Smoke alarms have been required in homes, apartment buildings, and offices for many years. Regulations on carbon monoxide detectors are far more recent, but it’s vital to know whether a potential carbon monoxide leak could make your family members sick. The people at Nest, the same company that brought us the Nest Learning Thermostat, recognized a need for a combination smoke detector and CO detector and created a product that alerts you to danger in a unique way that helps you to feel that your home is protected no matter where you are.

We’ll look at the many benefits of integrated fire alarms and CO detectors in this guide, but be sure to call on a professional for installation. At FB Electrical Services, we’ll make sure that the unit is installed in the most accurate location for smoke and CO detection, that all of the electrical components are working properly, and that the detectors in each room are interconnected.

Compact Fluorescent Lights: Think of a normal florescent light tube, but curled up to fit the shape of a standard light bulb. The best CFLs last 10 times as long and use a quarter of the energy of old incandescent bulbs, according to the federal Department of Energy. The drawbacks of CFLs are that they can be damaged if they are turned on and off too frequently, and they don't work well in the cold so their outdoor utility is limited.

Light Emitting Diodes: Traditionally, LEDs were for power lights on appliances and other limited uses, but advances in technology have greatly expanded their utility, and there are now numerous options for LED light bulbs available to consumers. LEDs are a fantastic value: they use only about 25 percent of the energy of standard light bulbs and can last up to 25 times as long.

Halogen Incandescents: Halogen bulbs are a twist on the old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. They function in essentially the same manner, except the glass globe is filled with halogen gas, which amplifies the light and therefore decreases the amount of electricity needed, hiking its efficiency rating. They aren't as stingy with energy as CFL or LED lights, but work well for outdoor spotlighting.

While modern bulbs cost more to buy than the incandescents you were accustomed to, their increased longevity and efficiency actually lead to big savings in the long run.

Interior lighting consists of the lights on the ceilings and walls in all of the rooms in a house, as well as the lamps and other lighting fixtures that you may have in your home. There are many different styles of interior lights to choose from such as track lighting, chandeliers, pendant lighting, recessed lighting, wall sconces and more. Choosing the type and style of lighting that you like best can be difficult, but fun at the same time. As far as the proper placement of your lighting fixtures goes, an Burbank electrician can help you decide what works best.

Chandeliers can be used in any home, but the bigger styles tend to work well in larger homes or rooms with high ceilings. There are many chandelier options that you can choose from in all different shapes, sizes and finishes. Electric Connection is the electrician Burbank homeowners rely on for professional lighting and chandelier installations.

Another style of lighting that’s very common is a ceiling fan with built-in lights.  A support box is required to support the weight of the fan, so if there’s no existing junction box these may require a little more work to install than a chandelier.  With a ceiling fan you have the added benefit, though, of having both the lighting and a fan in one unit.

As we know, most lamps need to be turned on and off at the lamp switch, but a certified electrician from Electric Connection can easily wire your outlets so that you can use your wall switches to turn your lamps on and off instead. This type of set up makes your table lamps even more convenient and easy to use.

Of course, there are even more options for lighting in your house, but you’ll definitely want to consider choosing one or more of the options we’ve mentioned since they’re the most popular. When you’re ready to install or update your home lighting, you can give us a call at Electric Connection.

Build Your Future is dedicated to showing America’s youth the rewarding career opportunities available in construction. BYF is once again declaring October “Careers in Construction Month.”

Careers in Construction Month provides an opportunity for industry and schools across the nation to partner locally to host construction career events and programs. With the ever growing need for skilled professionals in the construction industry, there has never been a better time for education and industry to work together to help students build successful construction career pathways.   Construction careers in today’s market are all about high-tech, high-stakes, huge earning potential and the opportunity to travel the world. You might think that a four-year degree is the only path to success, but skilled trades are an option for many.