By Clarissa Allison | April 29th, 2016

If you want to update your home to create an appeal of freshness and light, there’s no better color to use in your decorating scheme than white. Whether pure white, off white or cream – despite what you may initially think, white can add drama to your home. Read on for tips and product suggestions that will transform your abode into your own personal white palace.

The key with using white in your space is to soften your chosen items by making sure that everything isn’t overly match-y and austere. Choose distressed finishes for your furniture and items that exhibit a bit of texture and softness. In this way you will avoid severity and “coldness” while adding familiarity and comfort to your space. George Nelson  at the end of the Second World War.

reflective glare. The sculptural qualities of this lamp are truly amazing.

Now that spring is well on its way, many enterprising homeowners are looking forward to home improvement projects and renovations to their homes. What they likely are not looking forward to, or may not even realize that they have to consider, though, is scheduling inspections and pulling permits. Not every job is going to require a permit or an electrical inspection, but many do, and they are not always the jobs that you’d expect. Language in permitting regulations may necessitate that you pull a permit for replacing a window, for instance, as this is an egress. The best way to ensure that you are doing everything by the books is to hire a skilled professional to do the job.

When it comes to an electrical inspection, it is all about your safety. Once your contractor has finished his or her work, or even just the rough work phase of the job, having an electrical inspection is most likely going to be necessary. This guarantees not only that any existing electrical systems and components in the area are in great working order, but also that nothing was compromised during the home renovation process. You need everything in your home to be up to code, and it is in your best interest to ensure that this is the case prior to the completion of the entire project.

There are a lot of questions surrounding this particular practice, and nobody wants to go through the process of pulling permits prior to getting a project underway, only to find that the permit was not necessary. That being said, allowing a contractor to work on your property without the necessary permits can have some pretty serious consequences. If a complaint is filed, and an investigation opened, the work will have to stop. Any improvements made may actually need to be removed, and you may face considerable fines. There will likely be a lot of red tape that will seriously delay your project, as well. Contact the appropriate governing bodies in your area to know for certain if a permit is needed.

Why is it you can replace some lights with more ‘advertised’ lumens with a LED light with less lumens. Here are 4 reasons:

1. Focused Lumens:

LED light is directional, conventional light sources are omnidirectional and require reflectors to gather the light and focus it to where it is needed. Any reflection that is over 1 bounce effectively loses the effect of the lumen. It has been proven that you can lose up to 30% of the effective lumens in this process.

The science of scotopic lumens is associated with a factor that allows us to adjust the photopic value to give a true representation of how useful the lumens are. The factor, developed by scientists, is an attempt to level the playing field. The factor is used to adjust the effective value of the lumen, either up or down from the advertised photopic lumen advertised on the package. Some lights, like HPS, have a factor that reduces the lumen amount. LED, on the other hand, typically has a factor > 1.7, which means the lumens it is producing is far more effective to us. Therefore, less lumens is required to do the job.

We have been very successful replacing 400W Metal Halide bulbs with our 18W LED tube, producing 1900 lumens, compared to a 32W 4 ft fluorescent tube, producing close to 2900 lumens. The main reason is all our lumens are coming straight down, where as only a small portion of the fluorescent tube is coming down and the majority of the light is requiring  a reflector to gather it and shine it downwards. After many projects, our customers tell us that it is brighter and feels better than working underneath fluorescent lighting

While ductwork can be quite efficient and effective in its distribution of conditioned air throughout a home, this is only the case when that ductwork is in impeccable working condition. Air leaks in ductwork are among the most common causes of efficiency drops in residential cooling systems. By eliminating the need for air ducts entirely, you can eliminate the risk of such air leaks in your home.

When using a ducted HVAC system, you can also utilize a zone control system in order to better regulate the distribution of heated and cooled air throughout your home. With a ductless system, though, this level of control is just part of the package. Such systems use individual, wall mounted blowers in order to distribute conditioned air directly to the spaces in which they are installed. Each is controlled by its own, individual thermostat. This allows you, the user, to set different temperatures in different areas.

You can have a designated ductless AC system, but you may also choose to utilize heat pump technology in order to both heat and cool your home with one convenient system. When you do, your ductless mini slit system will be able to absorb existing heat from the air outside, and to use that heat in order to efficiently warm your home. Contact us today to learn more or to schedule ductless AC services with trained professionals.

Imagine a future free from electricity bills. A home where you can maintain or improve your current levels of comfort, but one that is so efficient that it costs little to nothing to power its electrical work. Someday soon, this vision could become a reality, with a combination of renewable power generation and hyper-efficient technologies allowing Americans to enjoy elevated standards of living without placing a burden on their pocketbooks or the environment. Read on to learn more about the ultimate in energy-efficient homes.

Testing the Effectiveness of New Technology

One hotbed for innovation in efficient home construction is in the Pacific Northwest. A pilot program comprised of builders and utility companies is studying new homes built in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington to discover how new technologies are functioning and which ones are most effective. The program is looking at homes that are at least 30 percent more efficient than required by local code and monitoring them for a year after they are built to ensure that their performance is living up to their promise.

Among the energy-saving features that are included in the new houses:

Filling in the Other Side of the Equation

Naturally, any modern home should also include features like LED lighting technology in lieu of incandescent bulbs and efficient Energy Star-rated appliances to keep the costs for your electrical work low. Add smart technology to the mix, which can automatically find extra savings, and you are looking at a historically low electrical bill.

Of course, it's extraordinarily rare to find an American household that gets by without electricity at all, so no matter how efficient you are, you'll still have some level of energy consumption to power your electrical work. That's where the other side of the equation comes in: personal, renewable power generation. Once you install solar panels or a wind turbine on your property, you can make your own power. Pair that with a good electricity storage option and you're well on your way to being free from electrical bills forever.

Conservation in Your Circuits and Wires

The nation hasn't realized its efficiency dreams yet, but we are well on our way. If you need electrical work in a new or existing home, call up a qualified residential electrician today.