How to Choose the Correct LED Reflector Bulb to Increase Your Home’s Energy Efficiency

Reflector bulbs shine light by spotlighting (producing a narrow beam of light) or floodlighting (producing a broad cone of light).  For today’s consumer, there are several choices in a reflector bulb.  According to toptenusa.org, a non-profit organization that evaluates the energy efficiency of common household products, an LED reflector lamp may be the consumer’s best choice.

Traditional incandescent reflectors waste a lot of heat energy and burn out quickly.  The newer, more energy efficient halogen lamps last longer, but produce light that is whiter or cooler in color, not always the desired effect for every lighting situation.

Compact fluorescent (CFL) reflector lamps are energy efficient and last longer than halogen lamps, but not always dimmable.  CFLs produce a broad cone of floodlighting, but are not able to focus light, which produces a dimmer effect.

Enter LED reflector lamps!  LED reflectors have many performance and aesthetic advantages over other lamps.  While more expensive and heavier because of their metal housings, they are directional and dimmable, highly energy efficient, produce little heat and have a long life expectancy. Instead of “burning out”, their intensity simply diminishes over time.  High quality LEDs can last between 30,000 to 50,000 hours, compared to 1,000 hours for an incandescent lamp or 8,000 to 10,000 hours for a CFL lamp.

What should you consider when purchasing an LED reflector bulb?

Diameter:  Match the new diameter LED to the old diameter of the lamp you are replacing.  A PAR 20 LED is 2.5 inches in diameter, a PAR 30 is 3.75 inches and a PAR 38 is 4.75 inches in diameter.

Lamp Length:  Check the lamp length to closely match it to the length of the lamp you are replacing.  A shorter length will work but some of the light will be absorbed in the fixture.  Alternatively, a length that is longer than the fixture will project from the fixture and produce glare.

Beam Angle:  If task lighting is your goal over a sink, countertops or to highlight artwork, choose a narrow-beam spotlight with angles from 9 to 16 degrees.  If you would like diffuse light for a whole room setting, choose wider floodlights with beam angles from 16 to 40 degrees.

Light output:  How much light a lamp produces is measured in lumens.  Replace your old lamp with LEDs that closely match the same lumens, not wattage, which measures how much electricity the lamp uses.  Color temperatures are also listed on product packaging to describe ranges from warm white, closer to the traditional incandescent color, to a more neutral, cooler white light.

According to energystar.gov, if every American home replaced just one light bulb with a bulb that has received an Energy Star rating, the energy savings realized would be enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year and save Americans approximately 6 million dollars a year in energy costs.

Visit www.toptenusa.org for LED reflector bulb recommendations.  For more information on LED basics visit The Department of Energy’s website at www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl.

 

 

Say goodbye to old fluorescent lighting! Since early 2000 and finalized with the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Department of Energy (DOE) established minimum efficiency requirements and imposed regulations to phase out the availability of most magnetic ballasts for T12 lamps commonly used in commercial and industrial fluorescent lighting over the past 60 years. July 2010 brought another phase of the regulations which eliminated the production or import of most magnetic ballasts because they do not meet new DOE efficiency standards. As of July 14, 2012, a DOE regulation will phase out the production of T12 lamps used in the magnetic ballasts. This accounts for approximately 70% of all T12 fluorescent lamps sold in the United States.

The National Lighting Bureau (NLB) reports that more than two million of the nation’s older commercial buildings have been using outdated lighting for the past 30 years, lighting which is not as effective or efficient as contemporary fixtures, ballasts, lamps and controls. More than three million commercial, industrial or institution buildings in the US could benefit from money and energy saving lighting upgrades. Is your facility a candidate for site lighting improvements?

Now may be the time to install energy efficient T8 retrofits or new T5 fixtures in your building. According to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), lighting accounts for 38% of your electrical energy usage. Upgrading your facility with an energy efficient lighting system can provide a 30%-50% ROI, reduce operating expenses, improve lighting quality and increase the asset value of a building.
Programs are available to assist your company with lighting upgrades by taking advantage of current rebates. Hayden Electric can help with the initial site assessment, paperwork and installation! Our focus on customer service and our expertise in design build lighting, energy management and lighting and control technology have positioned Hayden Electric as a leader in the electrical industry for over 35 years.
Give us a call today at (570) 455-6109 for further information on your site lighting options.

Act now!  Is your business running inefficient equipment?  You may qualify for PPL Electric Utilities E-power savings.  Businesses, government, non-profit and institutional customers that use less than 400,000 kWh annually may be eligible to receive up to 75% of the cost to improve the energy efficiency of approved business technologies.  PPL rebate incentive pays for the majority of your lighting project costs.

As an approved contractor with PPL Electric Utilities E-power Trade Ally Program, Hayden Electric is here to help.  We streamline the application process by conducting a free facility assessment.  We provide a detailed proposal outlining costs, prepare and submit paperwork, and install energy efficient equipment.  There is minimal investment and out-of-pocket expense because the rebate is paid directly to the contractor.

 
The program won’t last forever, but the benefits will.  Give us a call today at (570) 455-6109 to reduce your electricity consumption and costs and experience measurable long term results.

           Important 2008 NEC Code Change

                              Mandates Tamper-Resistant Receptacles

               In all New or Renovated Residential Construction

 

This requirement results from a Consumer Product Safety Commission study that documented injuries in the home caused each year by children attempting to insert foreign objects into receptacles.

Why Tamper-Resistant (TR) Receptacles are safer than other preventive measures

• Once installed, they are permanent, offering continuous protection unlike plastic outlet caps that can be removed
• Shuttered wall plates add layers of material between blades and receptacle contacts.  Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has withdrawn its listing from tamper-resistant wall plates
• Tamper-resistant receptacles are certified and subjected to severe and documented testing procedures defined by UL
• Automatic protection whenever a plug is removed

Dimmers Save Energy and Set the Mood
Simply replacing switches with dimmers offers energy payback to homeowners. Dimming the lights by 25% reduces electrical energy consumption by 20%, while extending bulb life by four times. Imagine saving energy every time you turn on the lights!

 

How To Upgrade Your Electrical Service

Deciding 'If' and 'Why?'

So the first thing is to understand what a service change is.

Electrical capacity. All homes have limited electrical capacity. When a service is upgraded or changed, that capacity is increased, allowing the potential for more circuits and more stuff to be installed and used.

Electrical supply. Virtually all homes that are connected to the power grid have electrical power supplies of both 120 volts and 240 volts. Your service change does not affect this at all.

What gets changed? The only things that change with a service change are the connections with the grid on your house, the meter and all the cables leading in and out of it, the distribution panel (which is the thing that holds all the circuit breakers and where all the circuits come out of) and your grounding system. A service change does not inherently entail any changes or repairs to your circuits. What was funky before the change will remain funky until it is specifically addressed.

Now why in the world would you want to go to all this trouble?

Convenience: Many older homes still have their original 100 amp service, so that when it comes time to remodel or to add a room, often there is no room in the distribution panel to install the required additional circuits. There are special breakers called tandem breakers that can give you two circuits in one space, but there are severe space limitations in the panel itself or on the grounding and neutral bars that can make a dangerous mess in your panel.

Capacity: As mentioned above, the amount of electricity available to use in your home is limited by the ampacity of your main breaker. So when major things that need electrical power are added, or the size of the home is increased, then very often the electrical capacity of your service needs to be increased as well.

Electrical Safety: Many electrical services have been hanging on the side of houses for an awfully long time, subject to deterioration caused by the environment and the weather. Some home electrical wiring have become damp and corroded in those musty wet basements. Some have been chronically overloaded through the years and due to overheating, joints and connections have become loose. And some services still rely on fuses, which, because of their age, are corroded, overstuffed, and overheated. These home electrical problems and conditions are dangerous and good enough reasons to spend the money to change your service. Then you can ignore it in peace for the next 40 years.

WHY SOLAR - WHY NOW?                                                                                  By: Greg Kurtz, Project Manager

Hayden Electric has seen a tremendous amount of change in the electrical field over the past three decades. It had always been a goal to continue to train technicians and stay ahead of the competition in having the largest team of qualified personnel in our field.

One of the latest advances in production of electricity in our country has been with Solar Electricity. Although this form of electricity production has been popular in Europe for many years, it has most recently caught on it the states due to the recent rise in energy costs, combined with the efforts to produce more clean (green) methods of producing energy.

With State and Federal government incentives in place over the past year, Solar has become a very attractive option for producing electricity for homes and businesses in Pennsylvania. To consider a system like this one must first determine what the return on investment would be. Today the return on a solar investment can be a little as five years. This means in five years the system has produced enough savings and/or earnings to pay off the initial system investment. From this point, all electricity produced is done at little or no cost. Imagine reducing or eliminating your electricity bill with a system that is warranted for 25 years and paid for itself in 5 years! State funding is in the 3^rd of 4 phases. Money is granted on a first come first serve basis, regardless of income.

To get started one must call George J. Hayden, Inc. for a on-site evaluation, where a trained professional will review the building and/or property for its ability to house a solar production system. Solar arrays can be effective mounted on a flat roof or a roof facing toward south. If land is available, the system can be mounted on the ground in a location where shading is minimal, or non-existent.

Most effective systems in our area are those that are connected to the utility grid. A utility grid refers to the wired system that currently supplies electricity to a home or business. The solar array would produce the electricity and make it readily available for use before using power sent from the utility company. When solar production exceeds the power required at any given moment, the power is sent back through the grid to the utility company, spinning the home or business' electric meter backwards. Basically like storing the electricity on the grid, to be used later when more electricity may be required, at night for example once everyone is home from work or school.

Electricity produced by solar saves the property from buying that amount of electricity from a utility company. Once 1000 Kilowatt hours are produced, a state monitored system generates a Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC). The SREC's are purchased by utility companies. Utility companies buy the credits to meet state requirements for solar electricity production. Each PA SREC normally sells for over $300.00 each. The sale of the credits play a significant part in reducing the investment on the system.

PA State currently is approving grants on a first come first serve basis. High or low income have no relevance to application approval. PA State is currently paying $1.25  per watt for residential systems. Similar grants are available for businesses. Grants are available only until monies earmarked are awarded. The federal government is providing for 30% tax credit on the remaining cost of the system.

Hayden Electric has a full team of individuals trained for the installation of solar electric production systems. Call us today at 455-6109 to schedule a free, on-site, evaluation for solar electric production with the mention of this article. Or visit us on the web at www.haydenelectric.com.

 

Causes of Flickering Lights in Your Home

Flickering of the lights in your home is a sign that something is not right with your electrical system.  There are several reasons behind why your lights are flickering, so here are some tips on how to troubleshoot the problem.

If the lights in your home flicker, how long do they flicker for?

How long lights flicker for can indicate different types of electrical issues.  Having your lights flick off for three to four seconds is different than having your lights dim and then become brighter. Light fluctuation or having your lights dim and brighten, can be caused by a dip or spike in the electrical flow in your home.  Light flickering, on the other hand, focuses more on the connection between the wires.

Troubleshoot light flickering

If you have determined that your lights are flickering, you should check with your neighbors to see if they are experiencing the same electrical problems and call your electric provider to see if they are having issues with a company power line.  If neither your neighbors nor power company are reporting issues, here are some things you can check at home:

• § It may be your light bulb connection. Change or tighten the light bulb in a lamp to rectify the problem. The connection between the light bulb and lamp may be loose which is causing the lights to flicker;
• § It may be the type of light bulb. Some energy efficient light bulbs are not supposed to be used with dimming light units, so it can cause the lights to flicker;
• § Check to see if there has been a Momentary Power Interruption (MPI). MPIs occur when there is a short circuit (look at your circuit breaker) or an object comes in contact with the power line;
• § There might be a separation between wires. This means that the wires are touching but not fully connected.

Light flickering can be a sign of a more serious electrical problem in your home and a fire hazard, so it is important to call a residential electrician to get your home inspected.  For more information on home electrical problems and to schedule a home electrical service call, contact Hayden Electric today!

Practice Proper Electrical Fire Safety by Checking Your Wires!                                        

Don't take chances when it comes to keeping your home safe from electrical fires. Use the following fire safety tips to help keep your home safe and secure.

Tips to Protect Your Home From Electrical Fires

• § Never take shortcuts with fire safety. When working on a do-it-yourself wiring project, be careful and take plenty of time to do it right. Electricity is dangerous and an electrical fire is very different from conventional fires. Avoid pinching wires or pushing them into boxes that are too small. Always double-check your work.
• § Be careful with wires. Don't run appliance wires under rugs, in areas of high traffic, or in places where water could reach them. If the wires on any appliance are frayed, replace them immediately. Loose wires can create sparks which can lead to potentially deadly fires.
• § Pay attention to socket ratings. If your light socket is rated for 60 watts, don't put that 100 watt bulb into the fixture! Although it might seem to work fine for a while, the additional heat is slowly damaging the wires, and that could lead to a fire.
• § Install ground fault protection. Make sure the outlets in your bathrooms and kitchens are Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters, or GFCI outlets. These outlets have their own built-in circuit breaker, and are meant to provide fire safety in areas that could get wet, such as near sinks or tubs. If an outlet short circuits, the GFCI circuit will trip, saving you a shock and perhaps an electrical fire.
• § Don't overload your circuits. Plugging several high wattage appliances in the same outlet, or using an overloaded extension cord can be a severe fire hazard. When you do this, the stress on your home's wiring can be very dangerous. Never plug an extension cord into another extension cord and always be aware of what is connected to your outlets.
• § Watch for warning signs. Flickering lights, frequently blown fuses, or the smell of smoke when you use an appliance indicate potential electrical fires growing behind your walls. These signs call for the services of a Hayden Electric certified electrician. Electricity is not something to fool around with, so as soon as you see the warning signs of something amiss, make that call!
• § Have your electrical system evaluated. It's always a good idea to know what you are dealing with when it comes to old wiring. Call Hayden Electric at 570-455-6109 to look over the entire system and make plans to implement any recommendations. You are always better safe than sorry where potential electrical fires are concerned, especially when it comes to old houses with old wiring!

 

Here are some quick tips for saving energy in your home:
• Clean your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) filters regularly
• Keep heating and cooling air ducts clean
• Keep outdoor equipment free from dirt and debris
• Install a programmable thermostat
• Reduce the length of hot showers
• Timers and photo cells save electricity by turning lights off when not in use
• Compact fluorescent bulbs use about 75% less energy and last up to 10 times longer