No matter how hard you try, it is a huge task to try and remember to shut off lights whenever they are not in use. If you have a busy household with several family members, your task is next to impossible. It is frustrating to have to constantly remind kids and other adults to turn off the lights. It is a full time job that nobody has the time or patience for. Did you know that lighting accounts from anywhere between 20 and 40 percent of your total electrical bill? An electrician in Pasadena has a viable solution for you that does not require you to be on full time light duty. The team at The Electric Connection can provide you with more information or you can read on.

Lighting timers or wireless lighting systems are the answer to your lighting police needs. A wireless system can be quickly installed on any light that you find to be a problem getting shut off. Hallways, stairways and bathrooms are common areas of installation. If you choose to go with a system that is wired into the home’s electrical system, the installation is best completed by a qualified electrician. Pasadena homeowners will feel better knowing the system has been installed by a professional and the risk of bad wiring is avoided.

A wireless system is the best option because it leaves no holes in the walls or ceilings. It does cost a little more up front, but the savings on your electric bill will certainly make up for it. You can save up to 50 percent on your electric bill with the installation of light timers. You can certainly install the wireless system on your own and you can avoid hiring a Pasadena electrician. The choice is yours. If you would like to learn more about wireless lighting systems or the installation of light timers, give The Electric Connection a call today.

Have you ever dreamed of generating your own electricity, right in your backyard? That dream could become reality with a residential wind turbine. Wind turbines won't work for everybody, but in the right conditions, they can provide part or all of the power you need to run your home electrical work. Read on to learn more about residential wind power and decide whether home generation is right for you.

Where the Turbines Turn

Wind turbines take up more space than solar panels, and they aren't as suitable for as many properties. For starters, wind turbines work best for homeowners who have at least an acre of property. The more open space you have between buildings and trees, the better. Additionally, they are usually a better option for people who live in rural areas and don't have stringent homeowners associations or local code issues to navigate.

Small, residential wind turbines can range anywhere from 30 to 140 feet tall, with the average being around 80 feet, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Generators usually have a capacity of between 2 and 10 kilowatts, depending on how much power the home needs and what the wind conditions are in the area. Turbines aren't cheap – costs can come in between $10,000 and $70,000 – but there are federal tax credits that help soften the blow, and you can usually recoup your investment in 6 to 30 years, depending on the specifics of your system.

The Power of Wind and Solar Combined

If you want to build in a layer of redundancy in your home power generation, you can combine a wind turbine with solar energy panels on your roof so you can create power in a larger variety of weather conditions. With a powerful storage battery, you'll be well on your way to eliminating electricity bills from your life.

For wind enthusiasts who are still on the grid, you can usually sell excess power that you generate back to your utility company, similar to how the process works for solar energy, helping to drive your electricity bills even lower. A solid turbine should last for at least 20 years, and hopefully much longer, although they do require yearly inspections to keep them running in peak condition.

The U.S. Government Has Your Back

The Department of Energy publishes a consumer guide for small wind electric systems packed full of even more information. If you are interested in learning more about home wind turbines, or need other electrical work performed, call up a trusted electrician today.

Temperatures are still mild enough that you likely aren’t thinking about the implications of snow and ice just yet, but now is actually the perfect time to start considering it, and deciding what you’re going to do about it when it hits.

A driveway heating system will help you with the inconvenience of shoveling snow and the safety concerns involved with walking on icy surfaces, but what about your roof? Winters are particularly harder on roofs than any other season, especially if you have an asphalt or shingle roof.

The buildup of ice and snow adds weight to your roof that it is not designed to handle. Your roof is your home’s first line of defense against inclement weather, but it can only take so much pressure. The ice that forms in the winter creates ice dams—formed from melted snow refreezing and creating a blockage—as well as gutter ice.

Gutter ice can cause gutters to become too heavy and rip away from your home. Not only does this mean you’ll have to repair and/or replace your gutters, you may also have to contend with the property damage that this could very well leave behind.

Even without ice as a factor, snow itself poses a risk to your roof. This is especially true if you have a flat roof, or an older home with a weakened roof structure already. The problem is that as the snow builds up, it creates too much weight, and your roof can crack or even collapse under all the strain.

The solution to this problem is having roof heating cables installed. These cables do just what the name implies: they keep your roof warm so that snow and ice never have a chance to buildup. Rather, it melts upon impact and drains from your gutters and downspouts just as rainwater would.

Smoke alarms are your first line of defense in the event of a fire.  Smoke alarms come in two main different types.  Ionization and photoelectric.

Ionization smoke alarms have a ionization chamber inside the smoke alarm unit itself.  The smoke alarm chamber consist of two plates about a centimeter apart.  One of the plates is charged positive by the battery or transformer in AC models and the other plates is negative.  Alpha particles constantly released by the americium knock electrons off of the atoms in the air, ionizing the oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the chamber. The positively-charged oxygen and nitrogen atoms are attracted to the negative plate and the electrons are attracted to the positive plate, generating a minuet, constant electrical current. Upon smoke entering the chamber, the smoke particles attach to the ions and neutralize them, so they do not reach the plate. The drop in current between the plates triggers the alarm.

Photoelectric smoke alarms have an internal chamber with a light beam.  When smoke enters the chamber it blocks the light from entering the photoelectric sensor causing an alarm to sound.  Smoke may also cause the light beam to scatter creating an inconsistent pattern on the photocell causing the smoke alarm to sound.  Photoelectric chambers can detect a smoldering fire faster than most ionization type smoke alarms.

Smoke alarms are most commonly seen as battery operated units in older homes.  Battery units are also common in situations were a smoke alarm is added and AC power is not accessible.  AC units power the smoke alarm with standard AC current from the homes wiring.  AC units are common in newer homes.  Current new construction code requires smoke alarms to be AC with a battery built into the unit as a back up power source.

Current smoke alarms used in new construction homes are AC and battery combination units as stated above.  They also require a dual sensing smoke alarm unit.  The most common dual sensing combination is either photoelectric and ionization or a combination ionization and carbon monoxide unit.

Carbon monoxide also called the invisible killer, is odorless and colorless gas.  Carbon monoxide is most commonly created in the home when unburnt or improperly vented heating equipment releases the gas.  Carbon monoxide can be created from natural gas heaters, wood burners, and oil burners.  Carbon monoxide can also enter the home from the exhaust of a running vehicle or generator.

Carbon monoxide effect some people easier than others.  People such as elderly, pregnant women, infants, and people with emphysema, asthma, or heart disease can suffer the effects of carbon monoxide much quicker than a healthy person.

We can install most major brands of smoke alarms.  We offer smoke alarm installation for Kiddie and First Alert.  In addition to Kiddie and First alert, we also offer smoke alarm installation for USI, and BRK smoke alarms.  We offer smoke alarm installation for AC units with batter backup, AC only units, and battery only units.  We highly recommended the AC with battery backup units for superior performance.  We also offer smoke alarm installation for interconnected units.  This type is highly recommended.  They function as following:  When one smoke alarm unit goes into alarm mode it causes the other smoke alarms to sound an alarm.  If access limits being able to connect the smoke alarm units we offer a wireless type smoke alarm installation to insure the units are properly interconnected.

Making sure your home’s carbon monoxide monitors and smoke detectors are up to date can be the best life saving tool you can have to protect your family.

ElectricMan Inc. is a high quality Dallas Electrician that only delivers the highest quality to their customers. They are insured and guarantee all of their installations, including Carbon Monoxide Monitors and Smoke Detectors.

ElectricMan Inc. is one of Dallas’ most trusted electricians. Nick Schaeffer, Mr. ElectricMan himself, has quite the resume for a master electrician. He started the company by himself in 2004 and hasn’t looked back since! For more information about Electricman’s list of electrical repair services, please visit www.ElectricManInc.com