Let’s face it; while working for yourself can be an amazing experience, owning your own business can come with a ton of unsightly costs you may not have been anticipating. One of those may be energy costs for lighting and illuminating your building. This day and age, lighting can account for up to 35% of a business’s energy costs which can be a huge impact on your profit. So what are some ways you can help cut down on this expensive expenditure?

Improving your home energy efficiency is a worthy and admirable goal. You can help reduce your impact on the environment while saving money with savvy decision making. However, the up-front investment for some efficiency upgrades is substantial, so always do your due diligence before you find electrician services and commit to buy. Read on to clear up some misconceptions about home efficiency and make sure your money is being put to good use.

You Don't Have to Sacrifice Your Comfort: It's true that the best way to conserve energy is to use less of it with strategies like turning off the lights or keeping the temperature lower in the winter. But that doesn't mean you have to sit shivering in the dark. The key to efficiency is to get the same amount of utility for less energy input. That means replacing old incandescent bulbs with LED versions, or investing in better HVAC technology like a smart thermostat. That way, you can keep your home environment tuned to your comfort while reducing consumption at the same time.

Don't Rush into a Big Ticket Item: The most dramatic way you can upgrade your efficiency is with a brand new heating or cooling system. Equipment efficiency has improved drastically in recent years, and new technologies like geothermal heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar panels can all reduce your bills dramatically. However, they aren't risk free. You’ll often face a significant up-front investment when you find electrician services for these installations, and the actual savings that you will realize can vary widely based on factors like the price of fuel. You could also see a loss if you make a big purchase and decide to sell your home soon after; there’s no guarantee you’ll recoup the cost in the selling price.

That's not to say you should avoid large efficiency investments – just look before your leap. You will get the best return from these items if you already need to replace outdated equipment anyway, and if you plan to stay in your home for many years. To reduce some of the upfront costs, you can also look for federal tax credits that refund up to one third of what you spend, as well as options to lease solar panels so you don't have to put any money down at all.

Don't Forget the Insulation: On the other side of the coin, new HVAC technologies won't do you much good if all that treated air just leaks into the outdoors. One of the biggest ways you can improve your efficiency is by plugging leaks and upgrading your insulation, which is typically a much cheaper fix. With a leak detector, some caulk and spray foam insulation, you can seal up your house with minimal investment, saving you money in the short term as well as preparing the house to get greater efficiency out of newer technologies.

For more straight shooting about how to get the most value for your efficiency investments, find an electrician to conduct an energy audit on your house. Your local Mister Sparky® is always available to help!

If you need someone to help you with wiring, installing a light fixture, or updating your fuse box or electrical panel, you know that you need an electrician. Such jobs require special training and skill and are generally too dangerous to be done as DIY projects. However, you probably don’t know what type of electrician you need or even that there are different types of electricians out there with different levels of qualifications.

Licensed electricians fall into two main categories—journeymen electricians and master electricians. A journeyman electrician has:

This training qualifies him or her to work alone on most electrical installations and repairs and on both homes and businesses.

A master electrician has built upon his or her knowledge as a journeyman electrician to reach the most prestigious level of the electrical profession. In order to become a master electrician, a person must first become a journeyman electrician and work in that capacity for a number of years (the time varies by state). After that time, an electrician can become a master electrician by taking additional training and passing a master electrician licensing exam. To keep this designation, a master electrician is required to complete a set number of hours of continuing education courses each year on topics such as new code requirements, products, and procedures.

In addition to the work of a journeyman electrician, a master electrician can supervise a crew of journeymen and work as a building inspector. As a DC-area homeowner, you’d want to hire a master electrician if you were having your entire house rewired or undergoing another extensive project. If your job requires more than one electrician to complete the project, you will likely be set up with a master electrician along with journeymen electricians.

At Kolb Electric, we employ both journeymen and master electricians, with only the top skills and credentials. We understand that you probably aren’t familiar with the different types of electricians, so we’re careful to send out only the best person for your particular job.

To learn more about our team of electricians and their qualifications, call us at 877 287-1179 or contact us online to schedule your appointment. We’ve been helping Mid-Atlantic homeowners with their electrical needs since 1925 and have both journeymen electricians and master electricians on staff to provide you with the best technical expertise for your project at the best cost.