Last night, thousands of walkers and hundreds of runners in Edinburgh kicked off the Courtesy of NVA.org.uk

A bunch of research went in to creating this light up gear to meet the NVA’s head designer James Johnson’s following standards:

For the runners, the design team wanted something dramatic, so they ended up going with concentrated point source LEDs, which looked great both close and at a distance. The LEDs allowed them to mix color and adjust intensity of the lights remotely. The runners themselves had to be in tip-top shape, able to run 10 miles at a 9-10 minute pace in all kinds of weather. Therefore, as to not hinder them in their physical feat, the design team fashioned a webbing suit out of the LEDs, complete with a radio and battery pack. Check them out:

The only shortcoming of these suits was that they couldn’t be powered by the runner’s motion. After attempting to harvest energy via knee braces, they determined any impediment to the runner’s motion dramatically affects his or her performance.

For the walkers, Johnson and his team wanted to build something subtler, to provide adequate safety lighting, but not to distract from the viewing experience. They decided to go with staffs/walking sticks illuminated by a combination of electroluminescent tape, fiber optic fabric, and diffused and non-diffused LEDs. Each staff housed a micro-computer that would synch up the flashing patterns with the Orchestra’s score, with changes triggered by movement and altitude. And here they are:

The research team was able to use motion to generate power in this instance, since walking is a more leisurely, steadier movement. To harness the power of movement, two LEDs, two high power Neodymium magnets, and a copper coil go in the top of the staff, then as the walker strides along, striking the stick against the ground, one of the magnets oscillates through the coil, creating a small electrical current. One LED lights up when the magnet travels down, and the other when the magnet travels up, producing a twinkly effect.

The runners also received a smaller version of this staff in the form of a baton.

While you’re gathering information to find the right electrician in Burbank CA, pay attention to how the electrician acts and makes you feel. If you meet with the electrician, keep your eyes open, too.

Do you like the Burbank electrician?

Do you feel comfortable and not under pressure?

Does the electrician inspire your trust?

Do the electrician and company employees seem to know what they’re doing?

Do they seem to operate legally and behave ethically? Are they acting the way that you would want them to act towards you?

Do they return phone calls promptly?

Are they timely when meeting you for appointments?

Do they listen to your questions and concerns and answer them in a way that is forthcoming and that you can understand?

Does the electrician dress neatly and have a vehicle and tools that look well-maintained?

Electricians who are bidding jobs are on their best behavior. If you already notice that an electrician treats you or others in ways that concern you, better to find another with whom you feel more comfortable.

Check It Out

If you haven’t already, check customer reviews. The first section of this article gives details.

Enter the Contractor’s License Number into the Contractor’s License Board website for your state. See if there are any “black marks.”

Check the company’s rating at the Better Business Bureau. Ratings run from A+ to F based on customer complaints made to the Bureau. As a note, an “A” reflects the same level of customer satisfaction as an “A+.” The “A+” is earned by an “A” contractor becoming a paying member of the Better Business Bureau, which supports the Bureau in its work.

Call References

Don’t hesitate to call references. Customers are usually happy to give a good recommendation to help a deserving electrical contractor. You can return the favor later should a homeowner call you. Ask:

How did your job go?

Was your job done right the first time?

If a return visit was needed, was the electrician easy to work with and prompt?

Was company pricing competitive?

Was the electrician within budget and schedule?

Would you be happy to continue to use this electrical company?

Speak with at least three references. Listen carefully for enthusiasm or lack of enthusiasm about the electrician. Clients, past or present, may not feel comfortable saying anything negative. If they express little enthusiasm or say something negative, take this into consideration when making your decision.

A Final Tip: Don’t Automatically Choose the Low Bid

A bid may be too low. How can that be? An electrician may intentionally omit items that the job requires, only to come back later saying that additional work needs to be done. On the other hand, some electricians may unintentionally bid low through inexperience. Either way, the electrician may ask for more money to finish the job or may leave you with an incomplete project.

Price is important, but judge the entire picture an electrician is showing you — character, expertise, the ease of working with him or her, and overall value. A large part of an electrician’s value is that he/she gets the job done right and safely without taking too much of your time and inconveniencing you. A very competent electrician can save you money by suggesting more efficient ways to do a job or to save on electricity. When you enjoy a good relationship with your Burbank electrician, it can save you both time and money.

The relationship between weather and energy usage is a never-ending cycle. Spikes and drops in temperature and humidity lead to spikes and drops in energy use (and costs), which in turn correspond with spikes and drops in greenhouse gas emissions, further affecting climate. What does this relationship mean when it comes to your energy usage?

Temperatures above 100 and below 40 stress your heating and cooling system, pushing it to capacity, reducing efficiency, and draining energy supplies, along with your wallet. Quite simply, this amounts to less bang for your buck in terms of comfort. Add to temperature issues, wind, cloud cover, and precipitation and the snowball effect continues, further impacting comfort levels, not to mention your ability to illuminate interior spaces. Compound the issues – and the population affected – and you’ve got grid strain to boot.

That depends on the source of energy. In the US, 83 percent of energy usage comes from fossil fuels, which release gases such as CO2 into the environment during the creation of energy. Unfortunately, these gases trap heat in the atmosphere. Atmospheric greenhouse gases have increased 30 percent since the pre-Industrial Revolution era alone, and the level continues to rise with energy demand. As levels increase, so does the effect on the environment. Thousands of scientists agree the trapped gases are currently affecting the climate, and will increasingly weigh on it as time goes on. This has resulted in an increase in interest in cleaner forms of energy, including nuclear, solar, wind, and geothermal.

Choosing a style of lights for a particular room can be a very thought-provoking process. This is largely because each room typically has its own purpose, and lighting should be selected to best facilitate that purpose. For many more contemporary spaces, one of the favored lighting options is LED downlights. Many homeowners choose to install this type of light fitting into a variety of rooms around their homes, including bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens to provide not only light, but a certain level of style.

Mounting

LED downlights are typically mounted to narrow openings in the ceiling of the chosen room. In most cases, this type of fixture will be completely hidden from view. As a result, it appears as if the light is coming from a hole in the ceiling. When you choose to have an electrician in Santa Monica install LED downlights for you, then you have a wide variety of different sizes, shapes and even colors to choose from. This is often used to accentuate different elements of a room, due to this type of lighting’s ability to focus light downward on a certain area.

Efficiency

LED downlighting is not only an attractive and effective source of light, but also very energy efficient. Because these fixtures use LED lights, they use very little electricity and emit almost no heat. This results in more comfortable spaces, and a functional light source at a very low operating cost.

Regardless of whether you are installing LED downlights or another type of lighting source, choosing an LED bulb to provide your light is always a smart decision. These high quality, long-lasting and energy efficient light bulbs will provide spectacular lighting to any area for many years to come. To learn more about LED lighting, or to talk to someone about installing some new fixtures, call one of our technicians at The Electric Connection. You can also get in touch with us through our website at www.theelectricconnection.com.