Spring and summer are traditionally the busiest shopping seasons for potential homeowners. With the current housing stock dwindling as buyer demand increases going into the warmer months, a seller's market has emerged across the country, giving residents looking to unload their current properties the upper hand in negotiations. However, even with the advantage laying in the hands of owners, a closing can still get derailed - or at least made less-than ideal for a seller - when a buyer hires a home inspector to come investigate the property.

In many cases, these contractors will unveil deficiencies in the property that even the homeowner didn't realize existed, causing the prospective purchaser to demand a slash in the asking price. Often, the amount of money that these home inspections cost the seller on a closing exceed the price it would have cost them to be proactive about minor fixes in the first place.

Before putting your home on the market, have a home inspector come in and evaluate your property to check for the deficiencies that potential buyers will be watching out for. Simple things like the water heater being outdated - or even not positioned correctly off of the floor - can be caught, allowing you to preemptively address them before the open house.

Why is it you can replace some lights with more ‘advertised’ lumens with a LED light with less lumens. Here are 4 reasons:

1. Focused Lumens:

LED light is directional, conventional light sources are omnidirectional and require reflectors to gather the light and focus it to where it is needed. Any reflection that is over 1 bounce effectively loses the effect of the lumen. It has been proven that you can lose up to 30% of the effective lumens in this process.

The science of scotopic lumens is associated with a factor that allows us to adjust the photopic value to give a true representation of how useful the lumens are. The factor, developed by scientists, is an attempt to level the playing field. The factor is used to adjust the effective value of the lumen, either up or down from the advertised photopic lumen advertised on the package. Some lights, like HPS, have a factor that reduces the lumen amount. LED, on the other hand, typically has a factor > 1.7, which means the lumens it is producing is far more effective to us. Therefore, less lumens is required to do the job.

We have been very successful replacing 400W Metal Halide bulbs with our 18W LED tube, producing 1900 lumens, compared to a 32W 4 ft fluorescent tube, producing close to 2900 lumens. The main reason is all our lumens are coming straight down, where as only a small portion of the fluorescent tube is coming down and the majority of the light is requiring  a reflector to gather it and shine it downwards. After many projects, our customers tell us that it is brighter and feels better than working underneath fluorescent lighting

Using interweaving print technology, each image is printed on an LED panel light lens using eight rows of 180 ink nozzles that prevent any horizontal banding or visual imperfections. While the lens is being printed, a UV light cures and dries the image as it exits the printer. Printing time varies per lens size; a 2-foot-by-4-foot lens typically requires 15-17 minutes from start to finish.

Technology giant Google made its start as a search engine, subsequently branching into email, cloud storage, advertising and so much more. Now the company from Mountain View is surging forward with a new application, promising to tell consumers if their roofs are suitable for installing solar panels. The program, called Project Sunroof, works in conjunction with Google Maps to analyze your roof's size, orientation and shade levels to tell you at a glance how much solar energy you could get from it. Read on to learn more about how this convenient software works and how it can help you.

A Mix Between a Solar Electrician and a Search Engine

The program is simple to use – all you have to do is enter your address, and Google does the rest. According to the company, the program analyzes all of the following to determine how much sunlight you can soak up:

The program also provides information about what tax credits are available in your area as well as the local rules regarding selling solar energy back to the utility company when your panels are producing more than you need. It then spits out a recommended installation size, which you can modify based on how much electricity you actually consume according to your average electricity bill.

Pay Nothing and Start Saving Today

Google's entry into the solar market comes at a time when the options for solar are expanding, including the ability to lease panels from solar companies and enjoy savings on your utility bills while paying nothing for the installation and setup. A good setup can last for 30 years or more, with little to no maintenance from an electrician once the installation is completed.

Of course, solar isn't for everybody, since many roofs might be too shaded or otherwise not suitable, and some states still don't have good solar policies. Therefore, Project Sunroof can be a good place to get started to see if your house is a prospect before you even call a solar electrician. Currently, the program is working on a trial basis in Boston, San Francisco and Fresno, with more cities sure to be on the way.

Don't Forget About Human Experts Just Yet

Of course, even a technology company as powerful and ubiquitous as Google can't fully substitute for an experienced solar technician when it comes to analyzing how you can benefit from panels. If a Google query indicates that your home is a good candidate, have a qualified electrician or solar expert make the final determination and help you decide if solar panels are right for you.

Recessed lighting has recently become a popular style choice among home owners and builders, as well as for commercial buildings. It provides a neat and clean appearance that provides light without interrupting the flow of the room or the lines of the ceiling, or in some cases a wall. There are a few things you need to know if considering using recessed lighting either as part of a new home being built or as a renovation project in your current abode.

Design Choices

The design choice of recessed lighting provides clear advantages over other types of lighting. There is less chance to make a “wrong” choice, as the fixture itself doesn’t present as traditional lighting. A bit of the frame may show and you can pick the color or material, but there aren’t really shapes, sizes and style choices that aren’t readily apparent as what befits the room. Typically a plain white that matches the flat white of your ceiling paint on either a square or round frame is going to match any home. It’s an especially great choice for the neutrality of adding lighting to an investment home.

Installation

The installation of recessed lighting does require a bit of planning in order to be conducted properly. Of course it’s always an option to replace traditional fixtures with recessed lights, but it’s really easier to plan them with a new building or during a major remodel while the walls are torn down. The lights have to be placed properly to both provide their function of lighting the room while maintaining a notable aesthetic that doesn’t detract from other focal points in the room.

Usage