Tube lights are found in many applications and environments such as office buildings, hallways, garages, and really anywhere that has a low and flat ceiling. Although fluorescent tubes contain small amounts of mercury and isn’t a whole lot, you still want to avoid the breaking of a fluorescent tube and any exposure to mercury if possible.

Whether you are simply replacing a burnt out fluorescent tube with a new one or are switching over to a new technology (such as LED), there is a proper way to do it. By following these steps along with others that you may find, you will allow yourself to reduce risk of harm for yourself, staff, or whoever is the one physically replacing the tube lights.

Let’s answer some common questions and issues that people seem to face when tasked with this issue of replacing mercury filled fluorescent tubes…

By recycling rather than simply throwing away your tube lights, you opt-in for the environmentally friendly route of switching out old tubes. If you choose not to recycle, you are allowing toxic mercury to freely enter the environment, which of course is not good.

Not only do you prevent mercury from freely entering the environment by recycling, but you also reduce waste. How exactly? Part of the tube is reused for new tubes that will be resold and used. This allows for less waste and this goes back to the saying “Reduce, Reused, Recycle.” So by taking part of fluorescent tube recycling, you allow the process of recycling to continue and prevent waste from entering the landfill!

When taking your tubes out to bring for recycling, this is probably the most difficult step you need to be most cautious with. The best option you have is to be prepared and know what to do if things go “south” as they like to say.

Here is what you can do to prepare for the removal of fluorescent fixtures:

And for one thing that you should always remember for dealing with a broken tube is this: NEVER VACUUM. By vacuuming, you make glass particles go airborne and that is a highly dangerous situation to be in.

For more tips on how to clean up a broken fluorescent or CFL lights, using this tool from Earth911. It allows you to search what you need to recycle and where you are located. So you go to that tool, type in ‘fluorescent’ or ‘CFL’ along with your location and you will surely come across the closest place to recycle fluorescent tubes (along with really anything else you may want to recycle).

If you are in the process of disposing and recycling your fluorescent tubes, what is going in there to replace the ones you are removing? If the answer is “more fluorescent tubes,” may we ask why?

Considering making some changes regarding the electricity in your home? Before you buy a brand new electric panel for your Bethesda home, there are some important details you should know about sizing.

Ready for a heavy-up or electrical panel installation in your home or business? Trust the certified electricians at Kolb Electric to bring you the best in dependable quality and satisfaction!

First off, there are some terms and important points we should hash out before you start making electrical purchases. Generally speaking, when a homeowner is considering a heavy-up for their electric panel they’re either trying to improve home electrical safety or trying to do electrical updates to modernize a home.

If you’re looking to increase the safe capacity of current in your home, you’re looking for a panel upgrade, or heavy-up, which you’ll need to ask your trusted electricians about to ensure you get the right service for your needs.

And if we’re talking about improving safety, you’re probably looking for breakers to match new wiring, or GFCI outlet/breaker wiring to reduce risks of ground faults associated with sources of water near outlets. Breakers should always match the amperage of the wire they are servicing, by the way, though your electrician should be the one to handle this. But, having said all of this, if you’re looking for an electric panel…

When you’re talking about the “size” of an electrical panel installation, what you’re actually referring to is the amperage capacity of the panel. This is the measurement of electricity the panel can safely accommodate in your home. It is a common misconception that the panel actually determines the amount of electricity that comes into your home. To alter that, you need to seek a heavy up!

To determine the size of the panel you need, a comprehensive list of all appliances in use or planned to be used will need to be created. The capacity of your panel will directly correlate to the amount of power routinely used within your home. In all honesty, to do this accurately, your best bet is to work with a trusted electrician! We have all of the training, knowledge and skill needed to guide you to making the right choice for your home electrical needs.

Ready to beef up the safety and function of the electricity in your home? Contact the certified electricians at Kolb Electric today to get the electrical panel installation services you need!

There are many reasons and advantages of LED street lights over HPS, Metal Halide, and any other HID light used in the street lighting industry. These advantages of LED street range from cost savings, higher quality of light, and overall better efficiency.

LED is quickly becoming the “go to” light for all uses; residential, commercial, and industrial. From fully replacing and retrofitting LED is seriously becoming the majority within the world of lighting. The following list is going to cover 4 major advantages of LED street lights over HPS and Metal Halide, hopefully it shines some light on the true benefits of LED for even Metal Halide, you get results that show LEDs actually really do pay for themselves. If you use your lights often, making the switch to LED street lights may even pay themselves off within a few years.

If you’d like to see how much you could save, check out the diminishes over time. This is a highly important thing to note because with greater lumen depreciation comes added costs of maintenance.

Lighting fixtures such as HPS and Metal Halide have lumen depreciation that happens much earlier in their life and much quicker throughout the bulbs life. Whereas an LED takes a longer time to start depleting in it’s lumen output and much slower lumen depreciation than HPS and Metal Halide does.

While not all LED suppliers and manufacturers, MyLEDLightinGuide.com offers LED fixtures and retrofit kits that can produce at a very high MyLEDLightingGuide retrofit kits can run as high as 151 lumens per watt. While the typical retrofit kits on the marketplace (on average) run at only around 110 lumens per watt.

This is just a prime example of how powerful lumens per watt can be. The more lumens per watt you get, the less watts you will need to produce the same amount of light.

So, let’s compare the “average” retrofit kits compared to a Metal Halide light. Remember, the “average” retrofit kits run at around 110 lumens per watt. Compare that to a Metal Halide light that runs around (on average) 90 lumens per watt.

So just by these numbers we can start to see the power LED lights have and how they need less watts to produce the same amount of light that a HPS or Metal Halide light does.

In addition to #3 on this list, LEDs also provide a higher quality of light measure by the Color Rendering Index (CRI). Here’s two images that should do the talking:

Street Light Conversion From 400W Metal Halide to 120W LED using a LED Retrofit Kit (before)

As you can see after the 400W Metal Halide was replaced by the 120W LED fixture, the light produced is much brighter and illuminates a greater area. On top of that, it is using way less energy (400W down to 120W)!

Brighter and greater illumination can greatly increase safety and reduce crime by the simple fact of being able to see more throughout the night. Better illumination also creates safer roadways by not leaving any dark spots that may cause issues for drivers during night time driving.

Must-see landscape lighting designs include top-quality LED, Energy SMART and ENERGY STAR-rated products, as well as solar-powered specialty lighting and fashion-forward spot and flood lights.

1.  Professional Series transformers and Design Pro LED lighting from Kichler Lighting

12-volt LED path, spread, deck and patio lighting, water lights and wall washers are now available in a flattering warm white 2700K and 3000K from Kichler Lighting.

2.  LED “Luna” deck lights from Hinkley Lighting

Dimmable to 25% and available in attractive finish options:  Bronze, Light Almond, Satin White and Titanium, “Luna” deck lights from Hinkley Lighting provide a tailored, energy-efficient elegance to your landscape lighting design.

3.  “Telsa” Energy SMART flood and spot lights from WAC Lighting

“Telsa” Energy Smart LED and ENERGY STAR-rated outdoor floodlights provide superb illumination that goes the extra mile!

4. “Alumilux”  path lighting from ET2 Lighting

“Alumilux” path lighting from ET2 Lighting comes in a variety of style options to present your home or office exterior with Energy Smart LED illumination.

5.  Solar landscape lighting from Kenroy Home

“Seriously Solar” landscape lighting from Kenroy Home is the go-anywhere and go-everywhere option for highlighting outdoor areas from pathway to pond.

* “Seriously Solar” lanterns from Kenroy Home are versatile outdoor decor accents by day and instant table top or outdoor hanging lamps by night. Available in Blue (shown) or Red, these ceramic lanterns contain removable LED solar discs that will constantly store a charge when placed in optimal sunlight.

See all new landscape lighting designs at 1800lighting.com.  Send in a picture of your outdoor areas for a free consultation and novel landscape lighting ideas from the lighting professionals at Capitol Lighting.

Alternative Energy for the Win

Many aspects of the federal energy tax credit program have already been curtailed, with credits from most common upgrades having expired at the end of 2013 (but it’s not too late to claim the money if you haven’t already — see below). However, there are some credits still active for alternative energy installations. You are eligible for a kickback of up to 30 percent of purchase and installation price come tax time if you made any of the following additions to your existing home or new construction in 2014:

And it’s not just the purchase price of the equipment -- your credit can cover the labor to set up and install your new efficiency devices as well. Qualifying homes must be located in the United States. Heat pumps, wind turbines and solar all are valid for your principle or secondary residence, with no limit on the dollar amount. Fuel cells have more restrictions — they qualify for primary residences only, and have an upper limit of $500 per .5KW of power capacity. Renters are not eligible for the tax credits.

If you didn’t act this year, you have until December 31, 2016 to purchase and install your new equipment and still qualify for the credit.

It’s Not Too Late

And there’s more good news. The NonBusiness Energy Property Credit is still available on the taxes you fill out this year — provided you made the improvements in 2013 or earlier. If you made qualifying upgrades to your HVAC equipment, insulation, roof, water heater, windows, doors or biomass stove, you can claim up to $500 in credits on up to 10 percent of the costs. These credits are limited to upgrades made on existing homes, and each specific installation has a cap:

Installation costs cannot be included for doors, skylights, windows, insulation or roofing. Also note that the $500 limit is over the lifetime of the Property Credit, so if you already claimed $300 in past years, you can only get a maximum of $200 on this year’s tax return, even if you spent much more than that.

How to Claim Your Credits

To claim your credits, fill out Form 5695 with the appropriate information about your expenditures and include it with your other tax paperwork. Don’t forget to hold on to all your receipts and manufacturer’s certification statements so you can back up your claim if the IRS comes knocking on your door.

It’s a win-win situation — you get your tax credit, you can reduce or even eliminate monthly fuel costs, and you can sleep easy knowing that you are doing your part to help the environment by decreasing the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels. If you are considering a major alternative energy installation on your property, contact an expert today to advise you on what your options are and how to get started.