If you are interested in purchasing an old building for commercial use or maybe your business is in an old building that needs a serious upgrade, you will need a specialized crew of professionals to make it happen. Commercial projects require a different set of skills and talents than the standard residential projects. Everything is on a much bigger scale, including the wiring and electrical needs. For this reason, it is absolutely critical you hire an electrical team that has experience and training to work on commercial projects. A certified electrician on your job ensures everything will be done right and up to code, which means your renovation or upgrade will chug along according to your schedule. The team at The Electric Connection has the commercial experience you want and need.

It is always best to bring the electrician in at the very beginning of a restoration project. This allows the professional to provide valuable insight and input as to where the wiring needs to be as well as the best type of materials to use for a commercial project. Bringing in the certified professional early on also makes the scheduling of the project much easier. You won’t have to worry about down days or redoing certain areas because the wiring wasn’t put in first. The construction team needs to work together and that means everyone needs to be involved from the get go.

The planning phase is an excellent time to discuss all of the commercial lighting options and various upgrades that can be put in place throughout the building. It is important these are thought about beforehand to make sure the project runs smoothly. Projects that are delayed or run into various hiccups can cost more money and end up pushing back opening dates. Give The Electric Connection a call today and talk with one of our professionals about your commercial building renovation.

In the past several years, the technology behind our lights has grown tremendously. Although incandescent bulbs were the standard for a number of years, more energy efficient alternatives like Compact Fluorescents (CFL) and Light Emitting Diodes (LED) have become more readily available, affordable and very popular. Because people have been looking for ways to reduce their electrical bills, and lower their overall impact on the environment, LED lighting has become a particularly popular alternative as it has become easier to find. This has resulted in LED lighting companies to manufacture and distribute more LED lights than in the past.

Should You Switch?

The reasons to switch to LEDs are numerous for both homeowners and small businesses. One of the biggest draws to LED lights is its lifespan. Most LED lights will burn for somewhere around 100,000 hours. This translates into roughly 11 years. Whenever you are dealing with this type of lifespan, you will probably end up calling an electrician in Los Angeles to come change out the light fixture before you ever have to change the bulb. LEDs not only last longer, but they also use much less electricity than both incandescent and CFL bulbs. They also produce less heat, resulting in a long-lasting, low-energy, low temperature operation.

Are They Expensive?

One of the few negatives that LED bulbs have is that they have a higher up-front cost than many other options. Although they boast the longer life span, reduced energy consumption and low heat, LED lighting is still more expensive than CFL and Incandescent bulbs. For this reason, many people choose other types of bulbs over them.  Those that go with the LEDs typically find out that they will pay for themselves through reduced energy usage. As always, don’t hesitate to contact The Electric Connection with any questions about LEDs, light fixtures or any other electrical topics. We’re always glad to help.

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At Kolb Electric, some of our favorite projects we do involve lighting design and installation. Well done outdoor lighting design is one of the most impressive projects you can undertake, and when done properly, it can add curb appeal and value as well as safety and utility to your home. There are a number of important design considerations to make to ensure your outdoor lighting is as effective as possible, including:

Think about your indoor living – outdoor lighting should graze your home’s exterior and go up—not in. When installing outdoor lighting, it’s important to make sure none of your lights shine directly into any windows in your home, creating an annoying and disruptive spotlight effect.

Keep entranceways visible – you especially don’t want spotlights in any entranceways in your home. Spotlights shine directly into your and your guests’ eyes, and can cause them to miss steps while approaching. You don’t want your lighting to interfere with anyone trying to walk through your front door. If it does, the lighting isn’t making your space any safer—it’s making it worse!

Maintain balance with coach lights – coach lights, which are wall sconce lights you see outdoors in many homes, should be incorporated into outdoor lighting in a way that enhances the whole light scheme’s design. This may involve dimming the coach lights so the whole design looks elegant and balanced and the elements don’t compete.

Maximize the spread of light – one of the most important things to consider when designing an outdoor lighting scheme is making sure the light is evenly spread across the exterior of your home. You don’t want any dark spots that will look awkward and may present a security risk. The right outdoor lighting designers can even help get around issues such as decks and porch overhangs blocking light to a second floor.

Light walkways correctly – path lighting is one area where outdoor lighting can go very right or very wrong. If you use high quality path lights with a large light spread, it’s easy to get the perfect look with just a few fixtures. One mistake many people make is using too many fixtures, which can end up creating a walkway that looks like an airport runway!

Use lighting to enhance your landscaping – using outdoor lighting effectively involves finding ways to highlight specific features of your home, from low-growing flowers and bushes to trees and anything else you want to showcase.

The outdoor lighting designers at Kolb Electric will take these and many other considerations into account when designing the perfect outdoor lighting setup for your home. If you’re ready to get started, call us today!

 Illuminate anything from skateboards to yard games, and transform them into unique, eye-catching displays that you can use anywhere. single colors or

Perfect for tailgating or late-night stargazing—portable LED light strips make the perfect truck bed lights. They’re easy to install and are a great way to add colorful illumination without having to do any vehicle wiring. Adhere the strips to your truck bed with their adhesive backings, and mount the battery pack in a covered location so that it’s not exposed to water.

Let your little one ride in style with LED strip lights on their wagon, stroller, or ride-on Power Wheels vehicle. These portable LED lights are super simple to install and can be set to one of many exciting single-color or color-changing modes. They will not only capture the attention of your baby, but they’ll also provide increased safety and visibility for evening walks or events.

From movie, theater, or extravagant Halloween props to models and costume figures—portable LED strips lights will take your project to the next level. They’re available in several shades of white as well as pink, UV, blue, green, yellow, amber, red, or color-changing RGB to match any theme or design.

Decorate your skateboard or scooter with LED strip lights, and differentiate yourself from the crowd. The portable LED lights are easy to apply, and you can use the wireless RF remote to control single-color or color-changing modes while you ride.

Brighten up your next tailgate party or camping trip! Install portable LED strip lights on canopy tents, sun shelters, instant canopies, pop-up shelters, or E-Z UP Instant Shelters. A variety of colors are available—including “Bugs-Away” yellow—and the strip lights provide up to 402 lumens of illumination.

With portable LED strip lights, you can create a lighted wreath, garland, or other holiday decor that’s unlike anything storebought. Colors are available for every holiday, and the attention-grabbing strip lights have several modes from flash to strobe to fade and more.