This week’s Product Spotlight has fallen on Valentine’s Day, and that couldn’t be more apt, since our

If you’re looking for a way to add a little dazzle back into your landscape, halogen landscape lights might be just what you need. Imagine being able to stroll with your sweetie down softly lit pathways on warm nights under the stars, or showing off your prized garden to friends and family, even after the sun goes down.

You can use halogen landscape lights to enhance walkways and flowerbeds or the areas around your decks and patios. These lights can also accent plants or architectural features, adding beautiful points of light around the outside of your home or business.

Find Your Perfect Style Match

Each of our halogen landscape lights is made of elegant black powder coated metal, and comes with a mounting spike and halogen light bulb.

You can choose from 3 different shapes:

1. Seashell

3. Cone

The importance of properly functioning electrical panels can’t be understated; if you haven’t recently, then the time to get your home’s electrical panels checked out is now. With fall just around the corner, energy usage in Des Moines’ homes will begin to rise exponentially as homeowners spend more time indoors and rely more heavily upon heating systems. The last thing you want in the middle of fall or winter is an electrical panel acting up, failing you, or even possibly endangering your family.

These days, our homes are only a small step away from being a large computer. Like any computer, the motherboard and power supply serve a vital purpose in powering and joining all systems; our homes aren’t much different, but the electrical panel represents both of these vital components. This means that if your electrical panel is broken or old, the various electrical systems you enjoy throughout your home will fail to work or become unsafe. By keeping your electrical panel in properly working order, you secure your home’s ability to grow with your family.

Your home cannot unendingly add electrical applications, as nice as that would be; instead, your home’s maximum output is determined and limited by your electrical panel. This means, if you’re planning on extending your home or adding large electrical appliances, you should absolutely consult with a licensed electrician to find out how eligible your panel is for accommodating the new output. Even if your system is under its maximum potential output, it may be advisable to upgrade your panel to enjoy uninterrupted service; always be sure to contact an electrician for any output questions or concerns.

While having an older electrical panel isn’t necessarily bad, there are a few things to watch for; older panels can carry innate risks that can be easily avoided by upgrading your electrical panel. If your home’s panel still uses fuses (not flippable circuit breakers), then you should definitely get it upgraded right away. Likewise, if your panel is from a proven-to-be unreliable brand such as Federal Pacific of FPE, be sure to give us a call at 515-446-7040 right away for assistance. Even semi-modern panels feature flippable circuit breakers, which reliably protect your home and appliances from dangerous surges. Keeping your home safe is our electrician’s primary concern, and ensuring your electrical panel is within a safe parameter is certainly part of that.

If you’re looking to grow your home’s living space, add electrical improvements inside or out, or are worried about the safety and security of your current electrical panel, then be sure to contact our licensed, bonded, and insured Des Moines electricians today. We have the skills and expertise necessary to safely and effectively upgrade your home’s electrical panel or advise against it if an upgrade is unnecessary. Electrical Gurus is proud to provide local service you can trust, get in touch with us today for details!

LED light bulbs and fixtures are the best alternatives for many reasons.

LED lights are available in several shades of white. These shades are referred to as a bulb’s correlated color temperature (National Institute of General Medical Sciences, states that, “Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment.”

According to writes, “Several studies have documented the importance of light in reducing depression, decreasing fatigue, improving alertness, modulating circadian rhythms, and treating conditions such as hyperbilirubinemia among infants. Further, the presence of windows in the workplace and access to daylight have been linked with increased satisfaction with the work environment.” Windows are the best method of accessing daylight, but cool white LED lights along with the right color temperatures at the right times, can have the same effect on the body.

Warmer color temperatures lead to the release of melatonin, which causes drowsiness. This is appropriate during bedtime hours, but causes problems for those who need to stay awake, such as overnight nurses and doctors. Introducing natural or cool white light to hallways, operating rooms, and nurse stations can help hospital staff, especially overnight workers, feel more alert and energetic.

EPA has a list of cleanup procedures, such as having everyone leave the room, opening a doors or windows, shutting off heat and air-conditioning systems, and other specific instructions.

Fluorescent and incandescent bulbs also emit low doses of UV radiation that can damage not only facility materials but can also damage skin and eyes. According to a CBSLA.com discusses the results of another study that had similar findings. In this article, it is said that, “. . . exposure to the (fluorescent) bulbs could lead to premature aging and cancer.”

Continued UV exposure is also harmful to the eyes. A LED lights won’t flicker or emit any color spikes. Color fluctuations and flicker can cause negative effects, such as headaches and dizziness. When used for hospital lighting, LED bulbs and fixtures can improve overall health and eliminate the possibility of additional health risks posed by fluorescent and incandescent bulbs.

Seeing colors as they truly are is critical in health care environments. Inaccurate color rendering of skin or blood could lead to a misdiagnosis or failure to see signs of infection or jaundice. The spectral graph below can be helpful in understanding the advantage of high-CRI light sources. Lights with a low CRI will show fewer colors while high-CRI lights cover more of the spectrum. A light source’s ability to show more colors increases its accuracy in revealing the true colors of people, objects, and surroundings.

FreemanWhite, a health-care-focused design firm reports, “. . .light fixtures with a high CRI . . .  help caregivers assess rashes, lesions, and skin pigmentation.” They go on to say, “In the interest of avoiding liability claims, better lighting quality can enhance a caregiver’s ability to diagnose correctly, identify reactions, prevent secondary infections, and minimize readmissions.” High-CRI LED lights can also help prevent medication errors.

Another method of LED hospital lighting control is the use of occupancy sensors. These sensors will save money beyond those that result from reduced energy consumption. Sensors will also extend the life span of bulbs and fixtures even further by turning them off when no one is in the area. These sensors are best suited for low-traffic areas.