The Electric Connection’s Blog

Energy Action Month Explained by Burbank Electrician

electriccon_10_3This is the second year the United States is focusing its efforts to really bring energy conservation to the forefront of conversation. We have all heard about fossil fuels being depleted and the demand each house puts on the power grid. We are constantly told we have to be more frugal with electricity. It is for the benefit of the world as well as our bank accounts. Saving energy will ultimately save money on the electric bill and make each one of our carbon footprints just a little bit smaller. Your Burbank electrician and the team at The Electric Connection wants you to know about Energy Action Month, which is this October.

Right now, the government in the United States is taking action to reduce their own energy consumption. It starts at the top and by their good influence, hopefully citizens will follow suit. An electrician in Burbank has some ways that will help you take action this October and develop new habits that will ultimately lead to less energy usage, lower electric bills and a smaller demand on today’s power sources.

Things to do right now include;

*Turn up the AC a couple degrees or turn up the heater a couple of degrees
*Switch out those old bulbs with LEDs (this may require a different light fixture)

Things to Schedule

*Get a ceiling fan installed by an electrician, Burbank homeowners can really save money on their heating and cooling costs with this one device

*Schedule an energy audit to get an idea where you use the most electricity and how you can cut back

These are 4 easy, actionable steps that will help you save money and do something great for the environment. Give The Electric Connection a call if you need a new light fixture or ceiling fan installed.

Electrician in Los Angeles Explains Light Control

electriccon_10_1Lighting has come a long way in the last several decades. We are no longer forced to endure the same, boring light fixtures and bulbs. There are plenty of new designs that provide more light while using energy efficient bulbs. In fact, the lights are so much brighter than the old-fashioned incandescent bulbs, it can be a little too much for some situations. Bright light is great at times, but other times you don’t need to see every inch in the room and just need a soft light to allow you to watch television, eat a meal or relax while surfing the net on your laptop. This is a downside to the CFLs and LEDs that are trending in the lighting world. An electrician in Los Angeles has a solution for your lighting needs. The team at The Electric Connection can help explain it a little better.

Now, you probably remember the dimmer switches that were very standard in construction throughout the 70s and into the early 2000s. Those switches lost some popularity as the CFL bulbs gained in popularity. CFLs are not meant to be used with a dimmer switch in most cases. Keep in mind, there are some that are specifically labeled as dimmer switch capable. This meant people were stuck with the bright light or no light at all, explains an electrician. Los Angeles homeowners can upgrade their old lighting fixtures to those that use LEDs and take advantage of the cost savings and flexibility of dimmer switches once again.

Dimmer switches are an excellent way to save money on your lighting bill says a Los Angeles electrician. Combined with energy efficient LEDs or CFLs and you can make a dramatic difference on your electric bill each month. It is important you only buy bulbs that are specified for use with a dimmer. Your electrician can explain more about the risks of using non-approved lights in the fixtures attached to a dimmer. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your dimmer switch installation and take back control of your lighting.

Hiring an Electrician in California that Can Do It All

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When you find an excellent place to shop or a reliable business, you tend to stick with them. You become a loyal customer. It is nice when you finally find a company you can count on to take care of your needs in a way that satisfies you. You are left feeling good about spending the money to buy something or have something repaired. It gives you a feeling of confidence knowing you don’t have to worry about substandard quality. When you think about electrical work, you may assume that the team you use to take care of problems and jobs around your house is specifically reserved for residential use. If you are a business owner, you will be pleased to know that The Electric Connection offers a variety of services that are not limited to your residential needs.

If you have come to depend on the professional and timely service of the team, you will love knowing you can call them out to take care of much bigger jobs. A commercial electrician has the knowledge and experience needed to work with larger electric panels and some of the issues that accompany industrial and commercial businesses.

Maybe you work in an office and have seen a particular company taking care of the electrical repairs around the business. You realize that your place of employment trusts the team and you notice they seem to be very professional. Wouldn’t it be great to know you can call an electrician in California that not only works in the commercial industry, but can also work on problems you may have in your home? The next time you are in need of an electrician, whether it be at home or work, you can call The Electric Connection to take care of any job, big or small.

Hiring a Santa Monica Electrician: 3 Tips

electriccon_09_6If you have any kind of remodeling project, home improvement or need some electrical maintenance around the house, you will need to hire an electrician. Santa Monica homeowners have a big decision to make. It can be a little stressful and you may feel like you are rolling the dice. Will you get a great, solid electrician or will you get someone who is a fly-by-night untrained person who will leave you in worse shape than you started? It can be difficult to call and make an appointment if you don’t know where to start. Well, your first call should be to The Electric Connection. You can rest assured you are getting a professional service.

How do you know? The following 3 tips will help you pick the right electrician in Santa Monica.

1. Always check to make sure anybody who is going to perform work in your house is licensed and bonded. A license means they have met certain requirements by the state. Bonded means they have insurance should there be an accident where they are injured or your house suffers damage.
2. A professional appearance may not seem like a big deal, but it gives you an idea of the work ethic of the person working in your home. You want to make sure your house is left neat and tidy. A big mess isn’t going to make you happy.
3. Your Santa Monica electrician should be known for their timeliness as well. You have a busy life and cannot afford to wait for someone to show up or wait for them to finish a job. You need the work to be completed as close to the schedule as possible with the understanding little hiccups do happen.

If you need a quality electrician, you can rest assured each member of the team at The Electric Connection will meet each of these requirements.

Total Landscape Lighting with Pasadena Electrician

electriccon_09_5Dark spaces can be trouble for many different reasons. If you are trying to navigate a dark space, like your back yard or the outer areas of your landscaping, you risk suffering an injury because you can’t see. Dark spaces also tend to invite unwanted critters. Animals big and small will appreciate the darkness so they can skulk around without being detected. You also have to worry about people who may vandalize or burglarize your home, outdoor furniture and décor or even your cars under the cloak of darkness. It is a good idea to invest in landscape lighting that completely lights up the entire area. An electrician in Pasadena can make that happen for you. The team at The Electric Connection knows how important it is to keep your home secure and can get you set up with the right lighting.

When you have a Pasadena electrician install landscape lighting, you are not limited by an extension cord. You also don’t have to worry about whether or not a solar light is going to get enough sunlight in particularly shaded areas of the landscaping. With the proper lighting scheme, you can light up every corner of the yard, including under bushy shrubs and full shade trees. You don’t have to leave any area in the dark.

In fact, you can create a lighting scheme that enhances the property and doesn’t give it that sterile look. Add soft lighting or pretty colors to act as an effective security measure, while making the landscaping look gorgeous, even in the dead of night. This kind of job needs to be handled by an electrician. Pasadena residents will love the freedom of putting lights anywhere and the ability to control when they come off and on. Give The Electric Connection a call today and get your landscape lighting installed.

Creative Basement Remodels with Glendale Electrician

electriccon_09_4You can look at your house and think of it as a piece of clay to be molded into image and design you want. Owning a home gives you the luxury of creating the perfect living space for your family by remodeling, upgrading or even adding on as allowed by your city building codes. Many older homes are equipped with basements. Those basements are often ignored and overlooked as viable living spaces. Instead, they are filled with the overflow and not given any kind of attention. You can change that with the help of an electrician. Glendale homeowners who want to add living space without knocking out walls can use their basements. The Electric Connection has a team ready to help you light up your basement and make it warm and inviting.

You will want to hire a general contractor to help you come up with building plans that will transform the basement into living space. There are plenty of options depending on how big the basement is. You may be able to create a hobby room, den, office or just a nice space to relax and watch the game. One of the most important elements of a basement is the lighting explains a Glendale electrician. The windows tend to be a bit smaller and don’t always get a great deal of natural light. You need to compensate by having plenty of lighting installed.

Basements are notoriously dark and dingy. The ceilings tend to be lower in a basement than in the upper levels of the home. You need to get creative with your lighting. One way to get maximum light without losing any head space is to have an electrician in Glendale install can lights or what is known as recessed lighting. You will love the brightness and the overall transformation of your new space. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your basement lighting transformation.

Electric Outlet Warning Signs by Burbank Electrician

electriccon_09_3Outlets are seemingly innocuous parts of any home. They blend right into the walls and we hardly even know they are there. We often hide them with furniture or décor and never give them a second thought until we need to plug something in or unplug a device. It isn’t like we give them daily inspections or even monthly evaluations. Why would we? They do nothing. Or do they? Those outlets are not always as innocent as they may look. Sometimes, they are extremely dangerous and when you hide them, they can get away with a lot and you won’t know until it is too late. An electrician in Burbank wants you to be wary of those outlets and pay attention to any warn signs that indicate something may not be right. The team at The Electric Connection can give you more detailed information if you need it.

Burning wires have a very distinct, acrid smell. If you ever smell something a little off in the home and it seems like it is coming from a wall, you probably have a serious fire hazard explains a Burbank electrician. Plugging in and unplugging cords over and over puts stress on the tiny wires that give the outlet electricity. They can become loose. They touch each other or the insulation and slowly burn. This is how home fires are started. Other obvious signs of trouble are;
*Black streaks up the wall or around the outlet
*Blackness around where things are plugged in
*Outlet doesn’t work or only works at times
*Sizzling or crackling noise coming from the outlet
*An electrical shock when things are plugged in
*The outlet feels hot or the wall around the outlet feels hot

Don’t ignore your outlets says an electrician. Burbank homeowners need to call The Electric Connection right away if they suspect there is any trouble.

Dramatic Lighting Changes with Los Angeles Electrician

electriccon_09_1Walking into the same house you have lived in for years may bring mixed emotions. It is a place of comfort and safety. You love coming home, but maybe you walk through the door and see all the things you would like to change in the home. Maybe you dream of a more modern look or a classical style that is more in line with your personal tastes. Big home remodels and renovations can get expensive and they can take some time. If you are looking for a quick fix that will give your home a new look and feel, you need to call an electrician in Los Angeles. The team at The Electric Connection can help you get the new look you have been dreaming about, but haven’t been able to do just yet.

Believe it or not, enhancing your home can be fairly easy and take less than a couple of hours to do. Dramatic lighting changes can completely change the way a room looks. Adding track lighting with LEDs to a kitchen and getting rid of that boring old fixture is a breeze with a Los Angeles electrician on board. You shouldn’t try to do it yourself. Electricity isn’t something an inexperienced person should ever mess with.

A dark space tends to look smaller and more boxy. You can open up your kitchen, bedroom or living room with the right lighting. Taking it into the ceiling with recessed lights is also an option explains an electrician. Los Angeles homeowners that want to give their old look a face lift can do so with the easy job of changing out a light fixture. When you shop around for light fixtures, you will be amazed at how inexpensive a dramatic change can be. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your lighting upgrade.

Adding Dimmer Switches by California Electrician

electriccon_08_7Light switches are so common we rarely think twice about them. We walk into a room, flip the switch without looking and carry on. In the middle of the night or first thing in the morning, the light that comes on in an instant is a bit of a shock to eyes that have not quite adjusted. Lights are often a little too much for certain occasions and you are forced to choose between too much or too little. Or are you? Your California electrician has a better idea. The team at The Electric Connection can help you take control of the light in your life by installing a dimmer switch.

For a long time, dimmer switches were a common feature for chandeliers installed in the dining room area. This allows you to dictate just how much light you want to shed over the dinner table. Cheery breakfasts and lunches are best served with plenty of light. Evening meals that are meant to help you unwind or connect with your friends and loved ones over a delicious entree are best served with low light. It gives the space a more intimate feel.

You can have that same luxury of light control in every room in the house. There is some very minimal electrical wiring that will need to be done. It is a fairly easy switch to install a dimmer in place of your existing light switch. You can have one in the living room that allows you to turn down the lights while you are watching television. Another in the bathroom gives you the ability to have low light for those middle of the night visits instead of blinding light that wakes you up and interrupts a good night’s sleep. An electrician in southern California is ready to help. Just give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your dimmer switch installation.

Extension Cord Safety Tips by Santa Monica Electrician

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Using an extension cord now and again is pretty common around the house. You may need it to run some power tools in the shop or run some yard equipment. In the house, you may need to use an extension cord as a temporary fix to an increased need for an outlet in an area of the house that is currently without. Extension cords come in handy around the holidays when you need to plug in the various decorations you put out in the yard and around the house. While the extension cords are relatively safe, there are a few other things you need to know to ensure you are using them correctly. An electrician in Santa Monica has some safety tips for you. If you have any questions, you can call The Electric Connection.

1-An extension cord is a temporary fix. It isn’t meant to become a permanent outlet. If you need more outlets, call an electrician. Santa Monica homeowners can request to have additional outlets installed around the home, inside and out.

2-Do not run the cords across main pathways in or out of the house. Not only do they pose tripping hazards, but they will also wear down. An exposed wire is an electrocution or electric short and fire waiting to happen. Run the cords along a wall. If it must cross a pathway, use a cord protector to keep it from being directly stepped on.

3-Do not plug several extension cords in together to reach an area. Buy the right cord for your needs from the very start.

4-Your Santa Monica electrician reiterates the need to use outdoor extension cords for outdoor use. Don’t use a flat cord that is designed for indoor use in the outdoors. They are simply not built to withstand the elements and you risk an electric shock or the device shorting out and potentially starting a fire.

Extension cords are handy to have around in a pinch, but make sure you use them correctly and follow these safety tips. Give The Electric Connection a call if you would like a more permanent fix to your electrical needs.