Through the work week between the hours of 9 to 5, many mega watts of electricity is fed into offices and commercial buildings all over the world. These are places where productivity is vital and electricity is critical for the productivity to exist. Whether renting, leasing, or own an office building, here is a checklist of items for consideration that will improve the efficiency of electricity running throughout the office

Some office buildings can have hundreds of workstations on each floor. Each workstation can include monitors, computers, printers and other electronic devices. A bad situation develops when there are insufficient numbers of power outlets, and the only solution is to add and chain extension cables. Often this can lead to overloading the electrical circuits, damage electronics and create a risk of electrocution. If you find that there are not enough power outlets for your workspaces, have a licenced electrician inspect the office space and install new ones. A professional will be able to determine how much load can go on each circuit without causing strain on the circuit breaker.

If the workspace lighting is inadequate, workers may find it straining on their eyes and can ultimately create an unwelcoming work environment. Through proper lighting design the office space can become more efficient and pleasant to work in. Upgrading your light fixtures with more efficient bulbs can lead to better lighting and lower electrical costs each month.

An office building should also be equipped with the appropriate outdoor lighting. This will improve building safety by providing lighting at building entry points, but also keep employees feeling safe while exiting the building during the night. Read more about office lighting.

The worst thing that can happen for productivity is an electrical outage. Without the use of computers and printers, an electrical outage can bring a business to its knees. Equipping an office building with a backup generator adds a layer of protection against these types of situations. As soon as power stops flowing to the building, the generator will activate and continue providing power to workstations. This is helpful to prevent loss of work and provide some extra hours of productivity. While your office still may remain without internet services, the extra time can be used well to finish up tasks and plan for any additional power outages. Read more about standby generators.

Whether you are in charge of a building, or your own office’s workspace, make sure that your building is running safely and efficiently. Investing in the right lighting and generator can be a wise investment to keep productivity up in the long dark hours of the winter. For more information on office electrical or to schedule an inspection from one of our licensed electricians, contact your local Expert Electric.

We’ve all heard the old saying “buyer beware” at some point, right? Well, this is not only an old saying but also, in our opinion, an incredibly outdated one. Nowadays it easier than ever to get direct customer feedback and reviews about products and services, of course. We believe, though, that nothing beats actually trying something out for oneself. That is why we make our office available between the hours of 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM, so that interested parties can come and try out some of our sample products. This is a great way in which to get some hands on experience with the products and systems that you are interested in.

There are a whole lot of products and systems that we’ll be happy to share with you should you take up our earnest offer of visiting the office. Some of the most popular items are:

Highlights from Hong Kong International Light Fair (HKILF) include exciting new products for boosting energy-efficiency to new heights in home and office illumination.   As the largest autumn light fair in Asia, the HKILF introduces new items from home appliances to maintenance-free landscape lighting and novel LED products.

image from HKILF*

The Hong Kong International Light Fair continues to grow and gain recognition as the world’s most important platform for introducing novel lighting designs and new energy-enriched products.

The 16th edition of the HKILF (Autumn Edition) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre attracted 180,000 global buyers.* and was the most well-attended, as well as the biggest on record.

“Last year, the four-day event attracted 2,360 exhibitors from 38 countries and regions and produced strong visitor turn-out, with more than 38,000 buyers from 144 countries and regions in attendance.”–www.enlightenmentmag.com october 2014

Show highlights include:

• Energy-efficient, eco-friendly “LED and Green Lighting Zones” looking to meet international sustainability requirements.

• New Product Platforms

• Information Exchange Platforms

• New Trends and Styles

–LED and “green” lighting products are expected to see the highest sales growth in 2015.*

–Retail prices of LED lamps are expected to drop by 8 percent by the end of 2015.*

Older homes generally have a character quality that can’t be seen in newer houses. These homes offer great value, and renovation improvements can bring new life into them. Unfortunately often enough the electrical wiring is never inspected during these updates for years at a time. To ensure that all your hard work is going to be safe, look for these common dangers that could threaten your older home.

From the 50s to 70s many homes were built with aluminum wiring. This was used because it was cheaper and more conductive than copper wiring. Unfortunately many pitfalls were found with aluminum wiring after it was used. Overheating and cracking are common problems with aluminum wiring. If your home was built in this time period, have your wires inspected. There could be a number of hazardous points behind your walls that may cause major issues. For more information and hazard signs of aluminum wiring, read our blog article.

Knob and tube wiring was used in homes in the early 1900s and even as early as 50 years ago. It is possible that these homes still contain knob and tube wiring in them. This wiring can be dangerous as it is more likely to crack and result in electrical fires.

The dangers of these two out-dated wiring systems are that they were installed without worry and the problems were not realized until years later. The electrical wiring systems in these homes were left untouched and so did the problems that came with them. Electrical fires, are especially dangerous as the fire starts and spreads quickly and out of sight. By the time the fire is visible it is too late and the damage can be done.

Over the years homes can see additions: new rooms added onto the home, new electrical lines added, hot tubs, etc. If a licenced electrician did not perform these additions there can be a mess of wire connecting the additions to the original home. This problem comes to a head at the service panel. If it is not properly maintained the breaker will trip constantly and electrical outlets will be overloaded. This is very dangerous as the electrical panel is in charge of keeping your home safe from electrical hazards. It is very important that the electrical panel is upgraded in order to provide the correct control of electricity throughout the entire house, old and new. This also means the panel is properly labelled so it is easy to maintain if further updates are being made.

While there is nothing wrong with purchasing an older home, we recommend that a licenced electrician inspect the electrical system in order to identify potential electrical hazards. One of our expert electricians can provide you with a list of items that should be handled. This will help you have peace of mind that your family is safe in their home.