As lighting technology has advanced, one of the clear front-runners in long lasting, energy efficient lighting is the LED light. With uses ranging from interior lighting to landscape lighting, there are many reasons why you should switch your home lighting over to LED. Because LEDs are being manufactured in many of the same form factors that you are familiar with, you have the option of calling a Burbank electrician such as The Electric Connection to help you switch out the majority of them if you feel it’s too overwhelming of a job, or you could take it on by yourself. If your lighting project is more extensive than changing out a few light bulbs, and you plan on installing recessed lighting or new fixtures, you should definitely look into having the work done by a professional electrician in Burbank.

Benefits of LED Lights

The most publicized benefit of using LED lights for most lighting applications is the extremely low energy usage and long lifespan. This benefit is seen best when compared by an electrician in Burbank CA with other light bulb technologies. A standard incandescent bulb has a lifespan of around 1,000 hours, a compact fluorescent has a lifespan of around 8,000 hours and an LED has a lifespan of nearly 30,000 hours. This is a huge increase, meaning that you will have to change your bulbs much less frequently than before. Furthermore, LED light bulbs are mercury free, unlike compact fluorescents.

In regards to energy efficiency, LEDs are also way ahead of the pack. As a result of the low energy required to run an LED bulb, there is also much less heat required. This leads to lights that are cool to the touch, making them much safer for many applications. When asked about power consumption, an electrician in Burbank will tell you that LED bulbs use much less than any other currently on the market. For example, a 40-watt incandescent bulb burns just as bright as an 8-12 watt compact fluorescent or a 4-5 watt LED. By switching from incandescent to LED, you’re only using about 10% of your previous energy. This can make a huge difference, considering that lighting can make up almost 25% of any home energy budget!

Choosing an LED

When choosing an LED, there are many factors to be taken into consideration. If your home lighting project is extensive, think about doing a quick Internet search for electrician Burbank and then find one that you can trust such as The Electric Connection. Working with an electrical contractor on this type of project is very much like having ceiling fans installed, outlets replaced, bath fans installed or having new switches or lighting dimmers installed. A licensed Burbank Electrician such as The Electric Connection will be able to explain everything that needs to be done in order for your custom lighting job to be done well. If you are just looking to replace some of the bulbs in fixtures around your home, there are just be a few things that you should know.

To make things simple, most packages rate their light bulbs with both actual watts, and watts relative to an incandescent. This means that if you are using a 45-watt incandescent, you should be able to find a 3W LED with packaging that lets you know that they are equivalent. If these comparisons are not listed on the box, there should also be a lumen rating. If necessary, you can compare the lumens between types of light bulbs. When choosing light bulbs for your fixtures, you will most likely be shopping for diffused bulbs. These bulbs look very similar to a standard fluorescent bulb, and help to diffuse the light. This gives the light a more natural feel. Other types of lights include outdoor landscape lights, such as floods and interior spotlights for more focused light concentration. Regardless of what type of lighting you choose, your licensed electrician Burbank CA can always help you with any questions that you might have. Enjoy your new lighting!

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When looking for a home a lot of homebuyers flip the light switches, check the outlets, briefly look at the electrical panel, and think that the electrical system is perfectly fine. However, this is not always the case and it is important to have an expert come in for inspection.

Your home’s electrical system will age, just like your plumbing, roof,  air conditioning and heating system.  Those systems can have unexpected issues and problems, and so can your home’s electrical system.

Over ten years, the reliability of your homes’ electrical system can deteriorate greatly. Certain components can expire, like smoke detectors. Other items can wear out and not function properly like light switches, receptacles can wear and lose retention, GFCI outlets and smoke detectors may not be operable and may not be there when you need them most. Here are a few electrical components that can change over time and here is some information regarding other problems associated with older homes electrical systems.

A ten year checkup is a good idea. We always will perform a complete inspection with every service call. But if you haven’t needed to call in an electrician for a while, it’s a good idea to have one come in at least every ten years and provide a comprehensive check of your electrical systems.

Bryant Electric Service was recently inundated with calls the morning after a strong wind/thunderstorm blew through Austin.  This happens every time.  Although many calls were customers needing their power restored after tree limbs took down their overhead power line, there were also many calls wanting our service techs to come out to check their whole electrical system because of nearby lightning strikes damaging many of their home appliances and electronic devices.

With the enormous amount of electronics that are now being installed in almost every device that can be plugged into any power or phone/data outlet, it has become evident that having whole house power/data surge protection installed is imperative.

When lightning strikes it creates a huge static electrical field that, like the bolt itself, seeks the easiest path of least resistance to the ground.  The easiest path for this static current is your overhead electrical and phone/cable lines that run up and down your street and all of which connect directly to your house.  When this happens, it destroys the very delicate, low voltage instruments that are now installed in most appliances:  refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, oven, coffee makers, washer/dryer, A/C and furnace, thermostat, garage door opener, sprinkler system control, etc.  These are all affected by power surges going throughout your electrical wiring system.  Then there are your TVs, computers, modem, hand-held charging devices, VCR, TV signal box, Bluetooth and your telephone, if you still have one, and these are all affected by the power surge through your phone/data cables.

If you are interested in receiving a cost estimate to have this protection installed in your house, please contact us at Bryant Electric Service and one of our dispatchers will be happy to help you.