Category: Lighting

As a home or business owner in the Los Angeles area, you understand the importance of energy efficiency in today’s world. With rising energy costs and environmental concerns, it’s more important than ever to make the switch to energy-efficient lighting solutions.

At The Electric Connection, we specialize in providing energy-efficient lighting solutions for homes and businesses in the Los Angeles area. We offer a wide range of lighting options that can help reduce energy consumption and lower your energy bills while providing bright and comfortable lighting for your space.

Here are some energy-efficient lighting solutions that we recommend for your home or office:

LED Lighting

LED (light-emitting diode) lighting is one of the most energy-efficient lighting options available today. LED lights use less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and last much longer. They also produce less heat, which means they are safer to use and can help reduce cooling costs during hot California summers.

LED lighting is available in a wide range of colors and styles, including warm and cool whites, which means you can achieve the perfect lighting for your space.

Dimmer Switches

Dimmer switches are a simple but effective way to reduce energy consumption in your home or office. By adjusting the brightness of your lighting, you can lower your energy bills and create a comfortable ambiance in your space. Dimmer switches are easy to install and can be used with most types of lighting, including LED lights.

Motion Sensor Lighting

Motion sensor lighting is an excellent energy-efficient option for outdoor spaces, such as parking lots and walkways. These lights are designed to turn on automatically when motion is detected and turn off when there is no movement. This helps to save energy by ensuring that lights are only on when they are needed.

Occupancy Sensor Lighting

Occupancy sensor lighting is another energy-efficient option that is perfect for indoor spaces. These lights are designed to turn on automatically when someone enters a room and turn off when the room is empty. This helps to reduce energy consumption by ensuring that lights are only on when they are needed.

Smart Lighting Systems

Smart lighting systems are an excellent way to take your energy-efficient lighting to the next level. These systems use advanced technology to provide personalized lighting that can be controlled from your smartphone or other mobile device. This allows you to easily adjust your lighting to suit your needs, and you can even set schedules and timers to further reduce energy consumption.

At The Electric Connection, we are committed to providing energy-efficient lighting solutions that are tailored to your specific needs. Our team of experienced electricians can help you select the right lighting solutions for your home or office and provide professional installation services to ensure that your lighting is installed safely and efficiently.

If you’re looking to reduce your energy consumption and lower your energy bills, contact us today to learn more about our energy-efficient lighting solutions for homes and businesses in the Los Angeles area. With The Electric Connection, you can rest assured that your lighting will be installed to the highest standards of safety and quality.

Having under-cabinet lighting is an excellent investment to have in any kitchen or countertops as it brightens the area below it that may be darkened because of the cabinets above them. Working on countertops or utilizing the area below could be a bit difficult to do without the lights. Aside from just brightening the area, they also increase the resale value of your home all while making it aesthetically beautiful and giving your kitchen a more modern feel.

Getting under cabinet lighting installed takes away the hassle, and the expense, of having to install a new lamp fixture as they’re more cost-effective. You wouldn’t have to worry about finding the lights in a place that would brighten the entire area as well. Under cabinet lighting is centralized in the places that you need them most. You can be certain they won’t be of any inconvenience as they are installed onto the underside of the cabinets.

However, they are some factors you’d need to consider before you can get your under cabinets installed. Here’s a list of the boxes you’d need to check.

Sizing and Placement: you do not want to get lights that are too big and won’t stay hidden underneath your cabinet. Be sure to take your measurements to ensure your fixture will stay as unnoticeable as possible. To make it blend in more, pick a fixture that matches the length and color of your cabinets.

Type of Under Cabinet Lighting: there are different varieties of under cabinet lighting. They work differently in different home structures. Picking out an under cabinet lighting that better suits your home will help you save up more time and money. We have the battery powered, the plugin, and the hard-wired under cabinet lighting. The battery-powered under cabinet lighting can be strips or pick lighting.

An advantage of these lights is that they can be installed anywhere and because they’re battery-powered, they’d work during power outages as long as you change the batteries. Calling an electrical professional to install your hard-wired lighting would be a better option for you and your home as you’d need to connect the lights to an existing circuit inside the walls. The plugin doesn’t need batteries or to be connected to the circuits in the walls. You can power it by plugging it into any existing outlet in your kitchen. Be sure to pick lightbulbs that are best for you as well.

Energy efficiency and Heat Output: Like every other lighting, under-cabinet lighting produces heat. Different types of lighting work in different ways in terms of energy efficiency and heat output. LED lighting is the best option for both energy efficiency and heat output. It utilizes as little energy as possible while still producing more than enough brightness. LED lights also have a low heat output which means your kitchen won’t feel any hotter and it’ll feel cool to the touch.

If you happen to have a dimmer switch or a smart home system, you could connect your LED lights to it to enable you to access to dim or control the lights using your voice or smartphone.

Finding the right lights for your porches isn’t as easy as you think it is. Most homeowners find it quite challenging. This is probably because aside from just picking out the lights and knowing where to put them, you also have to figure out why you’d want to have lighting and what atmosphere you’d like to create as well as find the right fixtures, the colors, and knowing porch light safety. It may sound like a lot and without the proper guidance, it is a lot to take on. So here’s a list of all the things you need to figure out before you install lights on your outside porch.

The Why?

It’s as simple as it sounds. Installing porch lights can instantly transform your porch. However, installing the wrong porch lights may not give you the transformation you’d like. If you’d want lights so you could have a nice, quiet time alone or with a loved one, then you’d have to pick lights that suit that purpose. If you need lights for security reasons, then you’d have to go for lights that are a lot brighter as well. Having this in mind makes the selection a lot easier. Remember that going for lights that’d enhance your security doesn’t completely remove the chances of burglaries. You’d have to learn some common porch light safety rules as well.

The Where?

Now that you’ve figured out why you’d like your lights based on the purpose they’d serve, you have to identify where you’d want them as well. The different placements give off a different feel so be sure your placements align with the mood you’re going for. You could place your porch lights on either the side or overhead. Be sure to take proper measurements when buying new lighting. Ensure you enlist the help of a professional when installing or changing new lighting.

The What?

Choosing the right materials is an essential part of the process. You have to get the right lighting fixtures, lights, and colors of bulbs. Getting light fixtures that match the existing colors and patterns in your home won’t be a bad idea. It’ll make your house look more aesthetically pleasing. Following the purpose you’d like to achieve, it would be wise to get colors that highlight it. Bulb colors also have a deeper meaning than you think so be sure to research what the colors you’d like would purchase mean.

There are also different varieties of porch lights. The flush and semi-flush offer better coverage for large porches. The powerful lights are more decorative as you can choose to style them however you want. They’re also not too bright and a perfect fit if you’d rather want your porches to have a more calming aura. They’re not good as security lights so you may want to look into other options if you’re more safety conscious. No matter the lighting and the fixtures you’d be getting, ensure to hire the services of a professional electrician.

What are Outdoor Lights?

Outdoor lights are lights used for the illumination of exterior environments, whether at home, in hotels and restaurants, or even at social gatherings.

Outdoor lights don’t exist simply for illumination. They also exist to enhance safety by shedding light, and for aesthetics in homes or more public settings.

Types of Outdoor Lights

Outdoor lights come in different types, shapes, and sizes, and have different methods of installation. Different types are ideal for certain places, and all serve their purpose perfectly.

There are floodlights, landscape lights, motion sensor lights, and spotlights.

Floodlights, for instance, are easily rotatable, depending on where you want to shine the light per time. You can mount these types of outdoor lights on the ground, walls, and poles.

There are different types of floodlights, and the longest-lasting is the LED floodlight, which only requires the use of lesser energy than other kinds of floodlights.

Floodlights are useful for focusing much light or illumination on a particular object or area, and you’ll find them mostly in parks, fields, and play areas.

Landscape lights, on the other hand, are installed as attachments to globes, spotlights, and lanterns. You’ll find them mostly on walkways, for both security and aesthetics. So yes, they’re for safety but are designed in such a way that they also offer aesthetic value.

Motion sensor outdoor lights are the kinds that detect motion and light up instantly as a reaction to said motion.

The motion sensor light doesn’t stay on all the time, it stays on for a period and then goes off for a while. It’s a perfect choice if you have security concerns. Plus, it conserves energy since it only comes on when it detects motion.

How do Outdoor Lights Receive Power?

There are different ways to power outdoor lights, and it all depends on what sources of power are available to you, and how often you need your outdoor lights. But there are three major ways that outdoor lights receive power.

Solar

Solar energy is energy from natural lighting, and it’s a good option for locations where there is little or no access to electricity. It’s easy to install and there is no need for wiring. So, you can power an outdoor light through solar.

Low Voltage 

Some outdoor lights are low voltage and require only a moderate amount of power. They’re also less risky and are the easiest to install. All you need is a two-core cable. You fix that to a power socket indoors, and then it runs to your outdoor lights from above the ground or underneath. It shouldn’t go deep because it’s low voltage and safe.

Line Voltage 

This type is for high-voltage outdoor lighting like floodlights. It requires a level of carefulness because of the high voltage. So, using equipment to cover up and protect the wires is necessary to prevent electrical accidents.

For all your outdoor light installations, contact The Electric Connection. We’ll deliver professionally and with great care.

Recessed ceiling lighting is a common feature in most modern homes because of its suitability in any part of a house. The recessed ceiling light fixture is popular for its cost-effectiveness as it has a high illuminating quality. It is also more reliable than some other ceiling lighting options and gives a beautiful aesthetic effect to the home.

This ceiling light type makes every room look well lit and effortlessly beautiful.

But regardless of how effective and aesthetically functional recessed ceiling lighting can be, it usually develops some common faults. Like most home electrical appliances, recessed ceiling light requires regular maintenance, and sometimes, repair or replacement. This article explains why and when you have recessed ceiling light issues.

Why Is Your Recessed Ceiling Light Not Working?

If you or a licensed electrician fixed your recessed ceiling light properly from the start, it shouldn’t have issues such as blinking on and off for a long time. However, there are certain reasons why your recessed ceiling light is having issues. Below are some of them:

• The bulb blew up or got damaged. 

  Bulbs are designed to blow up or burn out from full-term usage. Once a bulb completes its lifecycle, it can die out with no external influence, such as overheating. However, one of the main reasons your recessed ceiling light goes off is because the bulb has suddenly burned out.

  Always inspect your light bulb when this happens, but ensure you keep the switch off and let the bulb cool before extracting the bulb from the enclosed case. If there are black or grey spots on the glass, it means the bulb has burned out. All you need to do is buy a new bulb and replace it.

• You have a weak and damaged socket. 

  A weak or damaged socket is hardly the number one cause of recessed ceiling light issues, but it is a big possibility. When sockets malfunction, it affects outlets connected to them. Watch out for buzzing sounds coming from your wall sockets and light switches. They might indicate a faulty socket and explain why you’ve been replacing your ceiling bulbs too often.

• Inaccurate Wattage.

  Using a bulb with an inaccurate wattage in the wrong place can lead to overheating, which causes your bulb to burn. Always check to ensure that the wattage of your light bulb matches the recommended light fixture rating. You might need to go for a lower or higher wattage light bulb if your recessed ceiling light is getting blown constantly, or isn’t working.

• Your light trim is sagging.

  You will experience recessed ceiling light issues if the light trim is sagging. The ideal thing is for your recessed ceiling lights to stick firmly to your ceiling. When the light trim sags, it will disconnect your bulb from the light fixture.

  This causes the off-and-on blinking you might experience. You should get such lighting issue checked immediately as it could be a potential fire hazard waiting to happen.

Why You Shouldn’t Fix Your Recessed Ceiling Light Issues Yourself. 

It is easy to think you can get these lighting problems fixed yourself by watching a few YouTube videos or reading a step-by-step how-to article.

However, it is always better to get a licensed electrician near you to check and fix the ceiling light issues for you. Getting an experienced electrician will also save you time and stress. Contact The Electric Connection for all your recessed ceiling light issues.