In the past several years, the technology behind our lights has grown tremendously. Although incandescent bulbs were the standard for a number of years, more energy efficient alternatives like Compact Fluorescents (CFL) and Light Emitting Diodes (LED) have become more readily available, affordable and very popular. Because people have been looking for ways to reduce their electrical bills, and lower their overall impact on the environment, LED lighting has become a particularly popular alternative as it has become easier to find. This has resulted in LED lighting companies to manufacture and distribute more LED lights than in the past.

Should You Switch?

The reasons to switch to LEDs are numerous for both homeowners and small businesses. One of the biggest draws to LED lights is its lifespan. Most LED lights will burn for somewhere around 100,000 hours. This translates into roughly 11 years. Whenever you are dealing with this type of lifespan, you will probably end up calling an electrician in Los Angeles to come change out the light fixture before you ever have to change the bulb. LEDs not only last longer, but they also use much less electricity than both incandescent and CFL bulbs. They also produce less heat, resulting in a long-lasting, low-energy, low temperature operation.

Are They Expensive?

One of the few negatives that LED bulbs have is that they have a higher up-front cost than many other options. Although they boast the longer life span, reduced energy consumption and low heat, LED lighting is still more expensive than CFL and Incandescent bulbs. For this reason, many people choose other types of bulbs over them.  Those that go with the LEDs typically find out that they will pay for themselves through reduced energy usage. As always, don’t hesitate to contact The Electric Connection with any questions about LEDs, light fixtures or any other electrical topics. We’re always glad to help.

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Spring is here and that means those wild and loud thunderstorms are here as well. Lightning can be nice to look at, but as we all know, it can be dangerous. While you are probably safe in your home during a lightning storm, your appliances and electronics are not. One lightning strike can wipe out anything that is currently plugged in, in your home.

If you are not interested in spending thousands of dollars replacing computers, televisions and any other appliance in your home, you will probably want to invest in a whole house surge protector. An electrician in Los Angeles is exactly what you need to save you a great deal of money in replacement costs.

Surge Protectors

You probably have your computer plugged into one of those strips that offers a layer of protection against an electrical surge. But what about your expensive gaming console, refrigerator and television. With just those three items, you are taking well over a $1000. It isn’t feasible or attractive to plug in every electronic device to a surge protector strip.

However, whole home surge protectors are available. And what is even better is the fact they are a fraction of the amount of the cost it would take you to replace your electronics. They are fairly simple to install by an electrician. Los Angeles residents who are interested in protecting their electronic investments can call the Electric Connection to discuss their surge protection options.

It is important to note that not all electrical surges come from lightning strikes. Large appliances like the refrigerator or air conditioning unit cycling off and on can also cause spikes in power, especially if they are not in good working condition. You never know when a surge will strike. It is better to be safe than sorry.

A common lighting technology in the commercial space is metal halide, at least in the past it was. At an ever increasing rate, businesses are actively searching for a more efficient lighting system that will allow them to cut energy consumption and in turn; reduce overhead expenses.

When companies or facility managers start their search, they often search for the wrong answer. Here are some common questions that we are asked:

“How many watts does it take to replace a 1000w metal halide light?”

“How can I replace my metal halide light?”

“Is it even possible to replace my metal halide fixture with another technology?”

This post specifically will be covering the first question, as for the other two: be sure to subscribe to our email list to know when new posts go live, we are always pushing out informational content to answer your questions just like these ones!

So.. How many watts does it take to replace a 1000 watt metal halide fixture?

It’s simple a simple concept, yet not at the same time. In short, it’s impossible to know just from that question alone. The reason for this is simple too: you can’t base your decisions off of watts alone. Instead, you need to be basing your decisions off of lumens.

What is a LED equivalent to a 1000w metal halide you can easily find fixtures that output at over 100+ lumens / watt. Especially when you go with quality products from reputable companies, you can reach higher than a 150 l/w output. This will allow you to cut your wattage usage per fixture by 2-3 and sometimes 4 times which will prove to save substantial amounts of energy when you start talking about replacing multiple fixtures.

So we’ve explained what it takes to replace your 1000w metal halide fixture, but what does “replacing” consist of?

Replacing can consist of two things: write in to one of our professionals with your questions.