The Electric Connection’s Blog

Reducing Energy Costs by Glendale Electrician

Posted on | by Kim Hopkins

This is the time of year you can get by without running the heat or running the air conditioner all day. It is a great time to save a little cash by reducing your energy costs. As you enjoy this downtime, this is a good time to start thinking about other ways you could reduce your electricity usage in preparation for the hot summer weather. You know its coming, along with the high electric bills that can be staggering after such a lull. Your electrician in Glendale has some tips to help you reduce your energy usage. The team at The Electric Connection can provide you with helpful information as well.

1. Pull out your vacuum and give your vents and filters below the fridge and around your home a good cleaning. Change the filters on your furnace and AC as well.
2. Buy a roll of foam insulation, spray foam or caulking and seal up those drafty areas around your windows. This is going to keep your cool air in during the summer or warm air in during the winter.
3. Have an programmable thermostat installed by an electrician. Glendale homeowners can set the temperature to adjust throughout the day and night. Some of the newer models allow you to use your smart phone to adjust the temperature in your home. If you aren’t there, you don’t need to keep it as cool or warm when you are home.
4. Adjust your hot water heater temperature. You don’t need it to heat water more than 120 degrees. Scalding water is just asking for trouble and is a waste of energy.
5. Go with LEDs. Buy in bulk and change out your old lightbulbs for the energy-saving bulbs. They are just as bright or brighter than the CFLs or incandescent bulbs.

These are things you can get done in a matter of days. All it takes is a little time and effort. It is worth it when you see the savings on your electric bill. If you need new light fixtures to accommodate your new LED bulbs, just call your Glendale electrician. Give The Electric Connection a call today and start saving money.

Lighting Up the Front Door by Burbank Electrician

Posted on | by Kim Hopkins

As you drive down the street, you notice other homes in the neighborhood for a couple of different reasons. Either the home and the yard are very attractive and you are drawn in or the home and the front entrance are a bit messy or disheveled. Curb appeal is something many homeowners strive for. They want a nice looking yard and they want their home to appear to be inviting as well as taken care of. There are plenty of things you do everyday to achieve that, like watering the lawn or planting pretty flowers. Another option that is often overlooked is the lighting around the front door area. An electrician in Burbank is here to tell you why you should think about upgrading your lighting. The team at The Electric Connection can help you make it happen.

The standard porch light that comes with every home is sometimes just not enough or it just isn’t all that attractive. Depending on how large your yard is, the design of your front entryway and the location to the nearest street light, you may need more light explains an electrician. Burbank homeowners that want to enhance their front door area, rather than just light it up, will love some of the attractive designs available. You can go classic or with some of the more modern styles.

You can choose to go with nice bright LEDs or something a little softer. Once you have made a decision about your outdoor lighting, give your Burbank electrician a call. Wiring in lights is something that should always be left to the professionals. This ensures the job is done right and you don’t have to worry about any bad wiring causing problems down the road. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your front door lighting revamp to improve your curb appeal.

Tripping Breakers Explained by Los Angeles Electrician

Posted on | by Kim Hopkins

Have you ever started the dishwasher while trying to make a quick breakfast in the microwave or with the toaster only to have the entire kitchen go dark? Or maybe you are running a space heater and it shuts down with no warning. Tripping breakers can be a real annoyance. The frustration of having to reset clocks or reprogram your electronics is not cool, but a tripping breaker goes beyond being just an irritation. It can be a major warning sign that there is trouble brewing in your electrical system. Your Los Angeles electrician wants you to take your tripping breaker seriously. The team at The Electric Connection can help you get to the bottom of the problem.

To help you understand why a tripping breaker is a bad thing, your electrician in Los Angeles will explain a bit. When a breaker trips or shuts off, it is because it is likely on the verge of overheating. The tripping or cutting of power to the outlets that are in use on that circuit, is a safety mechanism. If the breaker didn’t trip, the breaker would overheat, spark and cause an electrical fire. Constantly resetting a breaker that is tripping is risky. The breaker is protecting you and by forcing it to stay on, you are putting your home at great risk of fire.

The reason the breaker trips may be something as simple as the circuit being overloaded explains an electrician. Los Angeles residents, you have too many appliances drawing too much electricity at the same time. A remedy would be to unplug items and do a little rearranging to lighten the load on one breaker. Another option would be to have another circuit breaker installed so you could distribute your power needs. If you have a tripping breaker, give The Electric Connection a call and have it checked out.

Funky Lighting Trends by Santa Monica Electrician

Posted on | by Kim Hopkins

If you are one of those people who likes to try new things and stay on the cutting edge of fashion and the latest trends, you have to see your lighting options. You are no longer relegated to the standard white globe lights in the center of a bedroom or the standard overhead lights in the entryways or dining rooms. You can add a great deal of style, personality and flair with some really exciting, funky light fixtures. Your electrician in Santa Monica encourages you to check out the latest styles at your local home improvement store and then call The Electric Connection once you have made a decision.

With many of the fixtures, you will have the flexibility to change out the shades or globes on the light, which means you can change your lighting with your mood. If you love the look of pendant lamps, you have a lot of options explains an electrician. Santa Monica homeowners can go bold with a brightly colored shade that contrasts everything else in the room or go with some funky designs that really dazzle. You will find the shades come in a variety of shapes as well so you don’t have to settle for anything classic or traditional if that isn’t your thing.

Your home’s lighting can really make a statement in a room. In the past, lighting was more of a necessity and more functional than an intricate piece of the room’s décor. Your Santa Monica electrician can help make the lighting in an area more of a statement that provides needed light, but also shows off your personal style. Save yourself some money and choose fixtures that use LED lights for some cost savings. Have fun and choose styles that appeal to you and then call The Electric Connection to have the light fixtures installed.

Dangers of One Bad Wire Explains Pasadena Electrician

Posted on | by Kim Hopkins

We always like to minimize things in our lives to make them just a little easier to deal with. It is easy to think it is something minor and isn’t really a big deal. Out of sight, out of mind. Unfortunately, it isn’t such a good idea when you are dealing with something as serious as bad wiring. It doesn’t even have to be bad wiring, but a loose wire in a single outlet can cause a serious problem. If you have an outlet that isn’t working all the time, it is serious. You need to call an electrician in Pasadena, like those at The Electric Connection.

You probably can’t tell by looking at an outlet that something is wrong behind it. There are some clues that will help alert you to a potential problem. If the outlet doesn’t work all the time, it is a sign of trouble. If you feel the wall around the outlet and it is hot, unplug whatever is in the outlet. You have a major fire hazard. Another clue, says a Pasadena electrician, is sparking or a jolt when you plug things in or unplug. If this happens, don’t use the outlet. If you can, turn off the breaker to the outlet until you can get it looked at. Black marks around the holes or shooting up the wall are definite warning signs.

Outlets are at a high risk for having loose wiring just because of the usage. Every time you plug and unplug something, you are jarring the wires behind the outlet. Yanking plugs out is definitely not a good idea says an electrician. Pasadena homeowners who suspect there is any kind of problem need to act fast. Wires that are touching will eventually start a fire. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your wiring inspection to identify any serious problems.

Brightening the Office Spaces with Burbank Electrician

Posted on | by Kim Hopkins

Whether you work from home or work in a commercial business office, lighting is an incredibly important factor in your overall productivity. It can set the mood and the tone. If you are dealing with lighting that is inadequate, it can leave you frustrated. You will not only feel irritated by the inability to see your work clearly, but it can also wreak havoc on your eyes. You will for sure be suffering from headaches. Maybe your back and neck are also feeling the strain of having to hunch over to get a better look at small typed print. You need to brighten your office space with the help of a Burbank electrician like those at The Electric Connection.

Office lighting has traditionally always been the long fluorescent tubes that nobody actually likes or appreciates. The yellow glow they cast may be easier on the eyes, but if your work requires you to see things in true color, those fluorescent tubes have to go. They can also look dingy and when they start to go and the flickering begins, it is horrible. Your electrician in Burbank suggests you look into some of the more modern lighting options that not only provide clean, bright white light, but are also much less expensive to use.

If your office is trying to cut costs, one of the big factors is always finding ways to trim the electric bill. Imagine cutting the bill by as much as 25 percent by simply changing out the old outdated lighting for some of the new LEDs that are currently very popular. This is a change out that will need to be completed by an electrician. Burbank businesses will love the look and feel of the brighter lights as well as the impact to the bottom line. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your lighting upgrade in your office.

Safety Matters by Electrician in Los Angeles

Posted on | by Kim Hopkins

There are so many dangers in our world it is hard to actually prevent them all. We do what we can to keep our families safe. Wearing seatbelts in the car, looking both ways before crossing a street and keeping working smoke detectors in the house can go a long way to preventing a tragedy. These are little things that cost nothing, but are so important. They are extremely valuable. Your Los Angeles electrician would like to help you take the safety of your home one step further with the addition of hard-wired smoke detectors and GFCI outlets. The crew at The Electric Connection can provide you with a professional tech who will get the job done quickly and neatly.

Hard-wired smoke detectors are nice to have because they are wired directly into your home’s electricity. You are not completely dependent on a battery that may have went dead the day before or is too weak to sound the alarm when smoke from a fire is detected. Your electrician in Los Angeles recommends having one on at least every floor. If your home has an attached garage, it is a good idea to have one in there as well. All of the alarms will go off if any one of the detectors picks up smoke. This can go a long way to giving your family the time to get out.

Another safety feature every home should have are the GFCI outlets in the bathroom and kitchen areas. These can quickly be installed in place of the old, standard outlets by an electrician. Los Angeles homeowners will appreciate the fact the outlets automatically trip the second there is any interruption in the circuit that often occurs when water is introduced. This can prevent accidental electrocution. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your safety upgrades.

LEDs Are the Future says Los Angeles Electrician

Posted on | by Kim Hopkins

It is no secret the cost to run anything electrical in your home is increasing. Coming out of winter often gives you a slight break on your electric bill, but is it enough? Could you be doing more to save yourself a little more money every month? The answer is yes. However, you may not want to change your habits or maybe you are already scaled way back on your energy usage and are not up for doing too much more. That’s okay. Your electrician in Los Angeles has another solution that requires nothing more from you than changing out a light bulb. The team at The Electric Connection wants you to save a little extra money on your electric bill and has some great news.

LED light bulbs are available in all shapes, sizes and even colors. Before, you had to have a specific kind of light fixture that would accommodate the bulbs, but that is no longer the case. Nowadays, they look very similar to the old school incandescent lights. They are not the same! A single LED bulb is going to cost you more. You can expect to pay $4 to $20 for a bulb, depending on the wattage, brand and type explains an electrician. Los Angeles residents who are not sure why LEDs are all the rage can head to a home improvement store and check out the displays set up that allow you to see the difference.

LED bulbs use a fraction of the electricity, but provide the same amount of light. For example; you can get the same amount of light as you would with a 100-watt bulb and only actually use about 12 watts (this will vary). The LEDs are very bright and you will discover you only need about a 60-watt bulb to provide plenty of light in an area. Your Los Angeles electrician explains the best part about these bulbs, besides their energy efficiency, they last for years! If you have any more questions about LEDs and how they can help you lower your electric bill, give The Electric Connection a call today.

Office Lighting Solutions by Santa Monica Electrician

Posted on | by Kim Hopkins
Interior of the empty modern business office

Employees that spend their time indoors for a large portion of the day, may get a little cabin fever. The walls can feel like they are closing in and it just feels stuffy. Humans that long for bright sunlight will suffer when they are cooped up all day. While it doesn’t make sense to have the workplace outside and a wall of windows isn’t always an option, you can give the appearance of a bright and cheery space with the installation of new lighting. If you are looking for an office lighting solution, give your Santa Monica electrician a call. The team at The Electric Connection can help you come up with a lighting scheme that can eliminate the employee doldrums.

The boring, yellow fluorescent tubes that are commonplace in office spaces are out. They are yesterday’s news. It is time to get with the times. There is a fine balance between being bright and airy and being overly bright to the point it causes glares on computer screens. Different areas in the office will have different lighting needs, which your electrician in Santa Monica can help you accommodate.

Not only do you need to consider the type of lighting you will use, but you also want to take a good look at the fixtures. Recessed lights are a great way to help keep halls and other small areas from appearing cramped. A fixture hanging into the space makes it look smaller. You are not limited to the standard light fixtures that have been installed in offices for decades. Change it up with the help of your electrician. Santa Monica business managers will appreciate how much change a lighting upgrade can bring to an office space. Give The Electric Connection a call today and see what they can do for you.

Fabulous Kitchen Lighting by Pasadena Electrician

Posted on | by Kim Hopkins

A bright, well-lit kitchen is a must in every home. It is simply more inviting and more appealing in general. There is also a layer of safety added when you can see well when you are handling hot foods and sharp knives. A dim kitchen can make it difficult to properly judge seasoning or whether or not a particular dish is fully cooked. You don’t see dark kitchens in restaurants or gourmet setups. If you would like to bring your kitchen into the light, call your electrician. Pasadena homeowners can count on The Electric Connection to provide a qualified electrician to successfully complete the transformation.

Track lighting is certainly a better choice than a single fixture in the center of a room. The track can be in a variety of shapes and include as many or as few lights as you need. The lights can be directed into work areas to provide more focused light. The track lighting fixtures should be installed by an electrician in Pasadena to ensure it is done right. The fixtures are a favorite because they tend to make a kitchen look much bigger. You don’t have to worry about a fixture hanging in the space and giving it a cluttered look.

Another favorite in the world of bright kitchens is recessed lighting installed by a Pasadena electrician. Again, you can have as many or as little as you would like. Adding LEDs to the fixtures is a great choice. You will get a lot of light with very little wattage. A 100 watt LED bulb looks like several bulbs but only uses a fraction of the electricity. You can choose between a variety of styles to provide just the right light in your kitchen. Give The Electric Connection a call today to schedule your kitchen lighting upgrade.