Generate some interest

The recent storm scare made people think again about generators.

The good news is that prices have come down since the panic from the major storms a couple of years ago.

Whether it's a manual, portable generator to power parts of your house, or a full automatic, standby generator, there are more options now than before.

If you're considering it, contact us for info to help decide what to do.  908.766.1010 or Paul@A-1ElectricCo.com

Some quick background is available here: http://www.a-1electricco.com/hhgenerators.php

Quick help for a/c problems

Some like it hot, but not too hot.
If your a/c is not working, our web site's Helpful Hints section has a checklist to see if it's something simple, or to know who to call if there's a real problem.
http://a-1electricco.com/hhairconditioning.php

For roof fans, read here: http://a-1electricco.com/hhatticfans.php

LEDs still make the difference

LED bulbs are even more useful now as prices drop and choices abound.
Even the special 'MR-16' bulbs for many outdoor landscape lights have LED equivalents.  The lower wattage and temperatures, and longer life also mean less maintenance since the bulb sockets will last much longer.  That can mean a big savings in repairs.

LEDing the way

Get the LED out.

 They’ve stopped making the incandescent bulbs but even if you don’t like the CFL fluorescent bulbs, there’s hope.  The LED bulbs are (finally) ready and affordable.

LED bulbs are electronic (Light-Emitting-Diodes) so there’s no filament/wire to burn out.

Bulb Type	Annual operating cost 3 hrs/day	Total cost (20 years)	Lifespan (hours)
Old style	$7.20	$165	1,000
CFL fluorescent	$1.56	$40	10,000
LED	$1.30	$35	25,000

They are now available in many different types and styles.  The bulbs will end up saving hundreds of dollars over time. And for hard to reach places like high floodlights or post lights, they’re a real saver.

And it will only get better.  As more people use them, the choices will increase and the cost will decrease. 

Simple comparison (it can get complicated, numbers vary):  

Lumens are the amount of light you get.  If you’re comparing similar bulbs but one has more lumens, that’s probably what you want.

Bulb Type	Annual operating cost 3 hrs/day	Light output (Lumens)	Instant On?	Light color	Watts (energy use = heat)	Cost	Lifespan (hours)
Old style	$7.20	850	Yes	2700°	60	$1.00	1,000
CFL fluorescent	$1.56	775	No	2700°	14	$4.00	10,000
LED	$1.30	800	Yes	2700°	10	$8.00	25,000

Still not convinced? Since they use less electricity and make less heat, you can get more light out of your fixtures (use brighter-equivalent bulbs) and have less heat in the house.  You know how hot the old bulbs got.  That was fine in the winter but it meant more air conditioning in the summer!

1. How much light will you get?  Although the packaging lists ‘Equivalent watts’, it can be misleading. It’s supposed to help guide you in choosing a similar bulb, but check the Lumens!  I’ve seen ’65-watt equivalent’ bulbs with the light output ranging from 650 to 800 lumens.  That’s a big difference. 
2. What color is the light?  The typical incandescent bulb color is rated at about 2700° K(elvin) The warm color is what you get if you heat an incandescent bulb's tungsten filament to 2700°K.  That's best for household lighting.  Fluorescent and some LED bulbs are often 3000° or 3500° for whiter light.  Depending on the room and your preference, there is such a thing as too white.  Look for the 2700° or perhaps 3000° warm white LED bulbs.

For more reading, here's a NY Times article on LED bulbs.

Cost comparisons on another site:  http://eartheasy.com/live_led_bulbs_comparison.html

Snow around generators

Snow build-up around automatic generators can be a problem.  A generator is like a small car engine and needs good air flow for the intake and exhaust.   We went around to our customers to shovel out the snow (at no charge) from all the way around the generator.   The snow will melt away eventually but meanwhile it will run properly during its weekly test cycle and during a power outage.

"If only homeowners had crystal balls to see into the future to know how they would feel after they call a contractor.  We want customers to look back on experiences with us as helpful and satisfying, and to know we'll be ready in the future to provide help or just good advice (check the web site's Helpful Hints section). "

I thought of that after we got a wonderful review from a customer on Yelp.  Part of what we try to do is take the stress out of having work done. 

Get the LED out.

We're suddenly seeing a lot of new and less expensive LED bulbs on the shelves.  These can no be used almost anywhere.
They give the same amount of light as the old bulbs but use 1/6th of the power.  And they can last over 20 years.
Since the prices have dropped dramatically, you'll start to find everyone switching over.
The 2 key questions to remember:

1. How much light doe the bulb make?  Your guide is the 'equivalent watts' number.  The LED bulb that is a 65 watt-equivalent means it's about the same as a 65 watt bulb (but only uses 9 watts).  You save on energy and heat output (important in the summer)..
2. What color is the light?  The typical incandescent bulb color is rated as about 2700° K(elvin) The warm color is what you get if you heat an incandescent bulb's tungsten filament to 2700°K.  That's best for household lighting.  Fluorescent and some LED bulbs are often 3000° or 3500° for white and sun-light.  That's too white for normal use.  Look for the 2700° warm white LED bulbs.

Here's a NY Times article on LED bulbs.

Storm Sandy anniversary

I don't think you celebrate the anniversary of a natural calamity like Storm Sandy!
Remembering it is a good idea.  Learning from it is better.
It made life difficult for everyone.  Perhaps it also made us appreciate all the 'normal' things we take for granted every day.
Do you have a plan or stragegy for what to do if the power is out for just 6 or 12 hours now? 
What if it was a snow storm with 20° temperatures?

 "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

From our web site:

Bulbs and Broken bulbs

Bulbs come in different sizes, shapes, colors, brightness and longevity.  Some bulbs are interchangeable, some are not.  Here's how to make some bright decisions:

• Buy name brand bulbs.  Off-brand bulbs may have the same wattage (watts say how much electricity it uses) but will not be the same brightness.  We've solved more than one lighting problem by simply having the customer use good bulbs.  Examples:  GE, Philips, Sylvania, Westinghouse.
• If you change a burned out bulb and it still doesn't work, try a bulb from a working fixture.  If it doesn't work, be sure the bulb works when you put it................................
  
  
  A lot more info follows on CFL and LED bulbs also.
  http://a-1electricco.com/hhbulbs.php

Penny wise, pound foolish

I don't know if it's because more homes are selling now, but we're getting more calls about home inspections where there's been improper, unsafe work done in the house.
Of course it could have been done before the current owner bought the house, but then usually the problems are listed in that old home inspection report.

"Oh, I had a neighbor friend help" or "the carpenter(/handyman/painter) said he could do it, no problem".
Well, it does become a problem when you're under pressure to sell your house and the work, time and expense to correct jeopardizes the closing.

Remember that a shortcut today can come back and haunt you when you least want it. 
And don't loose sight of the big picture: safety for your house and family.

Talk about no a/c, that's not just a bunch of hot air!

The customer said the a/c had stopped and the service people couldn't get there.  After going through a few things over the phone, we went there within 3 hours.
Long story short:  dirty air filter!
With a clogged filter, today's smart systems know there' a problem.  The a/c coils were all iced over and the system kept the fan off to protect the motor.
With a cleaned air filter, a couple of hours of running the fan to warm and evaporate the ice frozen on the coils (futher restricting air flow), and the system was back in action.\

Another case of letting cooler heads prevail.

No fan of the heat?

The heat of the summer always makes persons think of trying to stay cooler.
Roof fans are a common way to help keep homes cooler (and lower a/c costs).
(Attic fan background info)
To add or repair a fan means working in the attic, so it has to be done in the morning when it's cooler.
By the way, the roof and attic get hot from the sun.   An overcast 95 degree day may not trigger the roof fan's thermostat (usually set for 110 degrees).  But a clear, sunny 80 degree day can result in a hot attic and the fan will turn on.

Turning a page in A-1 history

We've got a new web site with all new page styles and access.
Designed by Marielle Hampton with coaching from the sidelines.
It should be much easier to view and use.
The helpful hints pages have been updated a bit as well.
Feedback is appreciated: what you like, what you don't like, mistakes you see.

"What you see is what you get" - what about what you don't see?

A few recent situations we've encountered:
==>  The home sale inspection said there were open wire connections in the attic.  Occasionally, we'll go to a house with one or two of these.  This house 18 recessed lights with over 20 open connections in the attic.  Maybe they thought sparks would be cooled as they traveled through the open air!
I guess they didn't understand why the lights have built-in junction boxes.  And if a wire is too short, just patch on another short piece. 
Of course, this means there can be a lot of other issues to be uncovered.

==>  Ugly installations of generators and their hardware.  The contractor won't have to look at it once they leave, so how important is that anyway?

==>  Penny wise, pound foolish.  We've seen some work done that kept the cost down by doing the minimum.  It sometimes takes just a bit more (10%) to get a much better (50%) installation with better value and return on investment.

Work on your home should be done with your needs in mind.  Both for now and for in the future.

Paul

Since Storm Sandy, there's been a lot of talk, and questions about generators.
This link takes you to our Helpful Hints page section about generators:
http://a-1electricco.com/helpfulhints.shtml#Generators
and this link is for a  more general overview:
http://a-1electricco.com/generators.shtml

A significant part of what we do is make sure the job gets done as quickly and smoothly as possible.
There can be issues with the permit process and gas supply and also questions about the aesthetics.
We've seen other contractor installations sit for months because the process and work were not handled well.
We've even seen their customers go through a utility power outage and yet they could only look at the their generator sitting quietly doing nothing since the job was waiting and waiting to be completed.
And don't get us started on what some contractors consider 'acceptable' looks.

Our goal is to make the installation go smoothly and be stress-free for everyone. 

What's Next with thermostats.

Recently, we've had few questions about the high-tech 'Nest' thermostat, and what we thought about it.
For now, it seems too specialized a purpose/function to be worth the time and learning curve to use it. It's interesting and innovative, but does it make life easier?
For ease of use and maintenance, the easiest thing is to use standard set-back thermostats that everyone understands.

A battery of ideas

We come up with a lot of ideas, but it's important to recognize good ideas from others.

Thanks to a customer idea, we now offer 10-year lithium batteries for the smoke detectors we install.

You're supposed to replaced all smoke detectors every10 years (30% are bad by then).  Now you can avoid the low battery beeping you get when you forget to replace the battery ever year.  
And especially in high ceilings, this simple idea makes life a little easier, a little safer.

More info about smoke detectors:  http://a-1electricco.com/helpfulhints.shtml#SmokeDetector

Good mistakes

As I drove along, the mailbox numbers jumped a bit.  I was close and even though the mailbox wasn't numbered, the house had work vehicles in the driveway.  I pulled in and parked. 
When  I entered the open front door, the woman asked if I was the a/c repairman.  
"No", I replied, "I'm looking for #64".
"That's the next house" she said.
Of course I had to ask, "Before I go, what's wrong with the a/c.?"..........
30 minutes later, with the a/c working, I left and went next door to like I was supposed to.
Of course, I had to explain why I was late.

They'd been waiting for days to get it fixed, and a fortunate mistake on my part resulted in it being handled.

When 'No' is the right answer to give a customer

We recently had a customer who wanted an attic/roof fan to help keep her top floor cooler (they work great!).
But her house would not have benefited from the fan due to house's layout.  So, we suggested instead to have a good Vornado-brand fan, and a window air conditioner.
She really wanted an attic/roof fan and asked about different ways to do it.  And we felt bad saying 'no' because we knew she was disappointed.
Hopefully, after she has her fan and a/c unit, she'll appreciate that she's saved money and got what she really needed.

A-1 Newsletter, this month: The Savings Issue

Our latest newsletter is out - "The Savings Issue". Tips on how to automatically save every month on your utility bills, as well as do-it-yourself service help, and saving your own time when waiting for a service call. Click here to read  (it's a link on our web site.) And you can sign up with your email address by clicking here.