No matter how hard you try, it is a huge task to try and remember to shut off lights whenever they are not in use. If you have a busy household with several family members, your task is next to impossible. It is frustrating to have to constantly remind kids and other adults to turn off the lights. It is a full time job that nobody has the time or patience for. Did you know that lighting accounts from anywhere between 20 and 40 percent of your total electrical bill? An electrician in Pasadena has a viable solution for you that does not require you to be on full time light duty. The team at The Electric Connection can provide you with more information or you can read on.

Lighting timers or wireless lighting systems are the answer to your lighting police needs. A wireless system can be quickly installed on any light that you find to be a problem getting shut off. Hallways, stairways and bathrooms are common areas of installation. If you choose to go with a system that is wired into the home’s electrical system, the installation is best completed by a qualified electrician. Pasadena homeowners will feel better knowing the system has been installed by a professional and the risk of bad wiring is avoided.

A wireless system is the best option because it leaves no holes in the walls or ceilings. It does cost a little more up front, but the savings on your electric bill will certainly make up for it. You can save up to 50 percent on your electric bill with the installation of light timers. You can certainly install the wireless system on your own and you can avoid hiring a Pasadena electrician. The choice is yours. If you would like to learn more about wireless lighting systems or the installation of light timers, give The Electric Connection a call today.

How much electricity is your household using? Chances are, you skim over your electric bill each month and if the price doesn’t seem out of the ordinary, you move on. This is what most of us do. It’s become the norm. But have you ever thought about what electrical usage and energy bills are like in other states and countries?

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that the national average is 909 kilowatt hours (kWh)/month, with monthly electric costs of $110.20. The EIA also breaks down the average electric usage by state. You can download the full spreadsheet with all state data here.

Keep in mind that the number of kilowatt hours (kWh) doesn’t necessarily dictate the costs, so the state paying the most may not be the state actually using the most electricity. Electric costs vary state-by-state. The average monthly price tag that emerges from your electrical usage depends on how hot/cold and urban/rural your home state is, as well as what the area costs are. For instance, even though Louisiana has the highest monthly consumption (1,273 kWh), Hawaii, (the state that uses the second-least amount of electricity) pays the most at $203 per month. Furthermore, Maine, the state that uses the least amount of electricity each month (531 kWh), still pays more on average for electric than New Mexico ($75 per month). However, Maine does pay a similar average price ($77.77), so their low energy conservation plays to their benefit.

Wondering where our home state of Texas fits in? Well, we are the 5th highest electric consumers in the country, using 1,174 kWh/month and paying around $133.33 on our monthly electric bills. Nationally, that puts Texas just above average in our electric use.

In terms of our country’s impact globally, overall the United States has the second highest household energy consumption in the world, with homes using over 11,698 kWh per year. This is two to three times more than European households and about twenty times more than Nigerian homes. Moreover, each American individually uses about 4,500 kWh each year, which is about five times the average for all people who have electricity in their homes around the world. But of course, these disparities are affected by differences in physical house size, local electricity prices, appliances, the amount of sunshine, and access to alternative fuels for heating and cooking.

This month, it could be an interesting experiment to compare your energy bill to the averages to see how you stack up! If you’re paying way above the average for your state/country, it might be a good idea to see how you can save more energy throughout the year. Luckily, our site is filled with blogs with tips and tricks for spending less on electric!

Sources:

U.S. Energy Information Administration

Shrink That Footprint

It seems like every day some fantastic new “must-have” electronic device comes out. Is your home equipped to handle them all? Energy use in homes these days averages around 14,000 kWh (that’s kilowatt-hours) per year—up an astounding 636 percent since the 1950s and still growing! If you live in an older home in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, your electrical system may not be able to handle the increase in energy requirements. That’s why you might need a heavy up!

Service panel upgrades, also called “heavy ups,” will enhance your electrical panel’s capacity and make it safer to operate the variety of electronic devices you may have in your home.

Getting an electrical panel upgrade will provide you with a number of impressive benefits to improve your home’s electrical service all around, including:

Better Electrical Performance – do your lights flicker when you turn on certain appliances? Does your breaker trip frequently for no apparent reason? A heavy up will take care of these problems, providing a more consistent energy supply throughout your home.

Improved Electrical System Safety – while most new electrical panels are designed with safety in mind, the same can’t always be said for panels built 30 years ago. Overloading the electrical panel can lead to major fire hazards, many of which could cost you your home. An electrical panel upgrade can resolve these dangerous issues and improve the safety of your home.

Future Expansion — if you ever need to add circuits to your home, you’ll need a larger service panel. A heavy up gives you options, whether you need to really expand your electrical system (say by adding a new addition or central air conditioner) or you just need to add a few more outlets.

What does a heavy up entail?

Depending on your specific goals, you have a range of upgrades available for a heavy up. Some service upgrades are as simple as adding a few additional circuit breakers to the existing box, or expanding the box with a subpanel. More complex upgrades may include things like replacing a fuse box or an aging panel with one that allows for higher energy capacity. A Kolb Electrician can evaluate the condition of your current panel with any problems you are experiencing to determine how extensive your upgrades will be.

How long does an electrical panel upgrade take?

The time depends on the job. Adding additional breakers to an existing panel is usually pretty quick, often taking less than an hour. Installing a subpanel is not too complicated either, often taking no more than a few hours.

Where it starts to take a long time is when you need to make serious upgrades. If you need to replace a fuse box or circuit main, you could be looking at a job that takes all day.

Still asking yourself “Should I upgrade my electrical panel?” Let us help you decide! Already know you need a heavy up? Don’t let your favorite electronics put your home at risk—for electrical panel upgrades in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric at 877-385-0818 today!

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.