As a DC or Maryland resident, electricity and natural gas are deregulated, giving you the option to choose your energy suppliers. Virginia residents can choose their natural gas supplier, but electricity is not deregulated in the state.

Deregulation occurred back in 1999 when the Electricity Competition Act passed with the hopes of introducing competition for Pepco, the primary electricity provider in DC. Nearly 170 companies are now licensed as alternative energy suppliers in DC.

In theory, increasing competition is a great plan. It allows you to comparison shop and choose the best alternative energy supplier based on rates, customer service, and other factors.

Unfortunately, this also sets the stage for unscrupulous alternative energy suppliers to pitch low rates by phone, direct mail, and door-to-door salesmen—only to charge more than the customer was originally paying. Learning how to spot these phony propositions can help you choose a legitimate alternative energy supplier!

Hundreds of DC residents make complaints about alternative energy suppliers every year. According to a recent Washington Post article, Starion Energy is one such company that’s had its fair share of complaints in recent years. The article reports that in some cases, the switch to Starion has caused customers’ electricity bills to increase by more than 50 percent—despite having agreed to make the change for money-saving purposes.

Since alternative energy suppliers are prohibited from “engaging in…unlawful, misleading or deceptive” marketing tactics under District law, customer complaints are taken very seriously. If you have had a bad experience with an alternative energy supplier, file a complaint with the DC Office of the People’s Counsel.

Despite the bad press a handful of alternative energy suppliers have received, there are plenty of legitimate electricity suppliers in the DC area:

Even with shady suppliers ruled out, you still have dozens of legitimate options. Narrow down your selection by:

At Kolb Electric, we want our Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC customers to save as much energy as possible. By lowering your consumption each month, you lower your bills! Contact us today for more tips to keep your electricity bills down—or check out our blog with more great electricity saving tips.

Efficient, successful electrical troubleshooting takes a special kind of Beverly Hills electrician. This is the sort of skill that can’t come just from book knowledge and a college degree. Electrical troubleshooting is built upon solid, hands-on work experience and an in-depth expertise in tracking down often elusive electrical system problems. A talented electrical troubleshooting expert is a valuable find for a person dealing with a so far unidentified commercial or residential electrical system problem because an unresolved electrical problem always has the potential to turn into a real hazard at some point. You need an electrician in Beverly Hills that can find the problem quickly and get it taken care of efficiently.

Some electrical problems are pretty straightforward, resolved quickly and easily by an electrical upgrade or two or a bit of electrical rewiring. Others, however, present a bit more of a challenge, especially electrical problems that are intermittent. Those can be difficult for the average electrician to identify and deal with. They say that admitting there is a problem is the first step, and the concept applies to electrical systems. If an electrician can’t find the problem, he won’t be able to fix it and restore your electrical system to optimum functionality and safety. That is why you are better off dealing with the sort of expert team of professionals you’ll find at the Electric Connection.

The Electric Connection has been working throughout this region for more than 30 years, handling a wide variety of commercial and residential electrical projects successfully. They’ve built up a solid reputation for the quality of their residential and commercial electrical work, as well as for the dedication with which they strive to achieve a high level of customer service. This electrician Beverly Hills CA electrical contracting company offers a lifetime guarantee on all of their work, as well as a free home electrical safety assessment with every job they do. That way, upcoming repairs can be spotted and maintenance needs pointed out, helping customers to avoid being caught by surprise by a system failure or hazard.

This company is very serious about its customer service standards. If you schedule an electrical service call with an electrician in Beverly Hills CA from the Electric Connection, and your technician gets there even just a single minute late, your service call is free. That is evidence of a well disciplined, extremely professional team, because obviously an electrician that can’t be on time and professional is not going to last long there. This company also offers free over the phone help and devotes a section of its web site to electrical troubleshooting and electrical system maintenance tips. They also offer free over the phone estimates, based on the situation or symptoms as you describe them.

You may be able to limp along or work around an unidentified electrical problem for a while, but eventually it is going to get worse. And, you can’t predict when that will happen or how bad it will fail. A sparking short behind a wall could burn your house down, in the worst case scenario. A problem that could have been managed with a little bit of rewiring or by installing a new electrical circuit if an experienced Beverly Hills electrician and electrical troubleshooter has been called in to find the problem, may end up being a much costlier repair, such as a whole house rewire.

If you have a commercial or residential electrical system problem that needs to be properly diagnosed and repaired, choose an electrician in Beverly Hills CA that has the experience and expertise to get the job done right the first time. Electrical problems should be dealt with as soon as possible, because delay could result in a more costly repair situation or could even end up causing serious property damage or worse. The Electric Connection has the Beverly Hills electrician and troubleshooting experts you need.

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Watch cascading spiral turns and vibrant emanations through a glass curved body bending and zig-zagging in a brilliant display of illumination.  New “convertible” pendant light fixtures from Eurofase Lighting are turning heads and making a grand debut with the introduction of Bloor, Spadina, Finch and Dundas.

All four fixtures may be easily converted from pendants to flush mount fixtures right out of the box! Dazzling lighting designs create a fantastic play of shadow and light as the fixture body diffuses the light, turning straight solid edges into an illuminating serpentine pattern.

“Bloor” features Rippled Hand-blown Clear Press glass with Chrome accents in a robust bell-shaped pendant design.

“Spadina” features Rippled Hand-blown Clear Press glass with handsomely defined swirling scales in a modern-contemporary orb shape.

“Finch” is defined with Rippled Hand-blown Clear Press glass and Chrome accents in a brilliantly scalloped combination of shell-like symmetry.

“Dundas” presents a unison of floral-like blossoms in Rippled Hand-blown Clear Press glass with Chrome accents.

Eurofase Lighting has been powering up the lighting industry with outstanding ceiling pendant lights, wall lighting and chandeliers since 1989.  They are on the cutting-edge of technological advancement with some of the most innovative decorative pendant lights and chandeliers.  See the entire line of pendant lights and ceiling fixtures from Eurofase at 1800lighting.com.

Experience the magic of all new designs from Eurofase Lighting at 1800lighting.com or visit your nearest Capitol Lighting showroom.