Fun Fact: His obsession with a chandelier led Italian astronomer, mathematician and physicist, Galileo to discover the law of pendulum motion.

While, we cannot guarantee that you will understand the laws of physics, we can guarantee that you will be captivated by the brilliance of a chandelier.

More than ever, we are experimenting with home lighting design to display our individuality, and nothing conveys unique style more than a fabulous chandelier.

Professional lighting consultants at Capitol Lighting can help you to illuminate your sense of style and find the perfect chandelier(s) to complete your decorative interior design.  A few simple laws of lighting and trusting your own good taste will get you there…

Chandelier Application and Design Tips from Capitol Lighting

Outstanding Applications:  From powder rooms to dining rooms, the chandelier enhances the appeal of your home environment. Chosen above all else for their aesthetic rewards, chandeliers also provide needed general ambient illumination.

Power in Proportion: To enjoy the full benefits of a chandelier, you must choose a fixture that is the correct size.  A chandelier that is too big will overpower; one that is too small will look out of place.  Finding the right chandelier size is easy:  Add the length and width of the room in feet, and then convert that number to inches (i.e. a room that is 12 feet by 16 feet would require a chandelier that is approximately 28 inches wide). When in doubt between available chandelier sizes, size up to achieve a more balanced presentation.

Special Considerations for Over Dining Tables:  When hanging a chandelier over a dining table, the total chandelier width should be about a foot smaller than the table width to allow approximately a 6-inch clearance for those seated around the table.

The Long and Short of It:  Over a dining table, the bottom of the chandelier should hang about 30 inches over the tabletop. The height of the fixture should measure about three inches for each foot of ceiling height, so for standard 8 foot ceilings choose a chandelier with an approximate height of 24 inches.

In a one-story foyer or in rooms with standard 8-foot ceilings, a chandelier should hang no less than 7 feet from the floor.  In a two-story foyer or in rooms with higher ceilings, the chandelier should hang approximately 8-10 feet from the floor. If your foyer fixture is to be viewed through a picture window, select a chandelier that will fill this space and center the fixture accordingly.  Note:  A two or three-tiered chandelier works best for rooms with higher ceilings.

Installation Awareness:  Be sure to employ a qualified electrician and follow National Electrical codes when installing fixtures.  It is especially important to consider the proper mounting procedures for hanging a heavier chandelier.  Usually fixtures weighing 50 pounds or more must be secured to the home’s permanent structure.

Maintaining the Glamour:  Keeping your chandelier in pristine condition requires proper cleaning and attention to specific instructions pertaining to certain finishes.  Generally, crystal and glass elements are kept clean with a basic soap and water combination.  Nonabrasive cleansers for most finishes are required.  Drying fixture components completely will help protect their luster.

Best Accessories:  Ceiling medallions, chandelier shades, decorative chain and cord covers may add to the ambience of the chandelier.  These items may be special ordered to give your chandelier a unique flair.

Imperative Additions:  Be sure to use the correct bulbs for your chandelier.  Where you have a choice between frosted or clear, choose the bulb that goes best with the fixtures finish.  Always employ dimmer controls with your chandelier.

Get High and Mighty with a Mini: The mini chandelier has become an increasingly popular lighting fixture around the home due to the versatility of its small size. Many designers are opting for mini chandeliers, rather than pendant or island lights, over long dining room tables and kitchen islands. Mini chandeliers are also gracing powder rooms and master bathrooms, as well as bedside tables.

Accent the Positive:  Although the chandelier should be the main lighting attraction, low-voltage spot lights, a matching torchiere floor lamp, +/or coordinating wall sconces make great designing additions to supplement lighting needs and complete the room’s décor.

The lighting experts at Capitol guarantee that you will captivate guests and enjoy your home to the fullest with the most illuminating fashions in home lighting and accessories.  Capitol Lighting’s lighting consultants can help you find the perfect chandelier for your home and give you tips on hanging a chandelier.

Winter is in full swing in the Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver area. Winter in British Columbia usually means a severe drop in temperature, possible snowfall and an unfortunate spike in the electrical bill. We often get asked whether or not it is possible to keep a home warm during the Winter season without breaking the budget. Absolutely it is! The licensed electricians at Expert Electric offer a variety of residential electrical services and cost-effective tips that can help clients keep their homes warm during the holidays. For more on this, read our list below for tips on how to keep your home warm in the Winter season.

One of the best ways to keep your home warm in the Winter is by installing a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats have been proven to significantly reduce the electrical bill of residential homes while keeping residents warm when it counts. Rather than continuously adjusting the thermostat throughout the day, program it so that it keeps you warm when you are at home, and does not waste energy when you are away at work. If you are unsure of what model of thermostat to purchase or what settings are best, contact the licensed electricians at Expert Electric.

Using the sun to your home’s advantage is the most cost-effective way to warm up your home during the Winter. If your home has lots of windows, Expert Electric recommends opening the curtains and letting Mr. Sunshine go to work during the day. The best thing about taking advantage of the sun’s rays is that you will not be billed for them at the end of the month.

In order for heating registers and vents to work properly, they need to be free of furniture and other household items that could be blocking the air flow and the circulation of heat. Keep your home warm this winter by making sure that any vents and heat registers are clutter-free and able to properly distribute heat throughout.

This may seem obvious to some but keeping your doors both closed and locked is a simple way to keep your home warm during the Winter season. This applies to all the doors in homes, not just doors to the outside. Determine which rooms in your home are used the most frequently. These are the rooms that you will want to focus on keeping warm. By keeping the doors to these rooms closed whenever possible, it will create a sauna effect and allow the heat to become more effective in spaces where it counts.

For more tips on how to keep your home warm this Winter, please call the licensed electricians at Expert Electric. You can reach us at 604-681-8338 or book an appointment through our website. We offer a large variety of electrical services that can help keep your residential home warm and toasty throughout the Winter season without breaking your budget. Expert Electric offers flexible scheduling, written estimates and complete customer satisfaction. Don’t let the cold get to you this holiday season. Contact the trusted team at Expert Electric.

The year 2012 marked one of the hottest summers on records. Interestingly enough, this also corresponded with one of the best years for the solar industry. Although the solar power industry is still relatively young, meeting milestones frequently, these milestones are getting to be more and more substantial each year.

A great example of this was a California utility company placing into operation a solar generating station that was able to generate the same level of energy as a large coal or nuclear power plant. In addition to the gigawatt being generated by this utility-scale facility, there is also another gigawatt of solar power being generated by the rooftops around the state.

Another great sign of growth for the solar panel industries is the statistic that nearly 742 megawatts were installed by solar panel installers in the second quarter of 2012. This is greater than double the amount that was installed in the first quarter of 2011, 343 megawatts. For an industry that has been skating by in the background for so many years, such exponential growth is incredible. Not only does this mean cleaner, renewable energy for many homes across the country, but also countless jobs generated to help support this quickly growing industry.

What does this mean for you? As the demand for solar panels rises, so do the options for purchasing, installing and generating solar electricity. Because of the immense land required to operate a utility-scale solar generation facility, the number one method of generation remains on the rooftops of the average consumer. Because the cost of solar panels has been going down, and smart options such as financing and the solar lease have become more popular, it is easier than ever before to go solar. Take a few minutes to check out all of our resources at solar-panel-info.com. We specialize in solar leasing, rebates and locating solar panel installers near you. (Visit our Home Page)

Photovoltaics employ solar panels to create energy. Solar power remains a rapidly growing field in the renewable energy sector. It has the potential to completely power our world and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Aside from large-scale solar plants, photovoltaics can also be found in a variety of places from calculators and watches to electric planes and the space station. The lack of moving parts makes them valuable in portable devices and in areas without other sources of power. And because the only source of fuel required is sunlight, they can produce power continuously for years without maintenance. Thanks to the falling cost of installation and the potential savings on utility bills, many homeowners are now choosing to install rooftop panels on their own homes.

As the cost per watt of solar power continues to plummet, new solar technologies are emerging. Therefore, the second generation of solar panels, known as thin-film PV, consist of extremely thin panels only a few micrometers thick. These panels are much more versatile and have found their way into Tesla’s solar roof tiles, among other things. They are less efficient than first-generation panels, but much cheaper, simply due to the fact that they require less material to manufacture.

Most noteworthy, third-generation high-intensity solar cells are also in development and promise to be even thinner and extremely efficient. Perovskite PV cells and Organic and Polymer Photovoltaic (OPV) cells are some of the newest third generation solar technologies and use materials other than crystalline silicon.

Photovoltaics remains a quickly growing field that has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This technology provides energy independence, while powering the world reliably and efficiently.