It is becoming more common to see solar panels on top of the roofs of homes and buildings in suburbs and throughout the city. The panels are sleek and actually add to the look of the structures they are mounted on. The stigma that solar power was only reserved for cabins way out in the boondocks is over. Nowadays, it is become quite trendy to supplement your home or business with solar energy. The use of solar panels has been a long time coming and now everybody needs to know one thing; what is the cost of solar panels? How much will it set you back and is it worth the cost. The team at The Electric Connection wants you to know that yes, it is certainly worth looking into.

Solar panels installers are going to be one of the expenses you incur when you decide to augment your electricity with solar power. Typically, you will be able to find a company that offers installation packages with the sale or lease of the panels. This allows you to make monthly payments that would be similar to that of your monthly electric bill. You can choose to rely completely on solar power or to use solar for the majority of your needs with the typical power supply from the grid as a backup. There are numerous scenarios. You will need to choose the one that works best for you and your family. You can certainly ease into solar power, which is a good idea. There is a learning curve.

To install solar panels, you will need electricians who are familiar with and trained to handle the convertor systems. The systems will need to be wired into your home’s electric panel, which should only be handled by professionals. Solar power is one way to do something good for the environment while saving money on your electric bill. Give The Electric Connection a call today if you have any questions about solar panel installation.

Get him two Battery operated LED Picture Light.

source) Make sure your BBQ Master has enough light to control the flow of wickedness with the Black Mo Tools Axe by Brook & Hunter and a Power Box 360 stereo by Bosch is a dust and moisture resistant powerhouse with a rubber cage exterior. Rock the night away with a LED Headlamp for smaller, intricate ones that need direct light.

You know the kind — he has the biggest TV you’ve ever seen and has an entire room devoted to it. Upgrade the man cave with his favorite LED Fiber Optic Star Ceiling Kit.

This is the second blog post in this year’s 15 smart gift ideas for students of any age. Visit our Holiday Specials!

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911). Her bio is beyond the scope of this entry, but I encourage you to follow the link and check her out. Get a little perspective on life today by reading a paragraph about this amazing human being and poet.

Harper’s poem, “Let the Light Enter,” depicts light in an interesting and fresh way, fresh still, even 100 years after her death. Poetry, generally speaking, is like a vast collection of opportunities to learn about yourself and the world in which you live. I invite you to take a minute to read “Let the Light Enter.”

The Dying Words of Goethe

He just urgently wants to watch the “balmy sunshine/ Play around” his deathbed. He just wants to experience the sensation of light doing it’s thing. “More light!” he demands. It strongly suggests that appreciating and enjoying the beauty of light is what Goethe, a lifelong thinker and poet who lived from 1749 to 1832, finds most worthy of his final precious minutes. That’s a big deal. In choosing between the pleasure of thoughts and the pleasure of the material world, he chooses the latter. It’s like all the things that seem to separate us from the natural world are shown to be false in the final moments. Think of a dog lying on a rock in the sun. Maybe that’s the purest state of being, just lying there, not thinking much, and enjoying the pleasure of the light, the sound of a brook. And maybe that’s why Goethe wants to pass away in such a state.

Smart technology is poised to take over the home appliance market. We already have smart thermostats, smart lighting and even smart refrigerators. If that's not enough for you, there are some new contenders on the market that allow you to turn any electrical device in the home into a smart item. The best part is that it's a simple DIY experience – no need to find an electrician to hook it up. It’s the smart plug, a small box that you plug into your home's outlets. From there, you can use your smart phone to control whatever light, television or other electronic appliance routed through the smart plug. Read on to learn more about these remarkable efficiency devices.

Control and Monitor Your Electronics

There are a variety of smart plug options on the market: The Satechi IQ Plug, the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch, the D-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug and the Valta Starter Kit, among others. The cost and functionality of the different brands vary, but they all operate on a similar principle – allowing you to set schedules and remotely control whatever device you choose.

The smart plugs connect to your phone via Bluetooth or wireless Internet, so you can switch them on or off from anywhere in the home – or even from the other side of the country if you have an internet-optimized model. You can also program schedules so the plug automatically activates an appliance at appointed times – turning a coffee maker on first thing in the morning, for example, or switching on a space heater before you go to bed in a chilly part of the house.

Retro Meets Modern

The upshot is that there's no need to wait for cutting-edge smart devices to come out to keep your home on the cutting edge of technology. Imagine impressing your neighbor by demonstrating the new smart functionality of a retro 1950s television, or your old Victrola vinyl player.

Smart plugs also monitor how much electricity a given device uses and when, so you can make informed choices about increasing your energy efficiency though disaggregation, breaking it down appliance by appliance. You can also save energy by using the smart plug to turn off the power to devices when you aren't actively using them, preventing your electricity bills from skyrocketing due to always-on settings or “energy vampires.”

Savings and Control All at Once

If you have additional questions about smart plugs and how they work, find an electrician who can show you their utility and functionality. With surprisingly little effort, you can harness their power to save energy and control devices all throughout your home.