You hear a lot of suggestions and general chatter about making the change from traditional incandescent bulbs to LED. And while we at Kolb Electric generally agree, we noticed something when hopping around on the web. You can find a lot of answers why this is a good idea. But none of it is really…simple. You get charts, math, and massive walls of text, and you know that deep down, somewhere in there lies your answer. If only you could get your eyes to stop glazing over. So we decided to lay it down layman style for our consumers, letting you know the why in a short, succinct bit of information!

There are a few aspects that overall make LED the superior option. Longevity is good, as these lights tend to last much longer, thus need to be purchased less often. They’re also environmentally friendly, and that’s nice too. But when it comes down to it, you care about the efficiency. And this lies in the wattage of the two lighting types.

Light wattage strictly refers to how much energy a light requires to generate lumens (the unit we use to measure light). The big secret between these two light sources lies all in how they generate lumens:

To make it clear, let’s use an example: A standard incandescent bulb generally uses 60 watts of power to generate light. You can get the same amount of light from an LED, for a mere six to eight watts.

So there’s the big answer. The average light wattage of an LED is more desirable, since it requires demonstrably less energy to produce light. The longevity and environmental-friendliness are basically the icing on the technological cake!

Recently, Digital Trends profiled a Paolo di Trapani, and his work has a lot of people excited. For all the rapid progress that has been made with LEDs, no one else has made this important step towards recreating natural light.

The article explains how lighting innovations have allowed people to use artificial light in a number of amazing ways. We can change the color temperature of a light bulb with a smartphone, and we can grow food indoors, but we haven’t yet been able to mimic the way the atmosphere scatters the sun’s natural light…until now.

According to Digital Trends, di Trapani’s technology scatters the light of a panel of white LEDs with “a clear plastic panel studded with nanoparticles that are invisible to the naked eye.” What’s a nanopartical? A nanoparticle is what it sounds like: A really small particle. Nanoparticle research is currently hot because there are tons of ways that nanoparticle research could be applied in biomedical, optical, and electronic fields.

When the day comes for you to retire from work, you might find yourself with a lot more free time and a lot less money. Hopefully, you've planned your savings so you don't have to live your golden years on a shoestring budget, but in any scenario, it’s wise to rein in your spending once you're no longer receiving a regular paycheck. Read on for some advice on how to cut back on your energy usage after you retire and keep your monthly bills under control.

Combat Rising Utility Costs

Unfortunately, most people's energy bills actually go up after they retire. What's the difference? Now that you're home all day, you're paying to heat and cool the house and to power electronic devices during the hours you used to spend at the workplace. Essentially, you lost a little-recognized fringe benefit, since your employer used to pick up the tab for electricity and climate control eight hours a day.

To compound the issue, many retirees are recent empty-nesters as well. With the kids out of the house, you probably experienced a sharp downturn in your utility bills. Now, you'll be all the more likely to notice when they spike back up once you stop going to work.

You Have the Power to Save

You don't have to give in to sky-high utility bills, however. Check out these suggestions on how to save:

For a more thorough analysis of your individual circumstances, don't hesitate to contact an expert to conduct an energy audit on your house. You could see significant savings and enjoy your retirement all the more.

In 2015, almost 40 million people were living with disabilities in the United States alone. Many people don’t expect a debilitating injury, so their homes become ill-suited after a severe accident or illness leading to their condition. Here are a few alterations to home electrical systems that might be useful to people with disabilities.

Electricians understand the different kinds of lighting a person can use in their homes. For those who don’t get much natural sunlight, full-spectrum lighting can reduce the yellow wavelength of light and cast a glow similar to natural sunlight. Disabilities can often cause depression or mood swings as the person affected adjusts to this change in lifestyle. His or her family and caretakers also have to adapt. Studies have shown natural light often improves peoples’ moods, which is essential to those who may be experiencing stress in response to the disability.