Must-see landscape lighting designs include top-quality LED, Energy SMART and ENERGY STAR-rated products, as well as solar-powered specialty lighting and fashion-forward spot and flood lights.

1.  Professional Series transformers and Design Pro LED lighting from Kichler Lighting

12-volt LED path, spread, deck and patio lighting, water lights and wall washers are now available in a flattering warm white 2700K and 3000K from Kichler Lighting.

2.  LED “Luna” deck lights from Hinkley Lighting

Dimmable to 25% and available in attractive finish options:  Bronze, Light Almond, Satin White and Titanium, “Luna” deck lights from Hinkley Lighting provide a tailored, energy-efficient elegance to your landscape lighting design.

3.  “Telsa” Energy SMART flood and spot lights from WAC Lighting

“Telsa” Energy Smart LED and ENERGY STAR-rated outdoor floodlights provide superb illumination that goes the extra mile!

4. “Alumilux”  path lighting from ET2 Lighting

“Alumilux” path lighting from ET2 Lighting comes in a variety of style options to present your home or office exterior with Energy Smart LED illumination.

5.  Solar landscape lighting from Kenroy Home

“Seriously Solar” landscape lighting from Kenroy Home is the go-anywhere and go-everywhere option for highlighting outdoor areas from pathway to pond.

* “Seriously Solar” lanterns from Kenroy Home are versatile outdoor decor accents by day and instant table top or outdoor hanging lamps by night. Available in Blue (shown) or Red, these ceramic lanterns contain removable LED solar discs that will constantly store a charge when placed in optimal sunlight.

See all new landscape lighting designs at 1800lighting.com.  Send in a picture of your outdoor areas for a free consultation and novel landscape lighting ideas from the lighting professionals at Capitol Lighting.

Having a detached garage or tool shed is a great asset for any Des Moines home. While many homeowners these days are accustomed to attached garages that make it easier to carry in groceries and for gathering the kids for soccer practice, detached garages provide a great deal of worth because they allow for storage of power tools, lawn chemicals, and other potentially dangerous materials that you wish to keep away from your pets and children. Additionally, a shed allows a place for messier projects to be completed as well as a spot for loud power tools to be used without disrupting the rest of your family. However, due to the complications of building and electrical codes, many homes with detached garages either do not have electricity running to the garage or have been wired in an improper way

At Electrical Gurus, we are experts in electrical installation. Whether you simply want to run enough electricity for one light or wish to have enough power to run a woodshop, a residential electrician can properly and safely get your detached garage or shed running with electricity. And in the event a previous owner took a shortcut to get power to the garage, we can properly manage your house wiring to make everything is up to code. When it comes to electrical installation, it is the best interest of you and your family’s safety to have it done the right way. Call Des Moines’ Top Rated Local ® electrician today at 515-446-7040 or contact Electrical Gurus online for service you can trust.

Tired of breaking the bank just to keep up with the Joneses? Forget fancy cars and other status symbols. How about a way to maintain a friendly neighborly competition that actually involves saving money instead of spending? Americans have a wealth of resources at their disposal to empower families to cut back on energy consumption and reduce their electricity bills, but we don't do a stellar job of taking advantage of that information. Recent research, however, has shown that homeowners are more likely to take efficiency measures with their electrical work when they can compare their own consumption to that of their neighbors.

Whose Bill is the Lowest?

The experiment took place last summer, when the Vermont utility company Green Mountain Power worked with Opower, a software company that specializes in behavioral economics. During very hot days when air conditioning use was expected to be high, the utility reached out to customers with tips on reducing the amount of energy they need to power their home electrical work.

Afterward, the utility gave a report which ranked households in the neighborhood based on how well they had done on cutting back. By the end of the summer, electricity consumption among Green Mountain customers had dropped by five percent during hot days. That's some serious savings!

Peer Pressure at its Best

That five percent resulted from simple behavioral changes like bumping the thermostat up a few degrees and using curtains to block out sunlight during the hottest part of the day – no major investments or new equipment needed, just a little peer pressure. This research should be useful in helping understand what motivates people to save energy in order to develop more effective outreach programs for utility companies around the country.

One of the big takeaways is that the utility didn't give its customers any kind of incentives or payments to change their behavior – just the money they saved through efficiency, and the bragging rights of being more conservation-minded than their neighbors.

"Some of the decisions we make are not entirely rational, and they are due to a lack of context," Kevin Hamilton, Opower's vice president of marketing, said to Utility Drive, "and by providing that context you can encourage individuals to adjust their usage in ways that can benefit both the customer and the utility as well."

Little Changes Mean Big Savings

People come up with all kinds of reasons not to implement efficiency measures: It costs too much in initial capital, they are too busy to think about it, or they simply don't think the savings are worthwhile. But the reality is that even making small behavioral changes can add up in the long run.

If you want to decrease the cost of your electrical work and impress your neighbors, have a qualified home services technician perform an energy audit on your house to identify the most cost-effective ways for you to cut back.

If you are considering getting new lighting installations or want to upgrade your existing ones, it’s a good idea to conduct a certain amount of research on what type of light fittings and bulbs are available in the market. You will surprised by the vast variety of fixtures you find. Regardless of how beautifully-designed your home is, if you want it to look stunning and attractive after dark, you would need to ensure that it has the right kind of lighting.

In fact, the simplest of interiors and décor can look astoundingly unique with appropriate lighting effects and the ones you might want to consider are:

In this type of effect the light source is hidden and it throws a glow across the room. It very effectively flattens the appearance of an interior space and you will hardly find any shadows anywhere. Examples of this type of lighting are wall sconces and Japanese paper shades. You can create this effect with other fixtures, by using a dimmer as well.

This is used to highlight a specific object or an interesting feature in a room. The only thing that is required to create this effect is a bulb and some sort of cover to direct the light in the direction you desire. Opaque shades, table lamps and halogen spotlights are good examples of accent lighting, also called directional lighting.

As the name suggests, this type of lighting is used in areas like the kitchen, bathroom, study etc- anywhere you need to perform daily activities and need clean, clear light. It’s important that this lighting be glare-free as that will help prevent the eyes from getting tired. This type of lighting can be used in a very effective manner in combination with ambient lighting.

This is used to light up art objects like a portrait or a statue. In fact, some pieces such as neon sculptures can themselves be a form of aesthetic lighting and have to be used with other types of lighting.

When we talk about lighting, it’s not only about the different types of fittings and fixtures or placement of lights that gives us the effect we need. It’s also a lot about the type of bulbs we use. These are the different types of bulbs available:

These are the standard light bulbs that throw a slightly yellowish light.

This is the closest in effect to natural light and is called ‘white light’. In this type of lighting, colours tend to appear very clear and sharp. These are more energy-efficient than regular tungsten bulbs and they are dimmable too.

Throws a burst of focused, white light.

This refers to different types of bulbs such as fluorescents and halogen. This light has a very warm quality, is psychologically appealing and very inviting.

The standard fluorescent bulb throws-off a very cool, flat light which tends to be harsh and has a bluish tinge. Apart from these, you will also find cool, warm and special-coloured fluorescents on the market.

With so many options, available, choosing the right kind of lighting can be quite a difficult task. There are no fixed rules when it comes to lighting a room. You will have to take into consideration aspects such as the height and dimensions of the room, its purpose and of course your personal preferences.

In most instances, rooms have a combination of different types of lighting. If you want a room to look interesting, it’s important to use wall washers, up-lighting, down-lighting recessed lighting etc to acquire the right effect.

We at Allround Electrical are licensed and insured electrical contractors. We can provide consultation on different types of lighting systems, and offer a range of electrical services to commercial and residential customers. For more information, contact our friendly team today at this number – 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address. You may also reach us through this online contact form.

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There are many “laws” or rules when it comes to electricity. While most people will still need to call an electrician Pasadena for major electrical problems, it is still nice to understand the basics so you know what is happening with your electrical devices when you plug them in or flip the switch to the on position. One of these so-called laws is “Ohm’s Law.” Learn more about how it works with your appliances.

First, you must understand that for electricity to work, it must complete a circuit (loop). Generally, these circuits are controlled by copper wire because it has a very low resistance and carries the current with ease. The amount of current flow is decided by the amount of resistance in the circuit. If the resistance is high, then the current will be low. For the current to be high, the resistance must be low (such as it is with copper wire.) This is the basis for Ohm’s Law.

While it may seem like having a higher current would be better, this is not always true. Too much current can be dangerous. For household circuits, it is normally best to keep the current under 20 amperes. More than that will pop the circuit breaker. When your circuit breaker pops, that is keeping you and your family safe from having too much current flow through the devices in your home.

Ohm’s Law may not be something that you need to understand in depth, but having this basic knowledge will make it easier to know what is going on behind the scenes of your electronics. If you have questions about the electricity in your home, or you need help figuring out your circuits and circuit breakers, call Electric Connect, your number one choice for an electrician in Pasadena. The experts at Electric Connection are here to help you every step of the way.