Whether you’re planning a week-long vacation or a short weekend getaway for Labor Day, you’re going to want to safeguard your home against potential break-ins. Of course, the hope is always that nothing bad will happen while you’re away, however, if we’ve all learned something it’s that preparedness is key. We all have our own methods for deterring burglars, but in the end the goal is always the same: make it appear as if there is activity both inside and outside the home.

We’ve put together a list of what we believe to be the most useful home safety tips. It’s always helpful to plan ahead of time rather than on the day of. When you put together a plan in advance, we guarantee you it will be more thorough and you’ll feel much better about leaving your home.

Ask a friend or neighbor to keep watch

It is now easier than ever to find the right electric car to fit your needs. In the past, the only models available were rather small and compact. People scoffed at the idea of a car that was barely big enough for two people. Nowadays, there are plenty of makes and models to choose from. You have the freedom to go big or small. You will be able to save money on gas once you make the electric car purchase, but only if you have the right set up at home to effectively use your electric car. This is where the help of an experienced electrician in Los Angeles, like those at The Electric Connection comes in.

When you buy your car, you will typically be offered the choice of a Level I charging station. This is a system that you can plug in anywhere. It can plug into an available outlet in your garage or carport. This charger is the least expensive and will fully charge your car—in about 24 hours. Most people don’t have the luxury of not leaving their house for a full 24 hours. This means you would either not be able to use the electric power for your drive and have to rely on gas or only be able to use it for a short while before the car resorted to fuel.

Your Los Angeles electrician can help solve that problem by adding the proper outlet needed for a Level II charging station. These chargers will get the car to a full charge in less than 8 hours. That is a little more practical for daily use. The charger requires more volts to run, which is why you need an electrician. Los Angeles residents can call The Electric Connection to schedule their 240-volt outlet installation in their garage and make their electric car investment a little better.

If you are planning on renovating or sprucing-up your kitchen, it’s probably a good idea to map out a detailed lighting plan as well. Most people find this a little strange as they feel that lighting in a kitchen isn’t something that needs too much of consideration or planning. It’s just a place where you cook and probably where you have an informal meal after all.

However, the fact is that it’s important to plan kitchen illumination well if you want to make optimal use of your kitchen spaces. Here, we would like to share some basic lighting ideas to create the right balance of functionality and aesthetics.

If you want to get a better idea about what type of lighting would work best for your kitchen, it’s vital to understand how your kitchen spaces relate to the different type of lighting. Let’s start off with understanding what type of bulbs you can use for the best effects:

These bulbs emit a yellowish light and you will now find many artistic versions of these on the market today.

These bulbs throw off a flat, cold light that has a bluish tinge, which lends a very harsh effect to the room.

These have a warm light that makes the place look very inviting and comfortable

These are the latest in light bulb technology and are available in a range of effects including white, cool daylight, warm light, yellow and a range of other colours and hues. Aside from this, LED bulbs are also 80% more energy-efficient than standard bulbs; and most property owners are now opting for these fixtures.

In addition to the types of bulbs used, the style of lighting or the lighting effects are what impact the ambience and appearance of a room. With this in view, here we discuss the different lighting effects that can be used in your kitchen:

This is one of the simplest ways to create the right lighting effect in your kitchen. This type of lighting is designed to help you move comfortably around the room. In most instances this type of lighting comes from grid-style can lighting, widely-spaced, wall and ceiling lamps, semi-translucent skylights or even the natural light that streams in through glass windows and doors. This is the base layer of any lighting plan.

In your kitchen, task lighting would be required to illuminate kitchen counters and food preparation spaces. Since you will be cooking in your kitchen every day, it’s important that the task lighting be planned and installed well. If you have only recessed lighting fixtures in your kitchen, you will feel the lack of focused light when you are cleaning, cooking or prepping in that space.

If you install one-dimensional lighting in the kitchen, it creates unsightly shadows in different areas of the room, while ceiling lighting is ineffective in illuminating spaces like sinks, under counter or cabinet areas etc. On the other hand, if you add special pendant lamps over the counters or even your kitchen island it can prove to be a more practical solution. Under-cabinet lighting can also help in illuminating the cabinets that are positioned there.

This effect doesn’t seem as necessary as ambient or task lighting does in a kitchen space, as the illumination it provides isn’t as functional as the first two. However, it can have a significant impact on the way your kitchen spaces look. If you want to enhance the appeal of your kitchen (regardless of whether you are getting it entirely renovated or are opting for a lighting upgrade), it’s important that you plan your accent lighting well.

We all need a little inspiration to reveal our true creativity. If you’ve tired of your boring bedroom’s look, here are five on-trend ideas on how to illuminate your dream bedroom getaway brilliantly.

1. Unexpected objects in the same color family. At first thought, using lamps that are large enough to be placed as floor lamps may seem like it would be cumbersome. But when sleek, unobtrusive and blending in with the surrounding scheme, this can be a fun surprise that draws the eye to details you wish to highlight, such as interesting wallpaper or art.