It’s no secret that the lighting in a room can change the whole atmosphere of that space. From highlighting certain areas of the room to making rooms appear larger than they are, placement and type of lighting are integral to the interior design of your home.

When choosing indoor lighting, you’ll want to consider the color of your rooms, the room sizes, availability of natural light, and your furniture selection. These are all factors that our team can advise you one when you give us a call.

In general, darker color choices tend to make a room feel smaller and cramped, while light colors do the opposite. The illusion of space, for the most part, is defined by light reflecting off the surfaces of walls. So options such as track lighting or recessed lighting can do a lot to make a small room look bigger.

Perhaps it goes without saying that lighting needs to serve a purpose. Decorative lighting with no purpose won’t do much else than waste electricity. Think about this when choosing your lamps and lighting fixtures, as you may be attracted to a certain type, but perhaps it isn’t the best fit for the room you’ve intended it for.

Corner lamps, wall sconce lighting, and centrally hanging lights on a ceiling are all great for helping to brighten a room if natural lighting is not available. This helps create a visually larger space whether it’s a bedroom, office, kitchen, etc.

Another thing to consider is skylights or large windows if you want more natural light, or using sheer drapes and curtains rather than shutters to allow the maximum amount of light from your current windows. Of course, if these options aren’t available to you we can help you make the most of your lighting to create a similar effect.

Winter is slowly taking over here in Maryland. And after the summer we had, no one’s complaining (just yet)! But while the holidays offer up lots of fun, and the cool of winter is currently quite welcome, the season has its fair share of electrical worries unique to itself. Want to be prepared for anything winter might toss your way? We can arm you with some common winter electrical problems in Baltimore. Read on with the electricians at Kolb Electric!

Need the services of a dependable Baltimore electrician? Contact Kolb today for any electrical repair, installation, or service you need!

Keep wary of these concerns, and you’ll find yourself comfortably enjoying the finer points of the season this year:

Is your home prepared and equipped for all of your burgeoning winter electrical needs? If not, contact a Baltimore electrician from Kolb Electric today to get the dependable services you need!

From the 1950s to the 1980s, the Federal Pacific Electrical Company (FPE) installed electrical panels in millions of homes across the country. Unfortunately, these electrical panels are basically recipes for disaster—over the years, electricians and home inspectors have found that FPE panels often fail to protect homes from overcurrent or short circuits. The danger seems to happen randomly: even if panels have been installed and working properly for years, a single incident can quickly cause the panel to overheat and create a major fire hazard.

Remember—circuit panels trip in response to unusual surges of electricity. If they fail to trip, as FPE panels often do, those electrical surges cannot be stopped or shut off manually and will move through your home until they run out of fuel or until the wires burn out. This could cause the panel to overheat and catch fire, leading to a potentially serious disaster.

FPE panels may not be up to modern safety codes – electrical safety standards have been updated significantly since the 1980s, and experts say that FPE panels, which were produced from the 50s and into the 80s, do not meet these updated standards. Some of the deficiencies noted by home inspectors include:

FPE panels may have serious design flaws – not only do FPE panels not meet modern safety standards, but they also came with some serious design flaws that weren’t even common among panels built around the same time. Some of the most significant flaws include:

FPE panels may have manufacturing defects – as if that weren’t enough, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has noted a number of defects that make FPE panels unfit for homes, including weak materials used to construct the breakers that may prevent them from tripping and could cause the panel to catch fire.

If you live in an older home and you’re worried your panel might be a danger, call Kolb Electric. Our trained electricians are familiar with the potential hazards of FPE and other outdated panels and can replace your existing panel with a modern panel that will keep your home safe for decades.

For more information about circuit panel replacement in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric today.

When you’re purchasing LED strip lights, there are numerous details and specifications upon which to base your decision. Color, length, and intensity are some of the major deciding factors, but there are many unthought-of product aspects that further customize light strips and what they’ll require when it’s time to install them. For example, a decision between 24-volt strip lights could change the products needed for your project.

While it depends on a light strip’s current draw, LED type, and number of LEDs, 24-volt LED strip lights tend to have longer maximum runs than 12-volt strips. This is because higher voltage carries more power. All strips have a maximum run, which is the length of continuous strip that can be powered without experiencing voltage drop. Voltage drop happens when the supplied energy of a power source is reduced as electric current flows through wire (or any other pieces of equipment that do not supply voltage on a circuit). If a run of strip is too long, reduced energy across the strip will lessen its intensity near the end.

Because they can handle more power, many 24-volt LED strip lights tend to have brighter LEDs, dual-row LED configurations, or single-row configurations of more LEDs. In these instances, maximum run might be the same as a 12-volt strip. However, keep in mind that these are more powerful strips with more LEDs or higher LED intensities. An identical 12-volt LED strip light would have a shorter maximum run.

Make sure to check any light strip’s specifications or description for its maximum run.

If you have questions, don’t hesitate to call us toll free at 866-590-3533. Our customer service and technical support teams are available from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Monday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT on Friday.

Without proper lighting, the details in your furniture and artwork at first sight go unnoticed. Careful lighting design gives dimension and texture, revealing the articulacy of your home décor. Creating the proper lighting setup lies in finding the correct spacing, fixtures and functions for each room. Every lighting technique brings you closer to customization and works together to establish a healthy balance between posh and practicality.

Consider adding toe kick lighting under the counters of your kitchen or bathroom to balance light between the ceiling and floor. It’s subtle yet useful, and provides an extra cushion of safety. Toe kick lighting arrangements also bring depth to unlikely spaces.

Don’t neglect the nooks and crannies of your home; light them up. Take advantage of layering through the use of key, task and accent lighting. Key lighting will provide basic light function overhead. If used alone, it will provide flat, uninteresting light.

Reading lamps are the perfect approach to task lighting and can be placed on your bedside table or next to your favorite lounge chair. And, accent lighting gives the finishing touch. It highlights details that slip under the radar if left in the dark. Add accent lights to illuminate intricate artwork, plants, cabinet silhouettes and wall textures.