By Clarissa Allison | December 11th, 2015

If you are lucky enough to have a large family room or “great room”, you may encounter some exciting challenges when choosing home decor and lighting that complements and balances your space. A great room is a large room typically found in modern homes that combines the features of a living room with those of a dining room or family room.

Large, open spaces are very common to find in floorplans these days. The dining room incorporates the kitchen, which is part of the living room and leads into the den, etc.  This trend sees walls to separate activity spaces removed. You’ll find that the kitchen is no longer segregated from the rest of the home but may easily become a main focal point. As you’ll see, the key to lighting these types of spaces is variety. You’ll want to utilize ambient, task, wall, and spot lighting to eliminate a “cave-like” atmosphere and maintain a feeling of spaciousness and height.

Read on for tips on how to set up the perfect lighting scheme for functionality, elegance and entertaining.

Update Your Kitchen Island As An Activity Space

Older homes generally have a character quality that can’t be seen in newer houses. These homes offer great value, and renovation improvements can bring new life into them. Unfortunately often enough the electrical wiring is never inspected during these updates for years at a time. To ensure that all your hard work is going to be safe, look for these common dangers that could threaten your older home.

From the 50s to 70s many homes were built with aluminum wiring. This was used because it was cheaper and more conductive than copper wiring. Unfortunately many pitfalls were found with aluminum wiring after it was used. Overheating and cracking are common problems with aluminum wiring. If your home was built in this time period, have your wires inspected. There could be a number of hazardous points behind your walls that may cause major issues. For more information and hazard signs of aluminum wiring, read our blog article.

Knob and tube wiring was used in homes in the early 1900s and even as early as 50 years ago. It is possible that these homes still contain knob and tube wiring in them. This wiring can be dangerous as it is more likely to crack and result in electrical fires.

The dangers of these two out-dated wiring systems are that they were installed without worry and the problems were not realized until years later. The electrical wiring systems in these homes were left untouched and so did the problems that came with them. Electrical fires, are especially dangerous as the fire starts and spreads quickly and out of sight. By the time the fire is visible it is too late and the damage can be done.

Over the years homes can see additions: new rooms added onto the home, new electrical lines added, hot tubs, etc. If a licenced electrician did not perform these additions there can be a mess of wire connecting the additions to the original home. This problem comes to a head at the service panel. If it is not properly maintained the breaker will trip constantly and electrical outlets will be overloaded. This is very dangerous as the electrical panel is in charge of keeping your home safe from electrical hazards. It is very important that the electrical panel is upgraded in order to provide the correct control of electricity throughout the entire house, old and new. This also means the panel is properly labelled so it is easy to maintain if further updates are being made.

While there is nothing wrong with purchasing an older home, we recommend that a licenced electrician inspect the electrical system in order to identify potential electrical hazards. One of our expert electricians can provide you with a list of items that should be handled. This will help you have peace of mind that your family is safe in their home.

You might think that there's not a whole lot that you can personally do to save money on your energy bill. After all, you need to shower, cook, use the lights at night and wash and dry your clothes -- all which take up electrical energy. You might be surprised to learn that there are small things that you can do to help save energy at home and in the process save money on your electric bill. 

1. Pack more efficiently

You pack more than just clothes for your next vacation. You also pack items into your freezer and refrigerator. Much like improper packing for your vacation will leave you with less room, not packing your refrigerator and freezer the right way can wind up using more energy. 

In general, a full refrigerator and freezer are more energy efficient. The more empty space there is in these appliances, the more space warm air has to replace each time you open the door. 

If you don't want to keep your freezer and refrigerator full of food, containers with water can be a great substitute. You can also try keeping the most used items by the door. 

2. Watch out for vampire power

Is your home a haven for vampire power? Vampire power, also called standby power, among other names, refers to the power that appliances used when they are plugged in but in standby mode or turned off. Some examples of common culprits of vampire power include televisions, computers and chargers for cell phones and other electronics. 

Put bigger electronics, such as computers and televisions, on power strips and get into the habit of flipping them off when you're finished with them. Unplug smaller electronics and your chargers when you aren't using them. Plugging up unused outlets helps stop the leakage of outside air into your home. 

3. Schedule a home audit

Nearly all homeowners want to save energy but few think that their home is a bastion of energy efficiency. An energy audit by a professional energy auditor can pinpoint the problem areas in your home and provide affordable ways to address them. Paying for the weatherization of your home can be expensive upfront. The long term energy savings as well as any tax breaks offered by the government can help you pay for it. 

To all of our fantastic customers who have reviewed our business on Angie’s List, thank you—because of your kind words, Kolb Electric has received the Angie’s List Super Service Award for 2013! This award goes out to the top 5 percent of service companies per industry, and we’re so pleased our customers think highly enough of us to have helped us win.

Since our founding in 1925, Kolb Electric has been dedicated to providing our customers with the most reliable electrical service they can find, services that come in on time and on budget every time. We have six local offices, five bucket trucks, and one of the largest fleets in the Mid-Atlantic Region we are able handle any size project.

Our services cover everything from new wiring to electrical maintenance to troubleshooting and more. No matter what your electrical needs are, we have the right solution, at the right price. Our electricians are fully licensed by state and local jurisdictions, assuring you that your electrical project will be installed to exact industry and code standards.

So, if you’re planning an electrical project, and you’re looking for a quality job without the outrageous prices, contact us today to arrange for a free quote.

Our MD, DC, and VA Electricians Are…

We want to give a special thanks to all of our customers who took the time to review our business on Angie’s List and helped us win the 2013 Super Service Award. We plan to uphold our commitment to excellence long into the future, so if you need electrical service in Washington, DC, Maryland, or Virginia, call the DC electricians at Kolb Electric today!

Electrical ballast replacements are a common project in both residential homes and commercial buildings. An electrical ballast is a device used to regulate electrical currents so that they do not reach uncontrollable levels. A common application of electrical ballasts is those found in any type of light structure such as fluorescent or neon lighting systems. Depending on the size of the replacement project, a licensed electrician isn’t always necessary; however, if you don’t have the proper tools or experience, it is a good idea to consult with a licensed electrician before attempting the replacement. To simplify the procedure, here are the answers to three common questions about electrical ballast replacement.

Similar to replacing a light bulb, if you have any type of neon or fluorescent light, you will eventually need to replace the electrical ballast in the lighting structure. Replacing the electrical ballast is a more reasonable solution than replacing the entire neon or fluorescent light structure. You will know when it’s time to replace the electrical ballast because the light will begin flickering or will stop working entirely.

Yes, you can perform a ballast replacement yourself. While ballast replacement can be a simple procedure, if not done properly you can cause damage to your replacement bulb but also the fixture. Before performing the replacement yourself, make sure you are confident and understand all the steps involved or you could end up with expensive bills you were trying to avoid. If you require assistance or have any questions about electrical ballast replacement, contact our team of licensed electricians at Expert Electric. We would be happy to help.

Thankfully, an electrical ballast replacement does not require a fully stocked tool shed in order to be completed. For most electrical ballast replacements, a few simple tools will do the trick. Depending on the type and size of your replacement, your replacement may require a simple screwdriver, nut driver, drill, pliers and wire stripper. This is in addition to the new electrical ballast which you will be replacing.

For more information on electrical ballast replacement, please contact the licensed electricians at Expert Electric. You can reach us at 604-681-8338 or you can book an appointment online through our website. For 24/7 immediate response emergency service, please fill out a form on our website so that we can get in touch with you as soon as possible. We offer various types of electrician services including electric water heaters, surge protectors, ceiling fan installation and we service all throughout the Greater Vancouver area and Lower Mainland.