Although any light will help alleviate the strain on your eyes while looking at a screen, there is a right and wrong type and location for the light to have the best effect. As mentioned earlier, bias lighting is placed behind your screen to establish a brighter field of view so that your eyes aren’t constantly trying to find a balance between light and dark. Bias lighting illuminates a room without creating glare or reflections on your screen, shining directly in your eyes, or affecting how you see contrast and colors. Other sources of light, such as ceiling lights or lamps, can do all of the above.

If light is shining onto your screen, there’s going to be a noticeable difference in how the picture appears. Colors won’t be as vivid, and the screen might be hazy. In an attempt to remedy the situation, you could adjust the brightness and contrast. However, these adjustments will decrease the life span of the bulb or LEDs in your screen. The adjustments will also result in increased energy consumption along with a higher electric bill.

Adding light behind your screen instead of in front of it will eliminate any color or contrast issues. Dark scenes or colors will look richer against a white illuminated background. The picture below demonstrates how dark colors are lost against a dark background.

howtogeek.com, “. . .  you want a bulb temperature that is as close as possible (if not identical) to the reference point used in the industry that both manufactures the screens you’re looking at as well as creates content for said screens and that’s 6500K.” He goes on to say that, “The bulbs (be they CFL or LED) inside your HDTV or monitor are calibrated to 6500K, the film and digital video shot is color corrected to have a 6500K white reference point, and the editing suites where content is edited and worked on have 6500K bias light.”

So what exactly does 6500K mean? Correlated color temperature (CRI). CRI refers to how accurately a light source reveals the true colors of objects, people, and surroundings and involves a distinct testing method with comparisons to incandescent light or daylight. A light source with a CRI close to 100 shows colors very similarly to how daylight or incandescent light shows those same colors. To get the best picture, you’ll want bias lighting with a CRI as close as possible to 100.

We carry LED strip lights that are great TV backlighting options and will help you achieve the best picture on your screen.

Our variable color temperature controller and remote. The strip also has a CRI of 91, which will show screen colors accurately. This strip can be purchased in 3.28- or 16.4-foot lengths that can be cut and connected where needed with strip light connectors.

Another great option is our 6500K LED strip with LC2 connector. It has a CRI of 79 and is available in 1.64-, 3.28-, and 16.4-foot lengths. The peel-and-stick strip can be cut and connected where needed with compatible strip light connectors.

A kit in cool white is also available and is a convenient bias lighting solution. It has a 6500K color temperature, 79 CRI, and includes everything needed for installation—power supply, dimmer, remote, connectors, etc.

The strip lights listed above have peel-and-stick adhesive backings and can be cut or ordered in lengths to fit every screen size; strips are marked with designated cut lines. If you don’t order a kit, you will need a power supply and can purchase a controller with remote for dimming.

An easy installation method is to use a continuous length of strip around the back of your screen. For a cleaner look, you can cut the strips at all four corners of your screen. If you plan on cutting your LED strip lights, you will need 4 connectors (already included with the kit). All compatible installation supplies will be listed under the accessories tab on each product page. The following instructions explain how to install LED strip lights by cutting them into sections. Note that installation methods will differ depending on the strip you choose.

1. Cut your LED strip lights into lengths that fit the back of your screen. Because we offer different lengths, you might be able to order separate strips that will fit all four sides of your screen.

If you have recently purchased or inherited a home, you may be excited to move in and start your new life. Before you do, take a few moments to consider the safety of the home. If it is an older home, it may need some work done to bring the home up to code. An electrician in Santa Monica will need to do an inspection to evaluate the current status of the electrical wiring. From there, you will know what needs to be done to make your home safe and insurable. The team at The Electric Connection has the electrician you need to make this happen quickly.

Recently, the US Fire Administration released some alarming statistics about home fires in the United States. These statistics are based on 2012 numbers.

• Home fires caused more than $5.7 billion in damages • 14 percent of all home fires were caused by heating equipment (2011 statistic)

When you look at these figures, it is alarming. We depend a great deal on electricity. We don’t want to live without it. You don’t have to. It is about learning to be safe and making sure your Santa Monica electrical work is up to code. Electrical wiring is constantly evolving and being made safer. If your home is more than 50 years old, you probably need an upgrade if it hasn’t been done in the past 10 to 20 years.

Do what you can to make your home as safe as possible by calling an electrician to complete an inspection. Sadly, homes that have had an unlicensed electrician do the electrical work may not be eligible for a homeowner’s insurance payout in the event there is a fire. Don’t risk it! Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your electrical safety inspection.

By Lindsay Mirick

When lightning strikes and thunder rolls, will you be prepared for the power surges that follow? When you think about storm proofing your home, power surge protection may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, getting caught in a power surge during a storm without protection could leave you with some very expensive, very useless electronics. Mr. Electric has reasons why...

Many homeowners have the idea that surge protection is simply a matter of plugging their devices into a low-cost, multi-outlet surge suppressor. However, we all know that the cheapest option isn’t always the best option, and making exceptions can lead to more expensive consequences in the long run.

If you think about it, adding surge protection to your home costs very little in comparison to the replacement of your electronics. A single surge can follow any wire into a house and threaten televisions, computers, appliances, satellite systems, phone and cable lines, and any other electrical devices you can think of.

The cost of replacing a single large home appliance such as a washer or dryer will likely cost you double the investment of a whole house surge protector. According to the Insurance Information Institute, insurers paid over $673 million in lightning claims in 2013 alone. In the three years prior, approximately $1 billion was paid annually to policyholders.

Most people associate power surges with lighting strikes. However, many things both outside and inside the home can cause them. Outside the home, events such as power outages and power transitions in large equipment on the same power line can introduce damaging power surges on your electric lines. Inside the home reengaging trip circuit breakers or switching of pool pumps, AC units, and other devices with large motors can also introduce power surges onto your electric wiring. To effectively protect your home from these damaging surges, you need to implement whole house surge protection .

Ask yourself if can you afford to live without surge protection. A few hundred dollars isn’t much when you compare it to the cost of replacing some of your most cherished possessions, not to mention the inconvenience of living without them until they can be replaced.

Trust us to keep your valuables safe and let us power your tomorrow. Call Mr. Electric today!

You're probably familiar with some of the federal energy efficiency programs by now. The most prominent, the Clean Power Plan, was announced last year with ambitious targets to limit carbon and other pollutants generated by the nation's electrical work. What you might not be aware of is the amount of impetus placed on the individual states to enact programs that advance the federal goals. Through the Clean Energy Incentive Program, or CEIP, states are responsible for reducing their carbon emissions by 2022 through renewable energy generation or increased efficiency measures. Read on to learn more.

States Picking up the Slack on Conservation

The Clean Power Plan sets a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Although it is a federal rule enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act, the national government doesn't actually have control over the nation's electrical work, so the plan requires the cooperation of the states to come to fruition. In turn, the states will have to work with big polluters within their borders, primarily power plants, to bring emission levels down.

The federal agency is using emission rate credits as the carrot to incentivize the conservation measures, rewarding states for their reduction in fossil fuel consumption, which the states then pass on to the individual power generators and other industry players. Other options include household and industry efficiency programs to encourage people to purchase modern appliances and otherwise reduce the consumption in their electrical work. In total, the EPA is pushing states to reduce carbon emissions by 300 million short tons.

State Help for Increasing the Efficiency of Your Electrical Work

One interesting aspect of the EPA program is that it contains extra incentives for states that focus on initiating programs in low-income communities. The exact parameters haven't been worked out yet, and various programs will still work differently in different states, but essentially the federal agency will provide twice the credits for projects that affect low-income households. That means states will have an easier time reaching their goals, and the most vulnerable residents of an area have a better chance of participating and realizing savings from the Clean Power Plan.

Regardless of what your income level is, you should keep an eye on any efficiency programs coming from your state in the coming months and years. While much of the work is aimed at power plants, other assistance may be available to homeowners to purchase new appliances, invest in residential renewable energy like solar panels or otherwise decrease both energy consumption and utility bills in the household.

Trust the Experts for All Your Home Service Needs

If you need help figuring out how to reduce your household spending on electricity, or have any other issues with your home electrical system, contact a professional electrician today.