Although on the face of it, LED lights appear costly, they are still extremely popular because they are not only strong, lasting as much as 22 years, but also excellent energy savers, converting 80% of energy into light.

As against this, usual luminous bulbs have very short life and also consume a lot of power. That is why electricians strongly suggest LED lights. What is LED?

LED is an abbreviation for light emitting diode. They are encapsulated in tiny plastic bulbs that are just about one to two mm. As opposed to standard incandescent bulbs, LEDs do not have filament that can burn and emit light. They emit light when electricity passes through them releasing photons in an external direction.

Although LED light was red in color when it was first introduced, it is now available in extensive range of colors covering the entire color spectrum. These unique features make LED light most suitable for a large number of applications.

History of Light Emitting Diode

The history of LED can be traced to the year 1907 when the British scientist H.J. Round discovered ‘electroluminescence’ as a phenomenon. His discovery was followed by Oleg Vladimirovich Losev creating the first LED in 1927. However, it was several decades later that the first red.

LED was produced at General Electric Company by Nick Holonyak Jr. in 1962. In view of his outstanding contribution, Holonyak is, at times, called the ‘father of the LED’. However, the technology that was adopted at that time in making LEDs was prohibitively expensive making it unfeasible to produce on a large scale. It was only in 1970 that LEDs came into prominence.

Consume Less Electricity

Even though LEDs are more expensive than the standard light bulbs, people still prefer to change over to them because of their energy saving potential. LEDs not only emit more light per watt than a normal incandescent bulb, but also convert 80% of energy into light.

On the other hand, an ordinary incandescent bulb converts into light at only 20% efficiency. Besides lower energy consumption, it has a longer life with over 100,000 hours depending upon the heat and light factors and is more robust than a normal incandescent bulb. This means that a LED light bulb lasts an unbelievable 22 years.

What Can LED Do?

As compared to ordinary bulbs, LEDs are more robust and dependable. The plastic housing makes LEDs better shock resistance products. As they can emit colored lights without any filters, LEDs can also be turned into diffused lights whenever required, besides generating a little heat.

Surprisingly, the emission efficiency of LEDs increases in colder temperatures. As LED lights can be switched on or off quickly, they are ideally suited for use when cycling.

Earlier, LED lights were used as indicator lights for appliances. However, with the increase in energy efficiency and reduced costs, LEDs are now being used almost everywhere from aviation, automobiles to traffic signals.

LEDs being small in size are widely used in circuit boards. As they do not generate excessive heat they are also employed in making ‘heat sensitive’ products.

The LED has made rapid strides since its introduction in 1927. Even though relatively more expensive than the standard lighting, its energy saving potential and other strengths of the LED light make them a favorite product of many individuals, electricians and industries. They find variety of applications in televisions, computers or even in airplanes.

If you want to have an energy efficient home and keep your home from electricity related accidents, then you should not hesitate to seek the services of an expert electrician.

Electricians not only guide you about the safety of your electric gadgets but also show you how to make your home energy efficient. They normally inspect closely your energy needs, such as heating and cooling system, lighting, inspect the condition of the wires and accordingly make recommendation which you need to implement. Such steps have proved very effective in reducing your energy bills.

1) Conduct home energy audit.

Normally an expert electrician will start with a home energy audit, this is very important as after inspecting everything like heating and cooling system, lighting , wiring and other electric appliances which you use at home.

The electrician will determine the current energy use in your home and guide you how can you save the energy and subsequently reduce your energy bills. They will also guide you how can you enhance the life of electric appliances with minimum maintenance.

2) Maximize heating and cooling efficiency.

Electrician will mainly focus on the area which has higher electric consumption; one such area is heating and cooling system of your home. They will normally recommend use of thermostat which is already programmed as this saves lot of energy.

Such programmed thermostat work automatically and can be set by you; this will ensure minimal power consumption when you are not at home. Instead of using air conditioners, the electrician may recommend use of ceiling fans and also tank less water heater, such steps have proved to consume less power.

3) Analyze your home lighting requirement.

Nearly 10% of electricity is consumed in lighting the house; this can be redesigned with the recommendation of an electrician. He may suggest you to use the CFL or LED lights instead of conventional bulbs. He may also recommend use of motion sensor switches, dimmers and photocell sensors.

The biggest danger is seen in faulty wiring, the electrician can spot this issue and can guide you how can you be safe with proper wiring at home. It has been seen that people use surge protectors thinking that these can protect their costly appliances like computers and home theater system.

The electrician can guide you about the places where these protectors can be placed and the usage mechanism. You must always let the experts do the job, many home owners normally avoid in seeking the guidance of an expert electrician, this they do because they are quite confident that they can do this job themselves and can save money.

Such a step sometimes proves very risky and can be even life threatening. Improperly installed circuits often lead to very serious accidents; expert electrician can guide you about the safety as they are well trained. Their top priority is safety of your home and your family, therefore their guidance can help you to protect your costly appliances and probably lives.

Always remember faulty wiring or any other carelessness can cause fire and can lead to huge losses. Any home maker who believes in safety of the home and the people around should always seek the services of an electrician. This will ensure both safety and will make your home energy efficient and subsequently reduce your energy bills.

The natural light of the sun is always welcome; it not only lights up the interiors of your building but also keeps it warm and comfortable, thus filling you up with energy and vigor, always. However, there is a flip side of the prolonged exposure to the sunlight.

Though it generates a fair amount of Vitamin D in individuals; the Ultra Violet (UV) rays can cause several types of skin cancers if you are exposed to the direct sun rays for a considerable length of time.

Moreover, apart for the health hazard, the rays of the sun can increase the indoor temperature significantly, thus compelling you to use the air conditioners, overtime. This will cause the energy bill to shoot up; additionally the rays can leave behind faded household items and can put you off through distracting glares.

You must be thinking that are there any ways to protect your home as well as yourself from these harmful effects of the sunlight? You will be glad to know there are a number of ways, which you can implement not only to save yourself, but at the same time can enjoy limited warmth of the sun rays.

The best among these is tinting the windows of your house, using window films. The window films tint your house windows in the same manner as these do for your automobile windows, thus filtering the sunlight and protecting your family, you and your household items.

Apply a sleek, subtle film directly to your window panes and apart from enjoying other benefits, make your house visibly appealing and energy efficient. Some of the other benefits that you can derive by tinting your windows are:

• Up to 99% of the harmful Ultra Violet (UV) rays get deflected.
• Block the solar heat to keep the interior of your house cool and save on energy bill.
• Protect not only the furniture but also the interior from fading.
• Protect your family as well as yourself from skin damage.

Take a moment, examine the current color of your sofa or carpet and judge yourself as to whether these look the same way when you had purchased these! They do not and like your wooden flooring, old photographs and wallpaper these look washed out and faded.

One more thing; compare the condition of the furniture in the rooms which receive relatively more sunlight to those which have lesser exposure to the sunrays. You will be surprised to see the negative effect of the UV rays on the furniture with more sunlight.

Apply these films to your windows and protect not only the new furniture that you are planning to purchase, but also the existing ones from further damage in the same manner that these films do to protect your car audio components, navigation systems and leather seats from the harmful rays of the sun.

You can manage and control the humidity inside your house with a central air system, but it can do very little to restrict the sunrays from coming inside; thus the temperature shoots up and the air conditioner works over time to keep the temperature down. As a result, you not only end up paying more on energy bill but it also harms the environment; leading to global warming.

Tint your windows, save on energy cost and do your bit not only to save the environment but also to protect your family as well as yourself.

Not too long ago, there was a time when roofing contractors did nothing more than just to build and repair roofs of houses. However, as per the report by National Centre for Atmospheric Research or NCAR, roofing contractors are going to play a significant role in repairing not only the roofs of the houses, but the planet too.

Using a computer module, NCAR studied the future effect of climate change on urban areas and estimated as to how much the darker colored roofs and road surfaces absorb the sun’s energy. Dark colored surfaces like black roofing materials absorb more solar energy than the lighter colored ones and release the heat back into the atmosphere.

This phenomenon increases the temperature in the atmosphere, significantly and is the major cause for the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE), which makes the heavily populated city areas warmer than the nearby rural areas. You can take the example of London; due to Urban Heat Island Effect, the city experiences higher temperatures at night than the surrounding rural area, which are cooler by about three degrees.

Such a thing has much more effect in warmer climates and the air conditioning units work overtime to give people comfort, thus consuming more energy. According to the report of NCAR, if people paint their roofs white, they will do their bit in reducing the temperature of their cities.

The white colored roof are going to reflect most of the sun’s energy back into the atmosphere, absorb lesser heat and thus reduce energy consumption. Since the air conditioning units do not have to work overtime to keep the buildings cooler.

As a result, the environment is going to get benefitted immensely since, according to the findings of NCAR, the carbon emissions are going to get reduced drastically with every house in the world having a white colored roof.

If globally every house has a white colored roof, there is going to be a reduction in the emission of the harmful CO2 gases by 44 billion tones, every year. In other words, it is equivalent to the effect of not a single motor vehicle plying on the roads for 11 years.

The United States department of energy has already started painting the roofs of its departmental buildings with white color and though two million square feet got completed so far; the department is already experiencing energy savings worth half a million dollars, every year.

White color not only helps you to save money on energy spending, it is good for the environment too and even extends the life of your building roof by deflecting the Ultra Violet (UV) rays of the sun, which are harmful for the bitumen based roof materials.

However, if you reside in a cooler climate, painting your roof with white color can actually increase your energy consumption and carbon emissions. Since the white color keeps the building cool, you will require increased heating inside your building.

One more thing that you should remember is the location of the roof, since a white colored pitched roof within a city can divert Ultra Violet rays to the adjacent buildings thus increasing the energy consumptions of those buildings.

Overall, the concept of white colored roof is a good one; you should select to color your roof accordingly or in other lighter shades if you live in a warm climate, to do your bit for the environment. Just be careful with the location of your roof.

For more information on how to reduce your home energy consumption, check out the Earth4Energy download page. I’ve even written a short review about the program on this blog. Please read it to learn what it has to offer.

You may be considering replacing your old windows at home or you might have already taken the decision to buy replacement windows to give your home a face lift. But before you buy the new windows, there are 5 things you should decide upon in advance so that the entire Do It Yourself (DIY) project will be smooth and hassle free.

1) Choose your windows that meet your requirements.

The most important thing you need to do before buying new windows is to assess your needs. Measure the exact size of windows you need to. Measure twice to get the exact dimension.

If your measurement is not accurate, you may end up buying the wrong sized window and you will be wasting your time and money. Therefore, before you buy your replacement windows, you should have clear idea about the type of windows you are looking for.

2) Look for windows that have longer warranty period.

Window panes, like other home appliances, have warranty and the longer the warranty, the safer you are. There is, generally a correlation between warranty period and the quality of products. The longer the warranty, the better will be the quality.

Comparing the warranty period of different windows is a good way to assess the quality of the windows. Priority must be given to quality; not price.

3) Decide on the style and configuration of windows you are going to buy.

Unlike the bland windows of the past, windows of different style and configuration are now available in the market and they can enhance the appearance of your home. You must have seen those beautifully designed windows in interior design magazines. They come in different size, shapes and colors.

Windows made of different materials offer different advantages. Some are easy to clean whereas others add aesthetic features to your home. Decide which windows will suit your style and décor. Once you know what you are looking for, it becomes easy for you to choose the one from among an assortment of windows.

4) Find out how long the window replacement will take.

Though it is possible to replace the windows yourself, it will be better if it is done by qualified and experienced technicians. The technicians from the stores which sell the windows generally do the replacement work and they sometimes purposefully delay the work in order to charge you more by making the work seem very difficult and time consuming.

So the best thing you can do is to fix the time limit within which the work must be completed at a fixed installation rate. If any company doesn’t agree to your terms and conditions, don’t worry; there are many more companies which are ready to comply with the requirements of the customers.

5) Find out whether the payment options are acceptable to you.

Replacing your damaged or broken windows at home is a necessity and you may not presently be in a position to make a down payment of a large sum. If this is the case, find out if there are any new window dealers who allow credit and will accept payment in installments. Paying in installments will take a huge burden off your shoulders.

Window tinting is normally done with the aim of reflecting the infrared rays from inside and outside the buildings. The peculiarity of infrared ray is that it gets reflected by the people as well as objects.

As for example, the warmth inside even during the cold winter day is due to such an occurrence. The houses provided with duel glass panes will have to take great caution while fixing glass taints, which should be done by a competent professional, who knows different aspects of the work.

To begin with fixing window film, get a qualified installer who can know whether there is an existing coating on the glass pane that would cause a reaction with the window tint and heat up the glass. If so, it would result in breaking the window, which is one of the reasons why many manufacturers decline to honor the warranty of a glass with tinting.

But, generally window film manufacturers honor the warranty of their products against window breaking, caused by the film and also the damages to the seal. The warranty will remain throughout the period, if one utilizes the services of a professional to select the required film. The window films now for sale is far superior in quality, durability and safety than what was in market, some 10 to 15 years back.

Of course, some apprehensions remain about the subsequent scratching, which is no more a problem now. As a better safeguard against scratching, it is ideal to use the acrylic now available. But one has to be careful on dangers of ammonia, which would react and damage the acrylic.

Imagine the pleasant cool atmosphere of a room one enters in during a hot summer when temperature remains high outside with a burning sun. The best remedy lies in use of tints for the windows. This simple provision will help bring down the temperature to a great extent.

The window tinting also helps an air conditioner to maintain the cool atmosphere even in very hot weather, by reflecting or absorbing the heat. Another great advantage of window tinting is that it protects the home furnishings from getting easily faded and thus helps avoid frequent replacements.

The rays from the sun generally cause damage to many items in a habitat, such as furniture, floor, carpet and drapes, which will end up in ruining the interior furnishings. Think of a partially faded carpet inside a room, which one will have hide by covering with something else, which otherwise will look much awkward.

To avoid such embarrassments, the best option is to cover the windows with tints so as to keep the furnishings safe for a longer period. To avoid replacement and frequent repairs to various interiors of a house, due to damages caused by the sun, tinting is the best option which keeps a room cooler or warmer according to the changes in seasons.

The main highlight here is that the window films play a great role in the present day life, by helping one save energy, reducing the wear and tear caused by sun to the cooling systems, by preventing heat from entering into an atmosphere of home or business and ultimately by saving much of the money of its consumer.

For more ideas on how to keep your home cool during summer thus saving money on energy needed to run the air conditioner, visit the Power4Home guide created by John Russel. Read up on the Power4Home review on this blog for more information.

Putting a coat of paint on the roof can help to keep your home energy expenses down. Generally in warm countries. the buildings are affected by the heat from the sun due to solar radiation. The sun’s heat gets absorbed by the roof and it radiates into the living rooms.

There are some countries where the heat is so unbearable. The house owners will have to install air conditioning system so as to control the warmth. But of course the installation will be highly expensive and in the areas where the heat is high, the power expenses will be high also.

During summer time, buildings covered with metal roofs will absorb more heat. People living in it will feel uncomfortable in such condition. The usage of reflective roof paint can help in reducing the heat to a certain extent. Some commercial buildings and warehouses have been using reflective roof paints as a way to keep the structure cool. Therefore, painting the roof is to help the business owners to keep their electricity expenses low.

The reflective roof paints have the characteristics of reflecting heat from the roof without absorbing it. This is especially useful if some portion of your roof is built from metal. If a metal roof is coated with reflective paint, it will absorb very less heat when compared with uncoated roof.

Hence, this helps in cooling the building. It becomes clear that the reflective paint will keep away sun’s heat from penetrating the roof and thereby reduces the expenses for installing and running an air conditioning system.

Most of the roof paints have the qualities of a good insulator also. While lessening the heat in a building, it will help to preserve the heat on colder days.

Different types of heat reflecting roof paints are available in the market. If you use a good quality reflective and insulating coating, you can make sure that when the temperature level is low outside the building, the heat inside the building will not be dispersed.

But if you have used a metal roof without a coating, the heat will be lost very quickly when the temperature is low outside. As a home owner, you will have to spend hundreds of dollar just to heat and cool your house a year. Do you see how a putting a simple coat of reflective roof paint can help you save money in the long run?

You can be sure that if you paint your roof, it will start its function of cooling the building and it is not necessary to re-coat it for the next 10 to 15 years. If you are currently paying a huge cooling and heating bills, this type of long-lasting reflective roof paints can become a really smart investment for your household.

Usually owners of large buildings and warehouses invest in painting the roof to save energy cost. As a home owner, you can also do the same. Therefore, if you live in a hot country, go ahead and start painting your roof. If you don’t think you can do it on your own, hire a painting contractor to get the job done for you.

Have you ever thought of having a little eye candy to your windows? If you have, then venetian blinds have got to be your first choice. Venetian blinds are much more than just decorative pieces of decor. It has a lot of other uses in addition to the beauty that it imparts to your room.

You might be wondering, what these blinds are. Venetian blinds are actually slatted blinds, having a number of horizontal strips attached in rows. The slats are attached together with strips of cloth or cords. Venetian blinds are made of different materials.

They can be made of plastics, metal, wood and even bamboo. The slats can be controlled in the way you want it to be. The slats are connected with strings such that they can be controlled to either pass the light through them or block the light.

The working mechanism is very simple, they work on a universal pulley system and a pull raises the blinds removing them entirely from blocking the light.

Advantages of Venetian Blinds

Great appearance – Nothing can beat the style and charm of venetian blinds. They are the ones that provide a great ambiance to your living room. You can use traditional curtains but that is no match for the richness that venetian blinds provide.

Light regulation – We all hate the sunlight shining on your face while sleeping on a nice Sunday morning. Glares can also be an issue while watching TV. That is where the need of venetian blind arises.

If you have venetian blinds then you are the boss, you can control the amount of light you want in your room. If you want it to be bright, just open the blinds.

Having your own privacy – It is always an issue, especially if you are living in an apartment or a populated residential area. Because the last thing you want is somebody to be gazing in your windows.

More so if you are alone or have children. If you have light inside, people can easily see through your curtains. The only fix for this problem is to use a venetian blind.

Increased savings – Afternoon sun during summer days can be really hot and if you use a blind, you can easily cut down the workload of your air-conditioners. Blinds are also amazingly efficient in keeping drafts out in the winter, thereby maintaining a warm temperature in your room.

In addition to saving some money on utility bills, you are also contributing your bit to the nature by reducing your carbon footprint.

Budget friendly – There are a variety of budget friendly blinds available in the market. You don’t have to worry about the cost, even if you are on a tight budget. You will never fall short of choices because of your budget.

Venetian blinds are made of a variety of metals and are available in different colors. You can choose the one that suits the theme of your room. Venetian blinds can simply transform your ordinary looking living room into a sensational work of art.

Replacing your windows can be costly and time-consuming with window replacements being small and intricate in nature. Due to this it is necessary to evaluate the situation fully before beginning.

Firstly, you should check each window in the house carefully and take accurate stock of the condition. Note any defect you should encounter, some of the most common are;

• Damaged weather stripping
• Obvious pores or cracks in window panes
• Obvious blemishes in the glazing
• Any warpage

The majority of the above defects can be fixed easily and without the need to place the old casement. A good example of this principle can be seen in fixing loose joins. In order to fix loose joins, corner brackets are used. These brackets tend to work themselves loose over time.

Replacing these brackets would be impractical with an L-Shaped bracket, steel in design, being a better solution. This steel corner bracket would strengthen joins and save money in the long-term.

Another example can be seen in weatherstripping. This refers to a gasket situated in the window, between fixed parts and operable window components. The gaskets main function is to prevent air from leaking out.

Over time, weatherstripping does wear out, mainly due to using the window, and if the gasket isn’t replaced when it wears out, air filtration results. This is a common cause of heat loss.

Make sure you opt for top quality weatherstripping, paying a little extra now could save you hundreds later on! Pores and cracks or crevices in window panes can reduce energy efficiency.

Use some tracing paper or the smoke from an incense stick to detect the tiny irregularities and mark their location on the window casement. They should be sealed up using caulking.

Before exterior caulking can take place, all cracks and pores on the inside of the transom have to be sealed. If the external caulking is done prior to this moist air can become trapped, causing extensive wall damage. If you need to repair any damaged window glazing then you’d better be prepared for a long and drawn-out procedure. You need plenty of time for this job.

Firstly, remove the window putty using a heating rod, chisel and knife. Remember to protect your eyes and hands, wear your safety gloves and glasses. Then take out the glazing points attaching the glass to the frame of the window.

Finally, remove the window pane that is damaged or blemished. Before you install the new window glass, sand the area lightly and use a primer. Using glazing points and window pane putty fix the windowpane in place. In cases where glazing cannot be repaired, a window replacement seems best.

Warpage of a window pane can cause damage that cannot be fixed and is a real problem. The one thing you can do is take out the old window and put in a brand new one. When you’re buying your new casement, remember to consider the following:

• U-value
• Visual transmittance (VT)
• Condensation resistance (CR)
• Air leakage score (AL)
• Solar hear gain coefficient (SHGC)

These factors each play an important role in high performance window production.

The spiraling cost of energy is very frustrating and it seems that with each passing day it is going out of bounds. Now a day, more and more people are trying to reduce their homes’ energy consumption to keep a check on energy bill; you, too, must be trying to do the same.

Follow an easy step; simply replace all the regular bulbs in your home with energy efficient light bulbs. You can even try out the energy saving candle bulbs. Instead of incandescent bulbs use these new energy efficient bulbs, which not only provide you proper light but also consume less energy, are cooler and last longer.

Replace your existing bulbs with CFLs (compact florescent lights) and save 50% on your lighting cost. I have been using CFLs for the last few years and it is beyond doubt that these not only last longer but use a fraction of the energy cost to light up my rooms as well as the hall ways in my house.

These are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors; replace your regular bulbs with these and enjoy bright light without going through the hassles of replacing these frequently. To give an aesthetic value to your rooms as well as to warm up the long winter evenings, use the decorative candle bulbs.

Another type of energy efficient candle bulbs, which use LED (light emitting diodes) technology, are becoming fast popular. These do not waste energy by heating up and unlike incandescent bulbs; LED’s do not produce ultraviolet or infrared rays, thus proving easy to your eyes.

Though these energy efficient bulbs are bit costlier than the regular incandescent bulbs; however, in the long run you can save money by bring down your energy consumption bill.

Since these bulbs convert a greater percentage of energy into light that is visible to human eyes, it consumes lesser power to generate the same, or even more, amount of helpful light than the regular bulbs.

These bulbs have a longer lifespan only because these use less energy and do not heat up unnecessarily. These are becoming fast popular and you can use these bulbs in any application in and around your house.

Not only retail customers like you and me, but even manufacturers now a day are taking advantage of these energy efficient bulbs and using these in many of their new and upcoming electronic devices and appliances. Like most of today’s consumers, you too must be aware of the global warming issue and how increased energy consumption is drastically affecting the environment.

Use these energy efficient bulbs instead of the traditional incandescent bulbs and you can not only save money by bringing down your energy bill but can also do your bit for the environment. Spend the saved dollars on other amenities and pleasures that life throws at you and leave behind a healthy, cooler environment for the next generation. Use energy efficient bulbs, save energy and say goodbye to the traditional incandescent bulbs.