It is becoming more common to see solar panels on top of the roofs of homes and buildings in suburbs and throughout the city. The panels are sleek and actually add to the look of the structures they are mounted on. The stigma that solar power was only reserved for cabins way out in the boondocks is over. Nowadays, it is become quite trendy to supplement your home or business with solar energy. The use of solar panels has been a long time coming and now everybody needs to know one thing; what is the cost of solar panels? How much will it set you back and is it worth the cost. The team at The Electric Connection wants you to know that yes, it is certainly worth looking into.

Solar panels installers are going to be one of the expenses you incur when you decide to augment your electricity with solar power. Typically, you will be able to find a company that offers installation packages with the sale or lease of the panels. This allows you to make monthly payments that would be similar to that of your monthly electric bill. You can choose to rely completely on solar power or to use solar for the majority of your needs with the typical power supply from the grid as a backup. There are numerous scenarios. You will need to choose the one that works best for you and your family. You can certainly ease into solar power, which is a good idea. There is a learning curve.

To install solar panels, you will need electricians who are familiar with and trained to handle the convertor systems. The systems will need to be wired into your home’s electric panel, which should only be handled by professionals. Solar power is one way to do something good for the environment while saving money on your electric bill. Give The Electric Connection a call today if you have any questions about solar panel installation.

Taking on a Thanksgiving get-together is no easy task, and if you’re going to do it, you might as well make it something guests will remember. Fortunately, making it memorable doesn’t have to be complicated. We have some simple LED lighting ideas that will help you dress up your home for the holidays.

Last winter may have been an exceptionally challenging one here in Massachusetts, but the fact of the matter is that every winter is a bit of a gamble as far as weather goes. One thing that you do not want to gamble with, though, is your electrical service. When you have a whole-house automatic standby generator installed on your property, you’ll never have to. This type of generator is wired directly into your home’s electrical system, and will monitor that system in order to ascertain if and when the power goes out. When it does, your generator will spring into action automatically.

One of the most important factors to consider when designing an outdoor kitchen is the lighting. Outdoor kitchen lighting needs to serve a variety of purposes, including but not limited to: task lighting so the grill master can see what they’re doing, ambient lighting for people to see, and walkway lighting to shine the way from the house to the outdoor kitchen. In this blog, we’ll be going over the best types of lighting for various goals your kitchen needs to accomplish.

Remember: whatever type of lighting you choose for various areas, it should always be rated for use in outdoor environments. Even if you have a solid roof or cover above your outdoor kitchen, you want to make sure your lights can function safely in wet or damp environments.

One of the most important elements of outdoor kitchen lighting design is task lighting around the grill. This is mostly a food safety issues: the grill master needs to be able to see whether the food is cooked properly before he or she can serve it!

Grill task lighting can be accomplished with either Halogen or LED bulbs. The most important thing is that you get a nice, bright white light—this will help you see most clearly and ensure that the food coming off the grill tastes good, is presented well, and most importantly, is safe to eat.

In addition to lighting the grill, you want to make sure all cabinets are appropriately lit. This can also be done with LEDs, which can be installed under lips in the cabinet so you won’t be able to see the lights themselves—just the glow they cast. Such lighting can enhance the aesthetics of your outdoor kitchen area while making it easier to see what you’re doing while cooking.

Once the grill lighting has been figured out, the next thing to do is make sure your eating areas are properly lit! The main goals for lighting eating areas should be as follows:

The best type of lighting for outdoor eating areas is LED, which is highly efficient and durable. When it comes to keeping insects away, meanwhile, one of the best things to do is install a ceiling fan, which can be wired with lights and will discourage insects over a wide area.

Last but not least, it’s important to make sure you have adequate lighting along any pathways from your home to your outdoor kitchen. Walkway lighting can be accomplished with any type of low-voltage lighting, but we prefer LED for this task—they’re efficient, long-lasting, and get the job done better than any other type of lighting.

The right lighting can make all the difference when it comes to your outdoor kitchen. For outdoor kitchen lighting, or any type of low voltage outdoor lighting in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric today!