Fortunately for Los Angeles residents winters are fairly mild, which is one of the major draws of the southern California city. There is usually not a major concern of a big storm coming through and knocking out the power for days, but stranger things have happened and blackouts are not completely unheard of. Typically, these situations are rare, but wouldn’t it be nice to be prepared? Having a standby generator installed can help alleviate any of the problems associated with a loss of power. This is a job for an electrician. Los Angeles home and business owners can rely on The Electric Connection to install a generator professionally and quickly.

A generator can mean the difference between functioning at a normal level and being totally set adrift. Although losing power for a few minutes or even an hour isn’t terribly unbearable, it still causes an interruption in the day and sometimes the timing couldn’t be worse. With a standby generator, you won’t have to worry about trying to serve dinner to the family in the dark. It also means your home will feel safer and more comfortable, which is very important.

There are some components to a generator installation that will require an electrician to complete. The generator would need to be wired directly into your home’s main electrical system. Los Angeles electrical code requirements will need to be addressed by a certified electrician who can ensure the work is done right. When a power outage occurs, there is nothing you need to do with your generator. It will automatically turn on and provide electricity to your home or business. These generators are very handy devices and can make your life so much easier. If you would like to learn more about generators and the installation process, give The Electric Connection a call today.

The new Live Laugh Love collection from Murray Feiss features a rustic Grecian Bronze finish with an uplifting mantra artfully imbedded in the design. Choose from 4-light chandeliers, 6-light pendant-style chandeliers and coordinating wall sconces.  Just in time for summer 2013, these new lamps impart a light-hearted message in a full-bodied design.

LIVE:

What do we mean by “lamp life?”

The “average life” of a light source is determined through controlled testing on a large sampling of light bulbs (lamps). Lamps of the same type, make and model are switched on at the same time, and when 50% of the bulbs in this large sampling burn out, this is the determined rate of lamp life.    Thus, due to slight variations in the environment, usage and make-up of each light bulb, the “rated life” listed on each bulb carton is an estimate; and, each bulb will perform slightly differently—some may outlive the “rated life” and some may die out before.

LAUGH:

It has been said that the average American child laughs out load about 400 times each day.  But, as children grow up into adults they laugh a whole lot less—maybe four times a day!

Studies show that just thinking about being happy or simply imagining yourself laughing, recalling a funny story, reading a piece of inspirational advice—all of these activities boost neural connections that can actually elevate your happiness quotient.

Although a serious lighting design is no laughing matter, new lighting compositions from Murray Feiss are made to uplift your spirit and enhance your life. So, why not install a new lamp to remind you to  “Live, Laugh and Love” every day!

LOVE:

What is a love light?

The term “love light” was made famous in 1961 when Bobby Bland recorded his R&B-style hit  “Turn on Your Love Light.”  The song has been popularized over the years, and recorded by many other bands including The Grateful Dead.  In  1999, the song was included in the Hall of Fame’s list of  “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.”

Love light may also include fine novel home lighting and accessories crafted to fill our homes with beauty and the most uplifting lighting effects.

Make a statement and select the seasons top fashions with bold new lighting and home accessories.  The Live Laugh Love collection from Feiss will give you reason to smile and get happy—quality design, accessible price points and exceptional service have kept Murray Feiss at the top of the lighting industry since 1955.

Other fun summer highlights from Feiss include island lights, mini chandeliers and ceiling pendants from the “Celebration” collection and colorful table lamps in the “Kennedy” collection.

We still have a lot of cold weather to come in the months ahead. We’re encouraging homeowners to schedule their annual heating service as soon as possible, if they haven’t already. It’s not too late, and this preventative maintenance service can help you, your family, and your budget in a few different ways.

This fall, one of the most important things you can do for your home is to get a heating system inspection. During an inspection, a technician will look for issues affecting the performance of your heater.

More importantly, they’ll look for anything that compromises your safety. That includes poor gas connections, faulty electrical wiring, improper ventilation, blocked vents, and a cracked heat exchanger. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a real threat when you own a fuel-burning heater, and it’s so important that you have technicians give you the okay to keep using the heat.

With a complete safety inspection, you don’t have to worry so much about your heating system breaking down suddenly in the middle of winter. If this is something that’s happened to you before (or even if it hasn’t), you know that this is something you really want to avoid.

Heating systems are most likely to break down when they’re working their hardest. Make things easier on yourself for the winter by scheduling heating maintenance ne in the fall.

When a heater gets a thorough tune-up, you can feel confident that the system is running smoothly. And that can mean greater efficiency. Your heating system is able to run smoothly with a cleaned out blower wheel, tightened electrical connections, and other adjustments your technician may make.

That translates to lower bills. And if you complete this service every year, no matter how old your heating equipment is, you can maintain high efficiency levels for years, as heaters that receive regular maintenance are more likely to last for a long time to come.

As a licensed Dallas electrician, I see a lot of the work other electricians do.  A lot of it is good, high-quality work similar to the work I and my employees do but not all of it is, unfortunately.  Just like any other industry, there are plenty of bad deals and scam artists preying on customers looking for a good deal.  The slow economy doesn’t get rid of these phony electricians either.  If anything, it makes them come out of the woodwork as people try to save money by using less expensive services.  So, how do you avoid electrician scams?  Obviously, it can be really difficult to detect some scams, but here’s some important tips that can help:

Above all, remember that taking risks with your electrical work isn’t a good thing.  You wouldn’t tell your friend or boss to use a shifty electrician.  So why put your own loved ones through it. Don’t use a service company you wouldn’t recommend to others?

It’s 2013, and if you’re still spending a ton on your energy bill, you should know that it doesn’t have to be that way. Right now, about 20% of the energy we consume goes to lighting. But, with a few energy-efficient changes, we can see that number (and the numbers on our monthly bills) dwindle. This post is the first in a series on how to make the lighting in your home or business more energy-efficient. 

Everyone’s got to eat, and for many of us, the kitchen is the very heart of the home. The kitchen also requires excellent lighting for cooking and cleaning up. So, I figure it will be a good place to start an energy-efficient lighting makeover.