Visitors, potential customers, and employees shouldn’t have to be in fear while going shopping, parking for an event, going to the beach, or even going to work. For this reason, we find that the parking lot can lead to many potential hazards.. if the parking lot owner allows for such vulnerabilities.

The number one cause of crime in a parking lot is caused by low security, and unlit areas contribute heavily to this. A dark parking lot doesn’t allow for cameras to pick up all the activity as clearly as it should, and criminnals know this. Additionally, unintentional accidents can occur simply by not being able to see everything that is going on. Thus, we think it is up to the parking lot owner and manager to prevent accidents (both intentional and non-intentional) from occurring and the first part of the equation to doing so is by ensuring the parking lot is properly illuminated.

As we briefly described above, here are all of the potential dangerous that a dark parking lot can potentially cause:

1. Car accidents. Whether it be with another car, an object, or a human; the odds of crashing are much more likely if you are unable to properly see. For obvious reasons, this is not a desirable outcome for a parking lot; especially if it could potentially bring the lot owner liable to the accident.

2. Crime. Think about it, if you are unable to detect movement due to lack of light; it is much easier for people to hide and move around without you, or even the security team, to know about it. For this reason, having adequate light in every corner of your property that visitors will be in is paramount to the safety and security to all of your visitors. Additionally, car thefts and break-ins can be higher when underlit areas are an issue. To resolve this, you need to improve your parking lot lighting design which will, if done right, will allow you to meet the lighting requirements for parking lots.

3. Personal injury incidents. Not only are other people a potential hazard to your visitors, but your property may be of hazard to them as well. By maintaining proper parking lot lighting levels, you can cross this one potential liability off of your list.

For those of you reading this who own a parking lot, here we will explain a little bit about some benefits you will gain, along with how to start the process of getting proper parking lot light fixtures in your car lot. (Note: If you aren’t an owner of property with a parking lot, don’t forget to share this with someone who does!).

For starters, we recommended a lighting technology that will provide proper lumen output throughout its entire lifespan. For this, LED is the technology to go with. Reason being? It maintains high lumen output throughout its life, unlike other technologies such as metal halide which output much less light near the end of their lifespan. So while LED does slowly depreciate in light output too, it is much slower and overall less. Here are some other main benefits that you will realize by converting to LED parking lot lights.

1. Less energy usage. LEDs are known to be virtually the most efficient lighting technology around. And since parking lot lights typically use a lot of lumens, and thus wattage, by converting to LED you will be able to use much less wattage to achieve the same (if not better) light output. In fact, you can realize a reduction in energy by up to 75% in some cases.

2. Longer lifespan. Since parking lot lights are typically high up in the air, it can get expensive to change them out every time they burn out. With LED you will be able to realize 2-3 times longer lifespans, which will allow you to stop buying so many replacement lights. In addition, you will be able to stop paying someone to change them out as often, which is another commonly overlooked benefit of LEDs.

3. Lower lumen depreciation. Like we discussed earlier, lumen depreciation is an especially important topic in regards to parking lot lighting more-so than with any many benefits of LED car lot lights, but these are certainly the main ones that most parking lot owners have told us were the biggest benefit that made them make the switch.

While the physical conversion process is out of the scopes for this post, we hope you take a look at more information regarding over on our blog!

Whole-house generators are permanent installations on one’s property. They must be properly sized for the electrical demands of that property, and they are hardwired right into the home’s electrical system. For many homeowners, especially those in urban and suburban areas, this level of protection is a bit of overkill. The portable generator is a versatile piece of equipment that you can use in many different settings in order to power an admittedly more limited array of electronics.

A portable generator is not going to keep your entire house up and running, nor will it be able to support large HVAC systems. You must plug your gadgets and electronics directly into the generator in order to use it. If you are just looking to keep a few items up and running during a power outage—allowing you to run the refrigerator to protect your food supply, charge your phones, even watch a DVD—then a portable generator is a great option to consider. Not only that, but they are extremely handy for camping trips, and even tailgating on game day. They can also be used to power medical equipment in a pinch. We ourselves have serviced a portable generator on a medical service mobile unit truck. Give us a call if a portable generator sounds like a good fit for your needs.

This modern living/dining area designed by This award-winning kitchen designed by The last thing you want in home lighting design is for your house to look like you just stepped into the lighting aisle at Home Depot.

Honestly, there is no hard and fast rule about how much is too much.  Generally we’d say to be careful not to over-do it in open areas that flow into other rooms (like kitchen/dining/family rooms). Space the lights appropriately and alternate between recessed & pendant lighting. The last thing you want is for your home to look like a lighting store.

The bottom line is that there really is no one way to do lighting, and at the end of the day if it makes you happy, then it’s perfect.  Experiment with your style and create Pinterest boards to develop your look.

Do you find it effortless to incorporate a wide variety of styles into your home design or do you struggle with the need to keep it consistent?  We’d love to hear about it!

Power overloads are one of the many scenarios an emergency electrician can help a homeowner address and prevent. In the event of an electrical emergency like a power overload, which can be the result of faulty wiring, only a qualified emergency electrician will be thorough enough to find the problem, repair it and help you avoid it in the future.

Overloads, though seemingly minor issues, are, in fact,  one of the most overlooked and dangerous problems you can have with your electrical system. An overload can cause everything from electrical shorts to fires. What’s more, a power overload is one of the most avoidable electrical problems—you don’t have to let it get to the point of electrical emergency.

What is an Overload and What are the Causes?

During a power overload, the circuit gets overwhelmed and shuts itself off. It’s a common occurrence in many homes. For instance, you could have the microwave, a rice cooker and a stove running off the same circuit in your kitchen when you suddenly notice that your power goes out in the kitchen while it stays on in the rest of the house. Then you check the breakers and realize that the breaker wasn’t tripped.

Because they see things like this all the time, licensed electricians can easily identify the source of the trouble. There are generally three main causes of power overloads.

 Power overloads are preventable with a little thought and planning. When ignored, however, they can result in very costly repairs—or worse.

 Electric Man: Emergency Electrician to the Rescue

Are you experiencing a power overload or another issue that requires an electrical troubleshoot? Electric Man’s emergency electrician crew is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to your electrical emergency. Give us a call today at 972-792-7270 to learn more about our emergency electrician services. You can also connect with us on any of our social networks!