Do you find energy conservation confusing? You're not alone. According to a recent study, Americans are by-and-large misinformed about what household appliances consume the most electricity. As a result, homeowners who wish to cut down on the energy they use in their home electrical work might find themselves spending time and resources to improve efficiency in areas where they won't see big gains. Read on to learn more about where most of our energy goes and how you can get the biggest payback for your conservation efforts.

The Failings of Cognitive Accessibility

In general, Americans tend to overestimate the amount of power that is devoted to common home devices like computers, television and lighting, while underestimating the amount of energy that is consumed by bigger ticket items like heat, air conditioning and hot water heating. That's because we confuse the amount of time we spend actively using a specific device with how much power it uses.

“Consumers tend to use the frequency with which they think or interact with a given energy source as a proxy for its consumption,” Ohio State University psychology doctoral student Dan Schley, lead author of the study, said to the Washington Post. For example, someone who spends eight hours a day working on a computer might naturally be inclined to think that device is what's driving up the electricity bill.

How to Make Your Actions Count

However, it turns out that the energy consumed by common electronics is dwarfed by what goes into major appliances. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a whopping 48 percent of energy in the average home goes toward heating and air conditioning. The hot water heater takes the next largest individual chunk, at 17.7 percent. The refrigerator uses 13.7 percent, with all other appliances and electronics accounting for about 21 percent of the total.

The upshot? If you really want to cut back on consumption in your home electrical work, you need to target the biggest guzzlers. That means making interventions like installing smart thermostats, turning down your water heater temperature and beefing up the insulation in your home. The simplest, most effective change that most families can make is to bump the thermostat down a few degrees in the winter and up a few degrees in the summer.

Don't Neglect the Small Stuff

That's not to say you should ignore simple behavioral changes that can save money in other areas of your home electrical work – things like unplugging devices when they aren't in use, installing energy efficient cable boxes, using the power-saving settings on your computer and turning off the lights when you aren't in the room. Just treat these items as the appetizers and desserts of your energy-saving strategy, rather than the main course.

If you need help identifying the largest loads on your home electrical work, arrange for a visit from an expert electrician today.

Perhaps you've always wondered what's in the mysterious metal box on the basement wall. It's a circuit breaker box, and without it your whole home electric system would be unsafe, leaving you in danger.

Circuit box repairs or upgrades require an expert, but you don't need to be a master electrician to understand the basics of how it functions. The most common problem is a tripped circuit, and you can usually reset it yourself.

What's in the Box?

The circuit box is frequently found in the basement, although it could also be in a garage, closet, utility room or even outside. All the electricity coming into your house flows through the box.

If you open the metal door, you see a bank of switches. Each one corresponds roughly to a room in the house, while certain outlets for major appliances like the washer or furnace probably have their own switch. They should be labeled.

There also may be a main disconnect breaker, usually at the top of the box, which allows you to cut off power to the entire house. In many newer homes the main disconnect may be outside near the electric meter. Some homes do not even have one. This is useful if you are doing electrical work in your house, or in the circuit box itself. The switch should be labeled “main” or something similar.

How It Works

Why do you need a circuit box? When an electrical device malfunctions, such as the motor in your freezer overheating, wires can get crossed, creating a huge spike in electric charge. That puts you at risk of overloading your electrical system, and unchecked overloads can cause lead excess heat stress on wires, or worse.

Fortunately, your circuit breakers are on the job. There is an electromagnet or bimetallic strip inside each breaker. If the current moving through the circuit gets too high the device flips a switch, disconnecting the circuit. No more electricity can flow to the part of your home where the problem is, so the danger is averted.

So if the power goes off in one part of your house but still works in the rest, a tripped circuit breaker is the most likely culprit. The switches in your electrical panel should be labeled; if not you can still tell which one got tripped, because it will be flipped part way toward the off position. Some switches also show red when they've been tripped.

How Do I Fix It?

All you have to do to restore power is flip the switch all the way to the off position, then back to on. If flipping the circuit back on doesn't solve the problem, it might be something more serious. In that case, it's time to call a licensed electrician.

Some newer circuit breakers have advanced features, such as the ability to detect when a person makes contact with a live wire and automatically cut off the current, potentially preventing injury or death by electrocution.

If you live in an older home you may still have a fuse box. It operates on the same principle as a circuit box, with one major difference -- the wire inside the fuse actually burns up if too much current passes through it, so if the fuse blows, you need to replace it. Most fuse-style panel are maxed out, so if you have one it would be a good idea to consult your electrician and see if it’s time to consider a replacement.

Need Some Professional Guidance?

Your local Mister Sparky® electricians are always here to help. If you're having problems with your circuit breakers or fuse box, give us a call.

From a small storefront in New Jersey to 1800lighting.com around the world, Capitol Lighting remains committed to satisfying the illuminating needs of customers through personalized, professional service.  With extreme gratitude for trusted employees and a loyal customer base, we take a look back as we go forward to a brighter future for all…

• 1924:  An award-winning, family-owned retailing tradition begins January 24, 1924.  Capitol Lighting takes root as Ethel and Max Lebersfeld, recent immigrants from Austria-Hungary, open a lighting and home furnishings store on Prince Street in Newark, New Jersey.

• 1927:  Capitol Lighting moves to larger headquarters on Springfield Avenue in Newark.

• 1940:  Arthur Lebersfeld, son of Ethel and Max, conceptualizes a lighting store that is not only functional, but decorative as well.

Arthur’s keys to success:

– Delivering excellent service

– Maintaining a beautiful showroom

– Providing top quality merchandise at unbeatable prices

– Having well-trained, competent salespeople.

• 1960’s: Powered by the motto “The customer is always right,” the business continues to thrive; and Arthur and his wife, Rose, open more Capitol Lighting showrooms in New Jersey. Their sons, Herman and Max, follow in their parents’ footsteps and begin their professional careers with Capitol Lighting.

• 1967:  The largest lighting specialty store ever built, 60,000 square feet, opens its doors in East Hanover, New Jersey and Capitol Lighting becomes the most important retailer of lighting in the United States.

• 1980’s: Five generations later, Capitol Lighting remains a family owned and operated business committed to the time-honored traditions of delivering the finest in home lighting and accessories, the best prices, and providing outstanding service.

• 2000’s: Along with a committed staff of dedicated employees, Herman and Max Lebersfeld serve as Co Chairmen of the Board;  Herman’s sons, Ken and Eric as CEO and CFO respectively;  Max’s sons, Jason and Brian as Vice Presidents; and Daniel Silver, a member of the family’s fifth generation, starts his professional lighting career in Florida.

• 2011:  Capitol Lighting partners with Habitat for Humanity and HGTV star Rob Van Winkle (aka Vanilla Ice) to launch the “Making Lives Brighter” Campaign. The campaign continues to collect and donate lighting fixtures for new homes at Habitat for Humanity sites in New Jersey and South Florida.

• Today: With a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, the guaranteed best prices and an outstanding selection of home lighting products and decorative accessories, Capitol Lighting has earned numerous awards, including the prestigious ARTS award for “Best Lighting Showroom” in the East Atlantic and New Jersey Monthly magazine’s “Family Business of the Year” and “Best of New Jersey” for “Where to Shop for Lighting.”

Capitol Lighting remains a family-owned and operated business with a commitment to customer satisfaction, top-quality products and unbeatable prices.  To find the best prices on your personal lighting project or to request a quote for your next commercial lighting job, please visit Capitol Lighting at 1800lighting.com or call 1-800-544-4846.

Whether you are searching for custom designed chandeliers, top quality landscape lighting, or a complimentary and personalized lighting plan to showcase your entire home, professional lighting consultants at Capitol Lighting are here for you.

With eight lighting showrooms (four in New Jersey and four in Florida) and a worldwide website at 1800lighting.com, Capitol Lighting celebrates their 90th anniversary this year.  We thank our loyal customers. We will continue to provide the best value, most innovative lighting designs and your guaranteed satisfaction.

By Clarissa Allison | March 18th, 2016

Using the right mixture of outdoor lighting in your front yard will enhance your home’s safety, security and beauty!

While it may seem like we can simply duplicate our backyard lighting scheme in the front of our homes, there are actually differing objectives to lighting your front yard. Lights in your front yard add security by deterring unwanted visitors while also adding ambient lighting to our landscape, and highlighting the architecture of our homes.