The weather is starting to get cooler, and as summer rolls into fall, we thought we’d remind everyone of ways they can keep their homes safe from fires!

Check your smoke detectors—you should test your smoke detectors twice a year—once in the spring, once in the fall. In addition, remember that smoke detectors are designed to last 10 years. If yours is older than that, it’s highly recommended that you install a new one. New smoke detector laws that went into effect earlier this year require all new smoke detectors to have 10-year batteries, so you don’t have to worry about replacing the batteries along the way.

Check carbon monoxide (CO) detectors—having a smoke detector isn’t enough anymore; if you want to keep your family totally safe, you need to also install a carbon monoxide detector. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, and highly toxic gas that can be deadly even in small amounts and can be released by any faulty gas appliance, including furnaces and fireplaces. Your best bet? Install a combination smoke alarm/carbon monoxide alarm for maximum protection.

Inspect your extension cords—with the holidays coming up, you’re going to want to make sure your extension cords are in good shape and not damaged or frayed. Any extension cords you’re planning on using outdoors should be weather-rated. Inside, make sure you use surge protectors and power strips with internal overload protection, and make sure you minimize the amount of adapters plugged into a single outlet.

Be careful with space heaters—space heaters are convenient, but can be a major fire hazard if you’re not careful with them. Make sure there is nothing flammable within three feet of the space heater, and never plug it into an extension cord.

Protect your outdoor electrical systems—any outdoor electrical outlets should be GFCI outlets and covered by a “bubble cover” to keep the elements out. If your electrical service cable is exposed, make sure it’s not damaged. During the holidays, don’t hang any decorations on or near the cable.

Install arc fault circuit interrupters—these are not required by building codes, but they offer a higher level of protection for your electrical system and are generally highly recommended. Arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) are designed to detect an unintended electrical arc and disconnect the power before an electrical fire can start.  They are the safest way to protect a home from the risk of electrical fire.

If you’re at all concerned with your home’s electrical safety this year, don’t take chances—call Kolb Electric! We can upgrade your home’s electrical service in any way you need, from installing smoke detectors and adding outlets to a full-on heavy up. Don’t gamble on fire safety—call Kolb Electric today!

How to Choose the Right Sized Chandelier for Your Home

Chandeliers are designed to float in a room as an important part of the decor. Too large and this fixture will overpower the space. Too small and it will look out of place as an afterthought.

“Placing a chandelier that is too small in a space is likely the biggest mistake because it’s very noticeable,” says Joe Rey-Barreau, educational consultant for the American Lighting Association (ALA) and assistant professor of interior design at the University of Kentucky. “Great designers, therefore, tend to make their decisions on fixtures that may appear slightly larger than might be appropriate. It’s generally always best to make the mistake on a fixture being too big than too small.”

Capitol Lighting offers a wide range of modern chandeliers to crystal and Italian chandelier styles to choose from.  Whether you are purchasing an Italian chandelier or a modern chandelier, size matters! To make sure your chandelier is the right size for the room in which it will hang, consider the following questions:

1. How high is your ceiling? Taller ceilings demand larger chandeliers. 4. What is the form and design of the chandelier? Light, airy fixtures tend to look larger.

To have all of your chandelier questions answered, visit one of our seven Capitol Lighting showrooms today!  

Spring weather is finally here, a welcome relief for those parts of the country that have spent the last few months plagued by snow and ice. With the warm weather comes an increased dependence on air conditioners, which can use up a large amount of energy and add to your utility bills each month. There are certain steps you can take to reduce the overall electrical consumption of your house so you do not have to pay as much when you write out that check.

Here are a few ways you can improve your home's power use:

The Internet of Things is arriving in a big way. Smart thermostats, smart refrigerators, smart home security systems and more are all moving toward one integrated home system. One day soon, all your HVAC equipment, electrical work and appliances will be connected and in communication with each other. The next leap forward in smart homes is coming to your kitchen – the smart stove. Before you know it, your range top and oven will be sending you text messages when it's time to pull out the roast. Really.

Texting and Tweeting from the Oven

Smart stoves are quickly on their way to the marketplace. General Electric recently announced an initiative to bulk up the internet integration capabilities of its appliances. Stoves, for example, will soon be able to send you a text message once they've preheated, or cooked a meal for a specified amount of time. Not paying attention to your phone? The stove will also be able to flash the lights of whatever room you're in to give you the alert, if your other electrical work is hooked into the smart system.

The benefits don't stop there. If you leave the house and forget to turn the stove off, it can shut down automatically. It can also do this if the smoke detector goes off, potentially saving you from catastrophe. The smart stoves will also be able to interact with social media applications like Facebook, Twitter and Dropbox. That's right – soon your oven will be able to tweet out a photo of your perfect apple pie and you won't even have to lift a finger.

A New Way to Interact

Smart stoves are just the start. "Owners can create recipes that suit their lifestyle and integrate GE's connected appliances into the rest of their Internet-connected lives," Logan Garrett, a member of the Wi-Fi connected appliances team at GE Appliances, said to the Motley Fool. "We think this is the beginning of a new way for consumers to interact with their home appliances."

One day, smart kitchens could even come up with suggested recipes based on the ingredients you have on hand, which it would already know via inventory software. All you'd have to do is gather the items and mix them together. Technology already exists to determine when a dish is cooked properly, so the oven could handle the temperature and time settings all on its own.

If you need advice on how to get cutting edge technology into your kitchen to take the guesswork out of cooking, or need any other help with your electrical work, call an expert electrician today.

Modern living is highly dependent on electricity and we use energy to cool our homes in the summer and heat our homes in winter. Either way, we end up using a significant amount of money of utility bills right through the year.

When the temperatures dip it is but normal for us to turn up the air conditioning by a few degrees when we are at home. We may also use space heaters in certain areas of our homes and end up using more hot water as well. This makes it almost impossible to keep a handle on our utility bills during the winter months.

So, is there nothing we can do to make sure that we are able to cut costs in some way or the other? Well, there sure are a number of ways in which you can increase the energy-efficiency of your home; here are some tips that will help you stay warm in your home, and use the appliances you need, without breaking the bank:

This is one of the simplest things you can do to reduce your electricity bills in the winter. You should make use of natural light and keep the blinds open for a large part of the day. This will bring in more warmth into your home and you will find that you don’t have to run the HVAC system at higher temperatures, at least during the daytime.