A smart thermostat is an upgrade from the standard controls of a heating and cooling system. These digital devices are programmable, adjusting the temperature up or down according to the time of day, but what really sets them apart is their wireless connectivity. You can control a smart thermostat remotely through the Internet with a smartphone, tablet or computer. Once your thermostat is installed, they’re easy to use, efficient and give you data that helps you save money.

It’s happened to nearly everyone. You come home and your heating or cooling system is running even though the house has been empty for hours. With a smart device controlling your furnace and air conditioner, you avoid this wasteful situation. Set your HVAC controls to mesh with your weekday and weekend routines. If you get up everyday at 6 a.m., program the thermostat to feel comfortable as you wake up. When you leave for work a couple of hours later, your furnace will adjust to the temperature of your choice.

Controlling your thermostat remotely with a smartphone is especially helpful if you have a change in schedule. If you come home early, adjust the heating or cooling system on route with a phone or tablet. Your home will progress to a comfortable temperature in time for your arrival. Abrupt changes in temperature waste energy, so resetting your thermostat remotely for a gradual change is economical.

Smart thermostats give you a lot of data in real time, allowing you to monitor energy use and approximate costs. Once you take a look at your habits, you might find ways to fine-tune them. Some thermostats also have apps that guide you to the most economical settings.

Electrical motors are wonderful devices that are used in a myriad of ways, making things easier in our daily lives as well as a wide range of industrial applications. When these gadgets fail, work often grinds to a halt till they’re back up and running, and the reasons for electrical motor failure can range from the commonplace to the bizarre.

While the list of possible causes can go on forever, we’ll take a look at some of the most common ones here:

Exposure to high heat is a top culprit for all kinds of equipment failure, and ranks as the number one reason for motor malfunctions and deterioration. Optimal running temperatures extend motor life, which is why they should be your first priority.

In fact, most of the other possible reasons for electrical motor malfunctions also lead to the generation of extra heat. A rise of even a few degrees can cause trouble over time, and if motor windings are exposed to an extra 10° C of heat, the life of their insulation drops by half!

Do you own electrical equipment that is overheating? If you’ve noticed any of your electrical devices, like a toaster or a radio, overheating you may have a serious electrical problem on your hands. Fortunately, at Kolb Electric, we have just the tools to diagnose and fix the problem.

Overheating of electrical devices can be caused by a number of problems. From faulty wiring to an outdated electrical system, it’s important to get to the bottom of an overheating electrical device.

At Kolb Electric, we offer thermographic inspections for your home or business. A thermographic electrical inspection will test the equipment’s temperature against the temperature of surrounding components. Significant variations in temperature indicate electrical problems in your appliances and equipment. Temperature abnormalities are often due to defective or failing components. By catching problems early on, they can be corrected before they can cause even greater damage later.

If you manage a home-based business that relies on several pieces of electrical equipment, it is especially important that you routinely schedule thermographic electrical inspections in MD, VA, or DC in order to prevent your important equipment from malfunctioning.

A thermographic inspection is completely non-contact and safe to perform on energized electrical systems. Thermographic electrical inspections can be conducted while your equipment is still in operation, which means you won’t lose time by having to shut down your equipment.

When combined with traditional home inspection techniques, the infrared thermography inspection method reveals considerably more about your house than can be seen with conventional inspection tools. Some things our infrared thermography inspections have detected include:

Water leaks: using an infrared camera to scan the inside of your home can reveal moisture leakage around plumbing systems, the roof, any windows, etc. We’ll be able to see them because areas with more moisture will appear darker than surrounding warmer, dry areas.

Insulation deficiencies: our scanners will reveal large temperature differences within your home where insulation is deficient or absent.

Roof leaks: we’ll be able to spot water and moisture intrusion and accumulation below the surface of your roof, which can help you pinpoint leaks and lessen their effects before they do major damage to your home.

Electrical system problems: one of the best things about an infrared thermography scan is that it helps you see any deficiencies in your electrical system, including loose connections that could cause certain appliances to run inefficiently (or to not run at all).

Structural issues: finally, infrared thermography scans will help locate structural issues within your home, including poor heat transfer, bad conductivity, and more. We may even be able to detect missing or damaged structural components.

For all your infrared thermography needs in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, contact the electricians at Kolb Electric today—877-287-1179877-287-1179 or click here!

We often find there is a lot of confusion between Lumens and Foot Candles and Lux. And even more confusing is how some represent conversion from traditional light sources like Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium in terms of watts, and not lumens. So why all the confusion. Well, it may be because those who represent this conversion are trying to avoid letting you know about the efficiency of the LED lights, so they claim you can replace X watts of Metal Halide with X watts of LED. What they should really say is that you can replace a 400W Metal Halide with X lumens, and their lights only need Y watts to produce these lumens. We’ll dive into this a little later, but lets first talk about lumens vs foot candles vs lux.

What is a lumen? A lumen is a measurement of light related to (1) fixture or bulb. So when we talk about lumens, we say that a fixture or bulb creates (X) lumens. These lumens are determined by sophisticated measurement equipment.

What is a foot candle? A foot candle is a unit of measurement at a specific location in a room or outdoor location that is created by 1 to many lights. It is a cumulative reading of 1 to many light sources at a specific location. It is both real and calculated. Real in the sense that you can take a light meter and walk to any location in a room or outdoor location and take a reading that represents the amount of light recorded from all contributing lights or fixtures. Calculated in the sense that you can use software to predict the foot candles of a space based on the placement of lights within the simulation.

What is lux? Lux is identical to foot candles. It is a measurement of real or calculated light, but it is done on a different scale. As a rough estimate, 1 foot candle = 10 lux.

So, simply stated, lights produces lumens, and the cumulative lumens of all lights are then determine the foot candle or lux measurement of light at a specific point in an indoor or outdoor space.

Even if you like shopping around and looking for the best deals, it’s always preferable to have all electrical services for your home or building handled by one company. It makes your life much easier. You wouldn’t need to worry about tracking down different providers every time a new issue comes up with your electrical system. However, this convenience comes along with even more importance placed on the company you choose. If your electrical company isn’t reliable, you could be in for a world of headaches with them attempting to handle all your needs.

A powerful advantage of getting your electrical services from one company is the ability to save time. If an electrician is called out to check your outlets one day, he might inspect your electrical panel and the other components of your system as well. If another issue arises, this time something related to the panel, he would already be familiar with your system upon his arrival. Instead of needing to figure out the various aspects of your electrical setup, he could get right to work.

Not all electrical companies are created equal, and some might be a better fit for you than others. When you’re unsure about the reliability of a provider, you might be reluctant to put too much faith in them. On the other hand, the right company can take all the stress out of maintaining and fixing your electrical system, regardless of what might be wrong.