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Fun Fact: Founder and CEO of Fanimation, Tom Frampton, began his career with three ceiling fan designs constructed in his garage in Pasadena, California.  Currently with over 31 innovative fan configurations, including palm leaf blades and a retractable housing, Tom’s designs are featured around the world.

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50 Blades of Gray and an Astounding List of Controls….

Mortgage lenders try to look at the big picture, considering things like taxes and insurance when deciding how much they can loan out to homeowners and buyers. However, there's a major ongoing expense that appraisers currently don't take into account – monthly utility bills. You don't need to be an electrician to understand that the money you pay for power each month makes an impact on your budget and even affects the value of your home. A bill currently in front of Congress – the SAVE Act – would acknowledge that reality and let federal mortgage lenders make energy efficiency part of their formula.

Increasing the Value of Your Home

Essentially, the SAVE Act would make it easier to get financing for efficiency upgrades, even folding funding for it into traditional mortgages.

“This bill would require federal mortgage agencies to recognize the energy efficiency upgrades in a home during the mortgage underwriting process, thereby increasing the value of the home,” President of the Alliance to Save Energy Kateri Callahan said in a statement. 

The SAVE Act claims it would bring a number of benefits in addition to loosening the drawstrings on bank financing for efficiency. Among them:

A Diverse Group of Supporters

The SAVE Act was first introduced in 2013. Although Congress has yet to vote on the measure, it has lined up a diverse group of supporters who aren't typically on the same side of major issues, from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers to the Alliance to Save Energy, the National Resources Defense Council, the U.S. Green Building Council and others.

In the meantime, there are a number of steps you can take around your home today to cut down on your utility bills. If you need any help installing efficient appliances or upgrading your home electric system, contact an expert electrician today.

GFCI outlets in bathrooms and kitchens

In the beginning, the electrician you hire will assess your electrical system to confirm whether it can handle your current needs. If he or she finds that the wiring falls short of the task, an upgrade (for wiring or the panel) would be the next step.

If you’ve contacted a reputable expert for the job of upgrading wiring in an older house, you likely have more options at your disposal than you might expect. For starters, if you have an older building, you might want to keep certain features intact. It might be necessary to pay extra to protect the structural assets you want to retain, but taking this preventative measure up front can end up saving you a great deal on restorative work later.

Receptacles and light fixtures may also need upgrades. Since the wiring is getting an update anyway, you can keep your plans in mind as the new installation’s details come into focus. For example, if you want to have an entertainment room, with more outlets for the various devices, this can be part of the job (along with the essentials of the upgrade, of course).

Improved safety measures will also take effect when upgrading wiring in an older house. The electrician will install GCFI outlets in moisture-prone places that were likely unsafe for years. To reduce tripped circuits in the future, ask about wiring straight from an outlet to the breaker so that no other appliances will be on it. This is ideal for receptacles for items with high power demands, like air conditioners.

You may not think anything is wrong with your system, but you could still be at risk for dangerous complications with outdated wiring. Knob and tube wiring, which utilizes ceramic knobs and tubes for running the wires, is no longer legal for new constructions in the United States. This is because it comes with an increased chance of electrical fire. Unfortunately, this type of wiring is much more common in older buildings. To identify whether you have a situation like this, or for guidance and reliable service as the install takes place, go to the professionals.

Pool lighting is one of the most impressive outdoor lighting projects you can take on and can totally change the look and feel of your backyard. Pool lighting is also a great way to show off your creativity, and your lighting system can be customized to create any mood you can think of. The following are some of the best pool lighting tips we’ve found, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box!

Some people may be used to having only one light at the deep end of the pool and a few at the shallow end. While this is certainly an option, it’s not a hard rule! Try adding more light throughout until you get the effect you want.

If you have a sitting area on one side of the pool, make sure you point your pool lights away from it. Pool lights tend to be especially bright, so they should be installed facing opposite where people might be sitting.

Using too few lights, or having lights that only face one direction, can create shadows that highlight flaws in your pool’s liner or surface. Shining lights from multiple directions will eliminate these shadows and make the bottom of your pool look flawless.

The color of your pool liner will make a dramatic impact on how the pool looks, day and night. Light colors reflect light and dark colors absorb it, so go light if you want your pool to look bright and exciting at night and choose dark if you want a more subdued landscape.

Pool lighting is one of those projects that many people either put off or try to cut corners on. But if you want a pool that you can really get a lot out of, we recommend spending the extra money. Even though the upfront costs may be higher, you’ll be able to enjoy your investment for years to come.

Back in April, a young boy in South Florida was electrocuted by a faulty pool light while swimming in his family’s pool. Reportedly, the light had been fixed by a contractor the year prior.

While incidents like this are exceedingly rare, we want to use this as an example of why you should always work with an electrical company you can trust. Lighting isn’t the only danger zone in the pool—other potential hazards include:

At Kolb Electric, your safety is our highest priority. We will acquire all necessary permits prior to your pool wiring job, then finish off with a detailed inspection so you can enjoy your pool or hot tub without having to worry. We also recommend having your pool’s electrical system inspected once a year.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has a detailed list of pool safety tips to prevent electrocution:

If you’re thinking about installing pool lighting in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric! We can design a beautiful, long-lasting, and safe pool lighting system that you can enjoy for years.