Do you have a smart phone? What about a smart watch? Tablet? Laptop computer? Backup battery? Each of these devices needs frequent charging, which means the charger will take up a precious electrical outlet somewhere in your home for hours at a time, and could prevent you from having to plug in something else that you may need. What’s worse, what happens when you lose your charger and are left with nothing more than a typical USB cable? You can’t plug that into the wall, so what good will it do?

Well, that’s not exactly true anymore. In recent years, because the USB platform has become so popular for smartphone and other device charging, electrical component companies have begun to make wall sockets with USB plugs already built in! These combo outlets give you the best of both worlds, allowing you to plug in your devices with a regular USB cable while keeping your electrical sockets open for additional plugs.

A USB combo outlet is remarkably simple, and can be retrofitted to fit nearly any already-existing outlet. Essentially the two electrical outlets are exactly the same, but they also have two USB outlets squished right in between them. When the electricity is fed to the outlet, it also feeds directly into a step-down circuit, which brings the voltage down from 110 volts to about five, which is the standard for that particular plug technology.

The other benefit is you don’t have to worry about a large or bulky charger potentially blocking up the other outlet. While most manufacturers have gotten pretty good about keeping their wall chargers small, some larger units can take up a big chunk of space on your wall, potentially hindering access to the other charging unit. Getting rid of these units entirely and charging off a USB port keeps both plugs free and open for other uses.

Think something like this would be far too expensive? Think again. The average cost of a USB wall socket is generally anywhere between $10 and $25 each, making them remarkably cost-effective. When you consider you don’t usually need any more than three to four of these outlets, you can make this switch for at most about $100.

That is, provided your home can support these new devices. A wall outlet sits inside a small metal case that’s mounted inside your wall, known as a junction box. Most modern junction boxes are fairly large, and upgrading to these new outlets isn’t a big issue. But some older homes were built with smaller junction boxes that won’t be able to fit the increased size of a USB outlet, which is normally roughly twice as deep as a traditional standard outlet.

We tend to get a little bit of cabin fever towards the end of the winter months. While the weather isn’t too terribly cold, it still isn’t exactly ideal to be out gardening or tending flower beds in January. Your desire to improve your home by making little changes is normal and many people resort to taking care of the inside of their home during winter. This is an excellent time to take care of those little projects like switching out that bathroom faucet, painting the spare bedroom or maybe adding a new ceiling fan. A Beverly Hills electrician can help you with the ceiling fan. In fact, it is best to hire a professional to take care of any home improvement jobs that involve electricity. You can rely on The Electric Connection to provide reliable and knowledgeable electricians.

A ceiling fan can really change the overall look of a room. There are so many different styles to choose from you are sure to find one that matches your current décor. Because most fans include lights, this is another way to change the ambiance in a room. Ceiling fans are not just for the living room or dining room. They make excellent additions to bedrooms and remodeled basements as well. The fans can be used to replace a current light fixture in a room. This is definitely something you will need to leave to your electrician. Beverly Hills residents will appreciate knowing the wiring to the fan has been installed by a professional who knows the proper way to hookup a fan.

Along with adding a certain aesthetic appeal to a room, ceiling fans can actually help reduce the cost to heat and cool your home. It is like getting a bonus! The fans can be used during the summer to help create a cool breeze while circulating the cool air throughout a room. During the winter, the fan pushes the warm air that rises to the ceiling down into the actual living space. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your fan installation.

Once you have decided on using prefabs, the best approach starts with an honest assessment of available skills, facilities and tools. In addition, the contractor will have to decide on whether to carry out the prefab work in-house. Other options include a third party’s workshop.

If lacking in the required skills or other requirements, the contractor will have to either train or hire the right staff and acquire all the tools for implementing the project to completion. All these costs will affect profitability and should be considered.

Clear communication before and during the construction phase is essential for the success of prefabrication. The contractor should coordinate with building owner, suppliers, partners and contractors in other fields.  This ensures a smooth project flow. It should be simple to make adjustments as needed.

For the prefab process to succeed, the contractor should pay attention to the following: