It is better to be prepared for a power outage than to have to scramble when one actually happens. Having a drawer, a small space in a cupboard or even a rubber tote filled with the supplies you will need when the power goes out is a good idea. Your Beverly Hills electrician suggests you keep at least one flashlight and some backup batteries, a battery-powered radio, matches and some emergency candles along with sturdy candleholders in your kit. These are just a few things you will need to get you through an outage. You can call The Electric Connection to learn about some other things you may want to keep in your kit.

Once the power goes out, you will want to grab your kit, especially if darkness is falling or it is already dark. If it is daylight, you can take care of these things without needing any light. As soon as the power goes out, you want to go about protecting your sensitive electric equipment. Smart TVs, computers, laptops and so on are very sensitive to electric surges. They need to be unplugged from the wall until after the power comes on and seems to be staying on. Don’t rush right over and start plugging stuff in the second you see the lights come on. It is not uncommon to have the power hiccup a few times before there is a steady stream.

You will also want to turn off any appliances and lights that may have been at the time of the outage. This will help cut down on a surge coming into your home and potentially causing serious damage. If this does happen, you will need to call your electrician. Beverly Hills residents can call The Electric Connection if there have been any side effects from a power outage.

Radiant heated driveways have become a very popular option for homeowners across the Midwest and east coast, where winter temperatures often present quite the challenge to homeowners with the snow and ice that they bring. Can you imagine never having to shovel snow off your driveway again?

Imagine the convenience! True, you won’t be able to claim a “snow day” to get out of going to work, but at least you can leave your house on a whim. But what exactly are heated driveways, and how do they work? Will you need to have maintenance done on them? Keep reading to learn more.

Driveway heating systems use radiant heating technology to warm concrete, asphalt, pavers, and various other floor materials—whatever your driveway is made of a heating system can benefit you. The difference is, the installation of a driveway heating system is much easier and less invasive than a typical radiant hydronic heating system.

You still certainly need a professional to install the system, and it does require the driveway to be laid down after the installation of the heating system, but we’re happy to talk to you about your options!

Also called snow melting systems, driveway heating systems uses a sensor to detect moisture, which signals a controller to supply power to the heating cable, which then warms the driveway. This prevents snow and ice from even beginning to accumulate, removing the inconvenience for you while you sleep or otherwise enjoy being indoors out of the elements!

Snow melting systems have very, very few components. It’s true that age and natural wear and tear may eventually necessitate a repair or eventual upgrade someday. However, these energy-efficient systems are relatively maintenance free. Still though, it would be wise to have our technicians check out your system on perhaps an annual basis—before winter—just to ensure everything is functioning as it should.

Your business operations are probably reliant upon electricity, like most operations in the modern world of today.  Do you have a backup plan in case the power goes out?  Most other businesses will simply shut their doors and deal with the consequences when the power is restored, but you can maintain business as usual thanks to the innovation of backup power systems.

Also known as emergency power generators, these units are delivered to you with a fully-charged battery that can be put to use the moment you need them.  If your business has experienced frequent power surges or outages in the past, hiring a Dallas electrician to install an Indoor GeneratorTM for your business could be incredibly beneficial.  For certification or insurance reasons, you may have an even greater need to remain up and running.  Your valuable computer or medical equipment will thank you when you save them from the devastation of power surges and outages.

Consider these benefits of having backup power systems installed in your business:

If you are ready to have a reputable Dallas or Plano electrician get you set up with the best investment you have ever made for your business, you can explore your options for a backup power system and receive a quote today.  The next power outage that hits can either leave you with regret, or a feeling of immense satisfaction with your decision to plan ahead.

When you’re shopping for new heating and air conditioning equipment, you may want to give a second thought to a heat pump. Heat pumps use electricity to heat a home, but they do not use nearly as much energy as conventional electric furnaces. Plus, a heat pump is primarily an air conditioner, so you get an all-in-one system that requires less maintenance and works more efficiently.

Want to know more? Our heating and AC technicians are here to answer all of your questions and make sure you end up with the right home comfort equipment for your home. For more information, contact our friendly technicians, and read on for a brief overview of the heat pump system.

A heat pump uses your central duct system to move heated or cooled air out to the various rooms of the home. It also has an outdoor compressor unit, just like a conventional whole-house air conditioning system. The indoor unit is joined to it by the refrigerant line.

Refrigerant is a chemical blend capable of moving heat from one place to another. When in cooling mode, refrigerant absorbs heat from the inside of the home and moves it outside. That’s how the cooling process is started.

A reversing valve works along with some other parts to give a heat pump the ability to switch into heating mode. The refrigerant can work in reverse and also absorb heat from the outdoors and move it inside for whole-home heating.

What makes a heat pump so efficient is that the process of moving heat from one place to another uses so much less energy than the process of generating heat (like furnaces and boilers do). When you examine other electric heaters, like portable units and electric furnaces, there is no comparison in the amount they are able to save each month.

Sometimes, a gas heating system is a better option. Efficiency does suffer as temperatures drop, and the cost of gas heating is typically lower than the cost of electricity. Ask a technician to help you decide what the best choice is for your home.

If you’re like me, you have a favorable reaction to yachts, perhaps without ever having stepped foot on one. I have absolutely no idea how I will one day acquire a yacht. All I know is that yachts and I are destined to be together some way, somehow. This amorous examination of yacht lighting exists, yes, because there are interesting things to note about yacht lighting design, but, if I’m totally honest, we’re in the dog days of summer; I’m landlocked; and I want to stare at yachts. Do you want to stare at yachts, too? Let’s stare at yachts in all their luminous glory.

1. In A Word, Yes. 

I am sucker for underwater lights. In pools, in little water features and ponds, they just make me smile. But beaming into a foreign sea from the hull of a yacht? I am slain (in a good way). Of course, that’s not the only amazing thing about the yacht lighting situation above. While the lights are illuminating the sea on either side of our vessel, whaddaya say we project the sea life around us onto this huge sail? OK, great!

I mean, seriously?! Are you seriously watching the sea life around your yacht as it’s projected onto a giant screen in the middle of the beautiful sea with starlight and moonlight above you and light beams shooting out of either side of your vessel? Yes? Well OK, then. I guess I would, too, if I were you.

2. Outdoor Recessed Lights

What an amazing night time mood these recessed lights lend this yacht. I love the way the fixtures form scallops of light along the side of the cabin, especially because the reflective surface of the yacht amplifies the light levels. Very nice via Charter World

And it also says, Come hither thou and hangeth out on me. Basically, these lighting designers have gotten it right. What looks better against the soft night sky than lights with a via Charter World

Those recessed light fixtures with single and multiple lamps are a great choice for this yacht living room/control center/spaceship dashboard. The top level is evenly lit, and the lower level, with its crisp light, invites the eye and the whole body, actually. Take me to Greenland, Captain! If you need me, I will be luxuriating.

7. Cove Lighting!