The energy consumed by a single building or business can prove to be a huge overhead cost, especially for those buildings of a much larger size.

Starting the initiative to reduce energy consumption is becoming more and more common as the benefits become more and more clear. The benefits of reducing energy consumption is often times for one major reason, and that is to reduce overhead costs. By making switches (such as those listed here), you could realize a 50% or more reduction in overall energy usage in your facility.

Sound interesting? Learn how you can do that with the tips below…

Whatever lighting technology you have right now, if it isn’t LED, then you are probably consuming more energy than you have to be when it comes to your lighting system.

By converting to LED from a technology like fluorescent, you will easily realize a 30% reduction (on average) in energy consumption from your lights. Now, if you have lights such as metal halide or HPS (often used outside or in high ceiling lights), then you could realize even greater savings (by up to 75%)! This, in and of itself, can prove to be a major way to reduce energy usage in your buildings.

facility manager is, but it’s just a fact. Think, who knows more; someone who works with all the equipment everyday or someone who overlooks said worker? Probably the former, and that’s okay! But, just remember to ask them to be on the lookout for things and get them on-board with your efforts to reducing energy in your building. It will help a lot with your efforts!

Planting save energy in your building, but they are definitely the huge players that eat up a lot of energy. By changing just these 9 things, you will be able to put your efforts to the highest reward type initiatives.

Once you’ve switched these major energy consumers, you can then work on smaller areas of your building that are inefficient, just not as much as these 9 things.

What is one thing not listed here that you find to be a huge energy consumer? Comment it down below so we are all aware of it!

Microwave ovens revolutionized kitchens across America when they came on the market in the 1970’s. Since then these technological marvels have come a long way, with more features, compact sizing, and greater cooking power than ever before. With greater power comes greater power usage, but if your microwave is tripping the breaker in your home, it’s a sign that the appliance is overloading the electrical circuit. The questions is, why, and what can be done to solve the problem?

The best lighting jobs are the ones that aren’t noticeable. Have you ever walked into a room and just felt warm, comfortable and at home? It was probably the light placement and selection in the room that gave you that unforgettable feeling. With the right tools and tips in mind, you can also have that within each room of your home.

In order to effectively use your lighting to enhance your home’s décor, you must first consider the function of your room, the natural light source and the mood you are looking to achieve in your room. With this in mind, you can transform the look and feel of your home!

Knowing the function of your room will allow you to select the appropriate type of lights and placement in the room. For instance, a reading room will have soft lights with intentionally placed reading lamps whereas a kitchen will be a lot brighter and will be equipped with a number of task lights – each room can have very different functions therefore using different light sources and equipment.

Once you have determined the function for each room, you should then discover the natural or ambient light provided throughout the day. In the morning, afternoon and evening, take the time to turn off all your lights and see where the natural light source may come from and how it can be appropriately supported. You may have a street lamp right outside your living room that still provides a considerable amount of light, meaning you may not need to add as much light as you would have assumed for the evenings.

Lastly, you should determine the specific mood you are looking to achieve for your room. Romantic, bright, warm, calm, energetic – there is a number of different effects you could be searching for based on your room and décor. In a living room, we generally recommend a central light to add to the ambient light in the room and then use small accent lights to highlight main decorative objects in your room like a painting, mirror or even a plant.

With the function, natural light source and mood of your room in mind, you can transform your home with simple adjustments to your lighting. For more tips on how to improve the lighting of your home or to have a professional help with the installation, contact Expert Electric at 604-681-8338.

By Clarissa Allison | December 11th, 2015

If you are lucky enough to have a large family room or “great room”, you may encounter some exciting challenges when choosing home decor and lighting that complements and balances your space. A great room is a large room typically found in modern homes that combines the features of a living room with those of a dining room or family room.

Large, open spaces are very common to find in floorplans these days. The dining room incorporates the kitchen, which is part of the living room and leads into the den, etc.  This trend sees walls to separate activity spaces removed. You’ll find that the kitchen is no longer segregated from the rest of the home but may easily become a main focal point. As you’ll see, the key to lighting these types of spaces is variety. You’ll want to utilize ambient, task, wall, and spot lighting to eliminate a “cave-like” atmosphere and maintain a feeling of spaciousness and height.

Read on for tips on how to set up the perfect lighting scheme for functionality, elegance and entertaining.

Update Your Kitchen Island As An Activity Space