of mind during this hectic season!

Install Dimmer Switches

When you install dimmer switches, you can use only as much light as you need. With a traditional light switch, the only settings are on and off, meaning you are either using 0% electricity or 100%. With a dimmer, you have an entire spectrum of settings in between. Being able to decrease the amount of light you use inevitably results in lower energy bills. Install dimmers in the rooms you use the most like the kitchen, living room, bathrooms, and bedrooms; this will allow you to take advantage of the greatest savings possible.

Keep Your Fridge and Freezer Full

Everyone always tells you to keep the fridge closed. But did you know that keeping your fridge and freezer full can also save money? Food acts as insulation and lessens the amount of time that the fridge has to run to stay cool. This will be easy to do with all of those lunches your family will have to pack for school and for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Install Ceiling Fans

Keep the air circulating in your home, and your air conditioner won’t have to work as hard. Ceiling fans can help lower your electric bill by up to 30 to 40 percent. While a ceiling fan doesn’t actually decrease the temperature of a room, the draft makes the room feel cooler – allowing you to raise the thermostat and be just as comfortable. You can even use your ceiling fans in the winter months! Many people are unaware that ceiling fans can be used to circulate warm air during cooler months of the year. By running the blades clockwise, ceiling fans push warm air down from the ceiling without creating a draft.

Get Rid of “Phantom Loads”

A shocking 75 percent of the energy used by home electronics is consumed when they’re turned off. These “phantom” users include: televisions, videogame consoles, stereos, computers and many kitchen appliances—basically anything that holds a time or other settings. A simple solution? Plug all of these items into power strips; then, get in the habit of turning off the strips between uses.  This will cut back on utility bills and will help combat overloading fuses.

Switch to LEDs

LED light bulbs use 90 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. Switch out the most widely used bulbs in your home. Then, replace the rest as they burn out. LED lights tend to last much longer than traditional bulbs so you won’t have to replace them as often – saving you money.

We consider light pretty important over here at Pegasus. For hours, we could talk your ear off about LED innovations and fluorescent installations. Although choosing the right under cabinet light is important, and knowing how to place your recessed cans is essential, there is no light as vital to the human body as a little sunshine.

The home electrical system consists of various components that enable the safe delivery of energy to different sections and appliances in the household. Even though the system may appear complex, it is important for the homeowner to understand a few basics.

This would help you when things do not work or there is an emergency that requires turning off circuits or the entire installation. In addition, an understanding of the home electrical system will help the owner respond to questions from prospective buyers.

All the electrical circuits in the house originate from the main breaker panel. The panel is usually inside the house and near to the power entry point. However, the panel can also be far, and especially when in a multi-family structure.

The rating of the panel determines the number of circuits and power that the home electrical system can support. Some older homes have been using the 100 Amp service, smaller installations use a 60 Amp service while newer and larger houses are built with 200 amps to accommodate the increased number of electrical and electronic equipment commonly used in a modern household.

Different loads require the correct size of cables and breakers that can handle the current without heating up. For example, an air conditioner requires a 30 amp circuit while a kitchen may use two 20 amp circuits.

If there is a fault, such as a short circuit or overload, the breaker trips and cuts off the power to the affected circuit, hence preventing further damage that could lead to fire. Before resetting the breaker, you should first ask an electrician to check and rectify the problem.

A home electrical system consists of different individual circuits originating from the main breaker panel. The wires from the panel run to the rooms to supply the outlets, lights, and hand wired appliances. In most cases, several rooms may share the same circuits such that all the lights in the house are on one breaker, outlets on another breaker, etc.

Some dedicated circuits from the main breaker may go directly to the hard-wired appliances and nowhere else. Equipment such as the electric water heaters, furnaces, and air conditioners are usually installed on their own. Other hard-wired devices include the smoke alarms, which may also have battery backups so they will work even when there is a power outage or a fire interrupts the home electrical system.

Grounding is an essential protective feature that must be installed in all home electrical systems. It provides a path for the electrical current arising from faults that make the exposed metallic parts to become live and dangerous.

The ground connects all the exposed metallic parts to the earth mass through a third wire in the power cord to the equipment. This provides a low electrical resistance path for the current, hence, making the parts safe to the touch even in the event of a malfunction.

maintenance and repairs.

From twisted to swinging, the top 5 LED pendant lights award the most sophisticated styling and sensational lighting effects.  Here are our top picks from the Dallas Market Center…

1.  “Swing” from WAC Lighting’s Modern Forms

“Swing” from Modern Forms presents a playful, yet powerful geometric filled with sparkling Art Glass encased in Polished Chrome.  These 10-inch mini pendants may be artistically grouped in a linear or circular pattern to deliver superb LED illumination.

2.  “Manette Grande” from Tech Lighting

“Manette Grande” from Tech Lighting adds a sleek and versatile sophistication to this contemporary cylindrical composition.  A myriad of finish options, including Antique Bronze, Black and Satin Nickel,  combined with custom mix-and-match hand-blown glass in a choice of Clear, Smoke or White makes for a winning presentation.

3.  “Helix” from Hubbardton Forge

“Helix” from Hubbardton Forge is magnificently twisted and tastefully tapered in this minimalistic contemporary style.  Superb finish options include Natural Iron, Mahogany and Burnished Steel for a classic ensemble to highlight interior design schemes from retro-casual to modern-formal.

4.  “Masque Grande” from Tech Lighting

“Masque Grande” from Tech Lighting delivers gently diffused illumination in a modern-contemporary 22-inch Energy Smart pendant.  The blown glass shade is available in choice combinations:  Clear-White, Smoke-Black and Smoke-Gray with finish options in Black, Satin Nickel or White for a cleverly defined and robust illumination.

 5.  “Light Spheres” from ELK Lighting

“Light Spheres” from ELK Lighting dazzles with hundreds of LED light sources within Chrome plated glass balls and a laser-cut Stainless Steel frame.  Floating elegance and remarkable illuminating effects bring this pendant light to the top of the A-list.

The Dallas Market Center, home of the American Lighting Association (ALA), is the most complete wholesale merchandise resource for home decor and the lighting industry.  Attracting buyers and exhibitors from around the world, the Dallas Market Center is where the “best of the best” introduce new products, including the latest giftware, decorative accent pieces, garden accessories, and–of course–outstanding LIGHTING designs!