Summer’s coming, which means it’s almost time to fire up the air conditioner if you want to stay comfortable in your home. But running an air conditioner can be expensive! Around this time, many people start looking for ways to save cooling costs. Some of the most popular methods include:

Other, more complicated ways people save money on their energy bills include adding insulation and planting trees. And while those are definitely effective and will save you money in the long term, there is an even easier way to save money on your energy bills that you might not have thought of—installing a ceiling fan!

You probably already know that warm air rises and cool air sinks. During the summer, running your ceiling fan counterclockwise will push air down, moving the cool air around and creating a breeze that will help you feel cooler, even if you turn the thermostat up a few degrees.  Some ceiling fans can make a room feel up to eight degrees cooler! During the summer, every degree you turn your thermostat up can save you from 3-5 percent on your cooling bills, so every bit helps.

Having multiple fans running at once can help even more by improving airflow through your entire home, so install them wherever you need them! Ceiling fans tend to be inexpensive and the comfort and savings they provide can’t be beat.

Don’t forget: running your air conditioner doesn’t actually cool your home—it only makes you ­feel­ cooler. Therefore, you should always shut the fan off before you leave the room!

You may already know that ceiling fans can help you cool off in the summer, but did you know they can also help keep you warmer in the winter? It’s true! Flip the switch on your ceiling fan so your fan will rotate clockwise. This creates a gentle updraft that pushes warm air up against the ceiling and down along the walls to the bottom of the room, making it feel warmer and helping you save up to 15 percent on your heating bills!

The same things apply to fans in the winter as the summer—multiple fans will increase the effect, but you should only run them when your home is occupied.

Ceiling fans are a great investment for anyone looking to save money and stay more comfortable in their homes all year long. If you’re looking for ceiling fan installation in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric today!

Are you sick and tired of paying an arm and a leg for your electricity bills? Congress is considering legislation that could bring you some relief. A bill was introduced to the House of Representatives this summer that would update the Title I Home and Property Improvement Loan Program, which helps consumers make efficiency upgrades to their homes. The new bill is intended to help homeowners invest in solar energy to power their home electrical work. Read on to learn more about this legislation and how it can help you.

Upgrading Your Electrical Work

The Title I home loan program has been around since 1934, aimed at helping homeowners with capital for home improvement upgrades. Currently, Title I is working through the Federal Housing Authority's Power Saver program, designed to promote clean energy and fight climate change. Home energy efficiency upgrades like photovoltaic solar panels, therefore, are a natural fit for the program.

The legislation currently in front of Congress, called the “Solar and Water Efficient Homes Act,” would update the Title I guidelines to better accommodate modern technologies, as well as increase the number of loans that are available and reduce the bureaucratic red tape that has bogged down the program in the past.

Bringing the Capital to You

Upgrading your home can require significant costs that are beyond the reach to many low and middle income families, so the Title I program provides capital that allows homeowners to realize energy savings immediately. Those who are eligible can get loans of up to $25,000 to make a variety of efficiency upgrades to their electrical work, most notably by installing solar panels. The program will also help homeowners purchase new HVAC systems, beef up their home insulation, buy new water heaters and even install geothermal heating systems.

“Title I loans have helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners improve their homes,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-California), one of the bill's sponsors, said in a press release. “It’s time we make it easier for homeowners to invest in energy efficiency upgrades and improve water conservation, creating good local jobs, and helping the environment.” The legislation also hopes to spur job creation by encouraging consumers to spend more money on home services labor and equipment.

Efficiency Arrives at Your Home

When it's time to boost your home efficiency, Title I is there to lend a helping hand – and if Congress passes the Solar and Water Efficient Homes Act, the incentives will be even stronger. If you want to learn more about the Title I loan program, or need any repairs done on your home electrical work, contact a qualified electrician today.

Is it only the astronomers and avid stargazers who seem to have noticed that our night sky is being swallowed up in a cloud of artificial light?

Glaring streetlights, flashy billboards, automobile headlamps, overly bright landscape and outdoor lighting…. all of these factors have had devastating consequences on our environment.

“Parking lots and gas stations, for example, are now often 10 times brighter than they were just 20 years ago and light pollution continues to grow at 6 percent every year.” Paul Bogart for The Sunday Star-Ledger, A bright idea whose time has come: Turning down city lights. March 3, 2013, P6

Not only does this wasteful illumination block our view of the stars and planets, this overabundance of nightlight disrupts circadian rhythms and negatively affects all life on earth.

“Fatal light attraction” -which is produced by excessive outdoor lighting-is deadly for migratory birds, causing over 100 million bird fatalities across the United States.–www.enlightenmentmag.com, Feb. 2015

So, what can YOU do to make your home more “Dark-Sky” friendly and stop the proliferation of profuse and destructive lighting design?

1.  Become a partner with the International Dark Sky Association.  The International Dark Sky Association (IDA) is a US-based non-profit organization devoted to preserving the natural splendor and beauty of the nighttime sky.  Membership includes all 50 states in the USA and over 70 countries worldwide.

• Contact ida@darksky.org to learn more about Dark Sky awareness and support efforts to preserve and protect the nighttime environment with good outdoor and landscape lighting plans.

2.  Check around your home at dusk and after sunset.

•Make sure outdoor light fixtures are shielded and angled downward to minimize “light trespass” beyond your property.

•Install motion sensors and automated controls on outdoor security lights so they will shut off when not in use.

3.  Talk to your neighbors.

•Educate them about Dark Sky laws and help each other to light responsibly.

4.  Upgrade your home with “Dark Sky”compliant fixtures.

• These outdoor and landscape lighting fixtures are shielded to focus light downward.

•The latest Dark Sky outdoor lighting fixtures are eco-friendly and energy-efficient.

5.  Throw a Star Party

•Enjoy a view of the nighttime sky with friends.

The latest Dark Sky outdoor and landscape lighting fixtures make it easy to get on board with the International Dark Sky movement.

Check out the latest Dark Sky outdoor wall lights from Modern Forms;

“Origami” WS-W27515

“Balthus” WS-W28514

“Kyoto” WS-W22520

For more information:

International Dark Sky Association

3223 North First Avenue

Tucson, Arizona 85719

Electrical issues have a way of cropping up all of a sudden. At that point of time, the only thing on your mind is that you should be able to contact an electrician who will deal with the issue without delay. If you look online, you will find that Sydney has a large number of electrical companies, big and small and you may feel that identifying a good electrician shouldn’t be much of a challenge.

This could be no further from the truth. There’s much more to zeroing-in on the right electrical contractor that than. As a matter of fact, if you aren’t too particular about who you are hiring for the job that can easily lead to a major fire break-out on your property. This is something you want to avoid under all circumstances. The very first things to take into consideration are:

It’s common knowledge that you would need an electrician to install/ replace/repair/maintain electrical systems. In our country, you are legally permitted to replace light bulbs and operate electrical appliances in just the manner they are designed to be operated. Apart from that, all electrical jobs should be handled by a certified and insured electrician and this can include:

The rule of thumb is that even if you feel a particular job is very minor and you know exactly what you’re doing, it’s important that you call an electrician. It’s vital to understand that any type of DIY electrical work can be extremely dangerous – it can result in fire, damage, injury as well as death. Here are the things you should be looking for when you are choosing an electrical contractor:

We at Allround Electrical are licensed and insured electrical contractors; we can rectify all types of electrical faults and provide a range of electrical services. For more information, contact our friendly team today at this number – 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address.

Thanks for reading,1300 169 263