The season for backyard parties are upon us. Is your backyard ready?  Installing outdoor lighting can give your backyard that extra bump it needs to become your friend’s new favorite hangout. Adding lighting to walk ways, pool areas, barbecue pits, and landscaping can give your backyard the effortless look and functionality you are going for this summer.

But before you dive into any project, make sure you have a plan and a budget. Having a plan will help you and your electrician know exactly where you want your lights and prevent later disappointment.  If you want a little extra help you can hire a Lighting Professional to help you create your perfect back yard plan but Pinterest can also be a great tool for people on a smaller budget. Choose where you want to place lights wisely. With the right lighting design, you can create a space that can be enjoyed for many more summers to come.

Here are some helpful tips to think of when planning your perfect backyard:

• Use different types of lighting.Also look at what type of lighting should be used for each area, such as solar or hardwired to get the look and cost you want. Here are just a few examples:
  • Uplighting– is a great way to highlight architectural and landscaping features from above
  • Wall Lighting– a subtle way to illuminate a small area near your house with an elegant look
  • Highlighting– add lighting that illuminates upward from the ground to draw attention to landscaping or other features
  • Incognito– find lighting that blends in such as a light that looks like a rock until illuminated
• Have a focus. Use lights to highlight the strengths of your yard such as a pool or flower bed and redirect attention from the less beautiful areas of your property such as an old shed.
• Combine beauty and function.For example, adding lighting to plantings along a pathway breaks up the “runway” look of too many lights strung alongside a walk.
• Vary the fixtures.Don’t’ be afraid to mix and match. Use different types of lights along with different styles as well.
• Stick to warm light.A rainbow of colors is possible, but remember it is your home and not a circus so try to stay with warm light.
• Plan out if you want the lights to be on a timer, a switch, or motion sensor during your planning stages. Most of the time lighting that is used to draw attention is put to timers. Security lighting uses motion sensors. And feature lighting for barb
• Shop around. Be sure to check out big stores such as Home Depot or Lowe’s but also don’t forget about the smaller lighting stores or even online stores because sometimes they’ll give you the better deal.
• Place lights wisely. Strategically placing the lighting can give your backyard a larger and more spacious appearance giving you more bang for your buck.
• LESS IS MORE. When choosing lighting there are many options to choose from but don’t choose them all. You don’t want your backyard to feel like a stage production with too many lights. You will still want to leave room for the moonlight to add to the night time ambiance
• Try to keep a budget. Make sure when planning your budget, you plan for both the lighting itself and the installation. The more lights or bigger the lights you have more installation is required and vice versa.
• Safety. Lighting isn’t only a great way to make an outdoor space more lively but it is also a great way to ensure safety.
  • Patio and walkway lighting– for ensuring people can see the walkway to prevent tripping or falling
  • Flood lights– to ensure safety and visibility for an area that has activities such as a playground or cooking area.
  • Motion sensor– Let these lights monitor motion around your house to alert you if there is an unwanted visitor or pesky animal guest lurking around.
  • Up-lighting- Add high lighting to spotlight hills, dips or other features in your yard that need to be seen.

There are many things that go into planning your back yard space but once the planning stages are over call a licensed electrician for your installation needs. A huge but common mistake made by homeowners is trying to do the electrical installation themselves with no knowledge of the electrical workings of their home. There are many issues that you can run into when attempting to install the lighting yourself such as, crossing wires, hidden junction boxes, or cutting or damaging wires. And it is always going to be cheaper to have it installed right the first time then to hire an electrician to come out and fix mistakes.

The most concerning problem though is that it is a MAJOR safety hazard. Messing with the wiring in your house could cause you to potentially electrocute yourself or a loved one. And just because you may finish a project without injury doesn’t mean that you may not be electrocuted or injured later caused by incorrect rewiring and electric build-up. Another safety concern is causing a house fire. Home done electrical work accounts for an estimated 51,000 fires, more than 1,400 injuries, and $1.3 billion in property damage each year. So save yourself time, money, and potential injuries and call the professionals at Cotton Electric so you can just sit back and enjoy your new outdoor living space.

 

 

 

Do You have a Meter Base that is coming loose from your house? Do you have good straps on your riser pole or have they come off? Over the years everything becomes weaker. The wood your service is supported by, and even the supports used to hold your service up becomes loose and weak as time rushes by. If you have had any storm or wind damage and think it’s not that bad because you don’t notice anything yet, think again! Please check your electrical service outside to make sure it is properly secured and supported. Even if the box or conduit is just a little loose, the movement can cause damage to the wires and eventually a very big FIRE HAZARD! Let us properly secure your service riser and check out your connections as to prevent costly repairs and potentially devastating damage. Some things just aren’t worth the risk, CALL US TODAY!

There are many ways to save a little energy and cash! One of the quickest most economical ways is to replace your regular light switches with dimmers. There are many reasons that a dimmer is a better choice. One of them being that they save energy which equals money. A normal light switch when flipped, sends 120v instantly to the light bulb causing extreme wear on the filament. This causes the lamp to burn out quicker. When a dimmer is installed and turned on, 120v is slowly sent to the light bulb making the lamp last considerably longer. You will also send

a lower voltage to the lamp when dimmed down causing your energy usage to be decreased which will save you cash! Most people can’t tell a difference between a lamp at 100% and one at 90%. That 10% difference will save you 10% in energy savings! Try a dimmer or two in your house or office and when you like it, you can replace all the switches in your home or business saving big money!

What can I do about Electrical Surges?

THE AVERAGE HOME EXPERIENCES 6 SURGES EVERY DAY!

Multi-path, whole house protection is the only complete solution to surge protection. The whole house protection is accomplished by installing a device that is connected to your home’s load center cable, and telephone system and stops damaging surges from entering the home. Point-of-use protection can also be provided by plug-in surge protectors. Using both means provides optimum protection for your home.

What is a Surge?

Surges are momentary spikes in Electrical voltage.

Where do they come from?

Surges can enter your home’s electrical system or can be generated within the home. External surges are a result of lightning or utility disturbances and switching. Here in the local Dallas/ Fort Worth area electrical surges can be a routine problem. These external surges can enter the home by not only the electrical lines, but by the telephone and cable system as well. Within the home, surges can come from the motors in your electrical appliances when they are turned on and off during everyday operation.

What can surges do?

Stronger surges can cause immediate and severe damage. Low level surges will, over time, degrade electronic components and shorten the life of the appliance.

Won’t a surge strip protect my appliance?

Point-of-use surge strips provide only partial protection. They provide limited protection for the equipment plugged into them, and no protection at all for the appliances and systems that aren’t connected to them. Surge strips typically are not capable to protect against larger surges. Most only protect against surges entering through the electrical system, while leaving the appliances vulnerable to surges entering from cable and telephone lines.

What are examples of appliances that can be damaged?

Anything connected to electrical, cable, or phone outlets. (I.E., computers, home entertainment systems, stereo systems, telecommunication devices, kitchen and laundry appliances, etc.)

Cost?

The cost of whole house, multi path surge protection is minimal when compared to the replacement cost of the connected equipment. Often, just one piece of damaged equipment costs more to replace than your entire investment in whole house protection.