So when customers ask us how many ‘Watts” do I need to replace an existing light source, we always convert them to lumens.

•  Pay special attention to the lumens per watt of a fixture. IT DOES MATTER. A LED product at 135 lumens/watt will consume far less energy than a LED product producing 97 lumens/watt. Not all LED solutions are the same. (remember, always buy on the lumens you need, never on the watts you think you need.).

•  To calculate lumens per watt, take the total number of lumens a product produces and divide it by the watts it consumes.

For indoor fixtures, figure on:

utility company. You can check if a product is DLC Qualified on the DesignLights Consortium website. DLC has rebates for Commercial LED Lighting and Industrial LED Lighting

•  Rebates with DLC Premium should be higher than rebates with DLC Standard. Your utility company is typically who provides the rebates and sets the rebate amounts.  Check their website.

•  All UL Listed or ETL Listed.

•  Replacing the light parts of an existing fixture with the a Retrofit unit will not void the UL/ETL Listing of the fixture. However, the exception to this rule are explosion proof rated fixtures (ie. Class I Div 2). Never retrofit a certified explosion proof fixture. UL1598C does not cover these types of retrofits.

•  ETL Listing is the same as UL Listing. They perform the same test, and the certification is the same. The only difference is that the company who performs the test.

This is the final post in our four-part series, "The Secret Guide for Super Moms” — tips, tricks and hacks for busy moms who need to know everything that’s happening in their house.

If you believe Pinterest, every home repair or improvement project can be a do-it-yourself job. Apparently, if every blog is to be believed, moms and dads around the country are remodeling bathrooms, rebuilding old houses and refurbishing vintage furniture -- and they do it all the time! And they look great doing it! And they have plenty of time to take lots of photos!

Maybe some people really are able to do it all (and write about it, too). Most of us are too busy and simply don’t have the training to do more than the basics around the house. When it comes to potentially dangerous repairs, a super mom knows that she needs a professional. When the time comes to fix, rewire or repair her home’s electrical needs, she knows she needs an electrician.

Electrical wiring is complicated and can be dangerous -- and it's tough to spot signs you need an electrician. An amateur electrical job may cause poor wire connections, overloaded circuits or faulty grounding. These situations are hazardous to you, your family and your property. While it may be tempting to try saving money by doing it yourself, or trusting your spouse or a friend to help, you're better off spending the money to have the job done right.

Let's take a fairly common scenario: your fuses keep blowing, or your circuit breakers keep tripping. Yes, you can keep replacing the fuses, but do you know whether they're the right type? Screwing in a 20- or 30-amp fuse as a replacement for a 15 is tempting—no electricians needed, right?—but now you've created a fire hazard by overloading your wiring. The smarter move: call a professional, certified electrician to wire a new circuit.

Like fuses, circuit breakers are meant to prevent circuit overload and the risk of fire, but we use much more electricity than people of our parents' or grandparents' generation. As you upgrade and add appliances and gadgets, you may need to upgrade your circuit breaker panels to adequately supply your home with power. Hire an electrician to do the job, not your brother-in-law who swears he did the same kind of work in the navy. The work is extremely complicated and should not be attempted by an amateur.

If you have ever looked for a house with the help of a realtor, you were probably asked to give them your wish list. Once you handed it over, you were probably told something along the lines of you will have to compromise or give this up for that. Your dream home is your vision. To truly have the home of your dreams at a price that works for you, you may need to build it from the ground up. This is the only way you can decide how many rooms you can have and where those rooms are located in the house. New home construction is an excellent way to make sure your dream of owning the perfect home for your family is a reality. You will need the services of an electrician in Burbank to help make it all happen. The team at The Electric Connection has the experience you need when it comes to making sure your dream home is not only beautiful, but wired correctly and safely.

When you choose to go with new construction rather than a turn-key ready home, you are getting the luxury of giving your input every step of the way. It isn’t only the countertops and flooring you will get to choose. You will get to talk with your electrician about what kind of lighting you want in the home as well as outlet placement and data line installation. Building a home around your needs and your wishes ensures the home is exactly what you want.

Working with an experienced electrician to complete all of the Burbank electrical requirements will give you peace of mind your home is being built up to today’s current standards. Take some time researching electricians before you make a hiring decision. You can always count on The Electric Connection to provide you with an experienced electrician who will get the job done right.

This is not the time of year to be dealing with electrical problems in the home. It can be a huge issue to have an outlet fail or a breaker constantly trip when you are trying to deck your halls. The problem can be a number of different things, but you won’t know for sure until you have an electrician in Santa Monica come out to take a look. It is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to any kind of electrical concerns. The team at The Electric Connection is ready to help you discover what the problem is and get it taken care of before it becomes a serious safety hazard.

If you are not a trained electrician, you are going to have to guess what the problem is. That is a risk you don’t want to take. What if that outlet that only works on occasion is actually not just a fluke and is the sign of a much bigger problem. It is a good idea to have a Santa Monica electrician inspect your home. During the inspection, the outlet will be tested and the cover removed to check for any loose wires. While it may be an easy fix, ignoring those loose wires could create a tiny spark that ignites the insulation packed around the outlet.

You are not expected to know all of the hazards or to know why your breaker is tripping. That is a job for an electrician. Santa Monica residents will feel better knowing their house has been given an electrical checkup. Problems will be identified and you will be given the option to take care of right away or wait until it is a little more convenient. Your electrician will let you know just how serious the problem is or whether it is something relatively minor. If you are concerned about an electrical problem in your home, give The Electric Connection a call and let one of their experienced electricians diagnose the problem for you.