L.A. City engineers originally hoped that the LED bulbs would save 40% on electric bills. By the end of 2010, with 20,000 street lights switched over, the City experienced a surprising 55% savings in electricity on the new bulbs. The city has also found that the LED lights create brighter and more uniform visibility, reducing pockets of dark shadow that conventional street lights sometimes leave.

This is the largest LED street lighting project of its type in the world. Mayor Villaraigosa commented proudly, “We’re seeing L.A. lead the way.” The project is being funded, in part, by Federal stimulus dollars as well as the Clinton Foundation. Sarah Potts of the Clinton Foundation said, “The Clinton Climate Initiative was excited to work on this project mainly because L.A. was willing to be a mover on this. They were willing to set the bar for where energy efficiency street lighting could and should go. They took on a project that was much larger than any other cities were considering.”

If you want to go greener in your home or business, you can take steps that range from quick and simple to more ambitious:

Let’s make L.A. the greenest city on the planet!

–Kim Hopkins, Owner

The Electric Connection

Click here to visit our website.

Main attraction: The hand-applied Vienna Bronze finish and natural branch-like detailing     “Whitman” wall sconce lighting   “Whitman” pendant lighting   “Whitman” bath vanity lighting

Main attraction: A distinct Marquis diamond cut design and hand-applied crystals

“Marquise” pendant lighting

“Marquise” wall sconce lighting

Main attraction:  Silver Quartz finish with wooden beads

“Adele” semi-flush fixture from Capital Lighting Fixture Company

“Adele” chandelier from Capital Lighting Fixture Company

“Adele” wall sconce lighting from Capital Lighting Fixture Company

See top-rated designer lighting compositions at 1800lighting.com.  Visit a Capitol Lighting showroom to view the latest in home lighting and decorative accessories.  Lighting design experts are on-hand to help update your environment and personalize your space with the most distinguished illumination.

Holidays are a known time for seeing friends and family, some of whom you may not be able to see often throughout the rest of the year. A hobby some people love during the holidays is to add decorative lighting to add a warm welcoming appeal to their homes. Whether your lighting is serious and somber to show your religious beliefs or fun and playful to reflect your personality, there are a few things to be aware of with the extra power draw your decorations put on your house.

Tech Specs and Electrical Engineering

When the public electric line reaches your house, it runs to a circuit breaker (or fuse box in older homes) to prevent dangerous levels of overload which could cause a shock, and the breaker is designed to automatically shut off if a dangerous level of electricity is reached with a surge or if too many appliances are run. There are exceptions, but most circuit breakers are designed to handle 15 amps, or a little over 1600 watts of power which is plenty for modern appliances.

The Simple Terms: When You Run Too Much Power

When you overload a circuit breaker, it becomes a nuisance as everything running on that line shuts down. It's not normally a daily occurrence, but usually only happens when something exceptional occurs. Running too many kitchen appliances at once, for example, can overload a circuit breaker, as can running a space heater or power tool on a line already being used. A common cause of circuit failure is when you've never had a problem running a hairdryer and curling iron until a guest in the guest bath turns on a second hairdryer. Holiday lighting usually runs on a low power supply but adds up when layered and can cause problems with a line which is already near its maximum usage levels.

The Layman's and the Professional's Solutions

Using interweaving print technology, each image is printed on an LED panel light lens using eight rows of 180 ink nozzles that prevent any horizontal banding or visual imperfections. While the lens is being printed, a UV light cures and dries the image as it exits the printer. Printing time varies per lens size; a 2-foot-by-4-foot lens typically requires 15-17 minutes from start to finish.