Over time the choices available when it comes to selecting light bulbs for your home or business have dramatically increased. You need to decide between the traditional incandescent or halogen lights or the trendier LED lights. If you decide on LED lights you also need to decide if you want warm white or cool white lights. The options can be so confusing. Today Sentry Electric is going to explain some of the benefits of the different types of light bulbs and types of lighting within them to help make your decision easier.

Which is Better; Incandescent, Halogen or LED Lights

Your first decision that you will need to make when purchasing light bulbs is whether you will go with the traditional incandescent and halogen bulbs or LED bulbs. LED lights have some amazing features that make them more desirable over traditional lighting. First, LED lights last much longer than the traditional light bulbs. Some are even advertised as lasting a decade or longer. The next benefit is that they are significantly more energy efficient. LED bulbs use up to 80% less power than their predecessors. We haven’t met a homeowner that doesn’t love the concept of lowering their utility bills! The third major benefit of LED lighting is that due to technology used to make the light bulbs they are far safer than incandescent and halogen lights.

Types of White LED Light Bulbs

If you decide that LED lights are for you, your next choice will be what kind of light that you want. You may have noticed LED light bulb boxes with a description saying 2700K to 3500K. What does that K stand for? Light is measured in Kelvins, which is where the K on the box comes from. All light can be measured in Kelvins. A candle flame is around 1850K while the moonlight is about 4100K. Traditional incandescent lights typically range from 2700K to 3300K. LED lights range from 2700K to 6500K. Within that range there are three different kinds of white that LED light bulbs will typically come in.
• Warm White: Warm white is 2700K to 3000K. Warm white is a comfortable white color that is typically the most popular in living areas and residential homes. It is reported that more than 95% of domestic lighting is warm white and most households opt to install 100% warm white in their homes.
• Natural White: Natural white is 4000K to 5000K. Natural white is sharper than warm white and replicates daylight. Natural light is very practical for bathrooms, pantries, and work areas.
• Cool White: Cool white is 5500K to 6500K. It is an artificially white light. Cool white light is frequently used in retail shopping centers and offices. It can be useful in work areas like laundry rooms and garages. Many people say that cool white is harsh looking.

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We hope that this overview of the lighting options available for your home or office is helpful. If you have any questions about what light bulb and color choice is best for your space, one of our technicians can come out and help you understand all of the different options. At Sentry Electric we want you to be happy with the finished product of our electrical work and we know that light bulb selection is a part of that process. Contact us today!

Have you ever walked into the grocery store and as soon as you touch the metal shopping cart you get a jolt of electricity? This is static electricity that has been built up and when you touch it you might get that quick shock. Although it won’t cause any pain it can still cause a reaction. When it comes to the electricity that is running in your house it is a larger issue if you end up getting a shock. The shock that you get can cause injury as well as damage to your house. You want to make sure that you are careful and aware of what might cause a shock and what you can do to prevent them from occurring.

Sentry Electric Offers Tips for How to Keep from Getting Shocked in Your Home

Cover Your Electrical Outlets: The first thing that you can do to protect your family from being shocked is to cover your outlets. The outlets that are not being used are left exposed. That is not a big deal until you have a toddler that is making his or her way around the room. They seem to want to try and put anything in their hand into anything that it might fit. They could have a toy that has metal on it that they try and cram into the socket. This can then lead to the socket causing an electric shock. There is a great way to cover the outlets so that this will not happen. There are plastic covers that can be placed in the socket to prevent this from occurring. You want to make sure that you cover any and all of the outlets that a child may have access too.
Make Electrical Repairs: When you are looking around your house you want to make sure that you check the outlets and the fixtures. If you can see damage to any of these outlets it is a good idea to make sure that they are repaired. If the outlets are damaged it could leave exposed parts of the electrical outlet that could cause a shock. If you are concerned about damaged outlets it is a good idea to have an electrician come out and inspect as well as replace and repair the damage. This is a great way to prevent a potential shock.
Never Overload Electrical Circuits: One way that people end up getting a shock is when they are using their outlet in an incorrect way. The outlets are all installed with a certain amount of voltage that it can handle. When you start to misuse the outlets you can set yourself up for a shock. You want to make sure that you avoid using too many extensions on a particular outlet. This means that you want to avoid adding too many appliances and plugs into one area. This can overload the outlet and that will then cause a shock when you turn the outlet on or when you make any changes.

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Sentry Electric can come to your house and do a full electrical inspection. Call us today to have an electrician sent out to your house.

There is so much buzz about DIY home projects in our society. Magazines, pinterest, blogs, reality television shows, and more all feature home renovation projects that are inspiring many homeowners around the nation. Many times You Tube videos or online tutorials will boast that they can help you learn how to complete just about any project, but is doing it yourself really the best choice? For some projects, the answer is a resounding yes! Other projects are dangerous to complete yourself and you should think about hiring a professional. Electrical projects are typically best when completed by a professional electrician.

Benefits of Hiring an Electrician

1. Electrical Safety: Whenever you are dealing with electricity it can be dangerous. Just one small mistake could cause you or someone else to be seriously injured. Electrical mistakes can also cause fires. Sometimes the fires from faulty electrical work occur hours or days after the work was done. Property damage in other forms can also be the product of electrical mistakes. Take the risk out of your project by hiring a certified electrician who is aware of the safety concerns and common mistakes to watch out for.
2. Accuracy on Electrical Jobs: In order to become a certified electrician you have to undergo extensive training. Electricians learn how electricity works and how to get the job done right the first time. In addition to understanding how electricity works, they also have experience on the job that comes in handy on a regular basis.
3. Electrical Wiring Cost: Listing cost as a benefit of hiring a professional electrician seems like an oxymoron. Many people believe that hiring a professional electrician will be super expensive. People are frequently surprised that since a certified electrician is able to complete the job quickly that the cost is not as high as they thought it might be. If you try to do your electrical project yourself you could do costly damage that may end up costing more to fix than it would have cost to just hire a professional in the first place.
4. Effective Electrical Troubleshooting: If you choose to do an electrical project on your own you may end up finding systems or circuits that you did not know existed before starting . The wiring in your home or office can quickly become more complicated than originally anticipated. A certified electrician will have more knowledge base to draw from to help navigate through unexpected problems.
5. Licensed Electricians are Trained: Certified electricians are required by law to be licensed before they can work in the field. Make sure that if you hire an electrician that you make sure that they are licensed. By hiring a licensed electrician you know that they are agreeing to uphold the safety standards that will help your project go smoothly.

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As you begin the process of upgrading, remodeling, or adding to your home or office remember the importance of hiring a certified electrician. Give Sentry Electric a call today so that we can discuss your electrical project with you.

Storms have been known to unleash a fury and in so doing, cause severe damage to property and other elements. Lightning strikes are among the arsenal of Mother Nature and this weapon can leave lingering dangerous effects. To help avoid potential tragedy to your home, calling a professional for an electrical inspection is always recommended. Today, we at Sentry Electric would like to elaborate on the wisdom in contacting one of our professionals to inspect your Connecticut home after a lightning storm.

Power Surge Problems

Being directly hit by lightning largely relates to the prospect of tragedy as most will agree, however, individuals remain in danger around the electrical system and will be so until any issues have been addressed by a trained electrician. The problem of electrical surges that can often leave clear signs of their impact is one of the ways that such issues continue to exist and having an inspection after a surge has occurred is imperative to your safety.

Surge Protectors

Should a lightning strike happen, too many people are under the false impression that simply having a surge protector will keep them immune from any infliction of damage. Many strikes can actually render this piece of equipment useless in many instances, and in in the blink of an eye and cause confusion during a moment of crisis the effects can be devastating. Though these devices can be helpful, they are not always enough if your home is the target of a lightning strike.

Electrical Inspection After a Lightning Strike

Having a professional electrician for an inspection following a lightning storm can help you err on the side of caution and check for any signs of damage or potential danger. More homeowners are hesitant to invest in an inspection, especially if nothing seems wrong following a lightning strike or power surge, but electrical inspections, such as from Sentry Electric are actually very affordable and when compared to the cost of repairs that could have been prevented, it is well worth the investment. By conducting the sort of tests around a home that can immediately spot any problem areas, affordable electrical inspections can be a useful aid for you and your home. Considering the potential fires that can break out from damaged wiring, ignoring the issue is never the answer in these circumstances. Particularly vulnerable is the damage to the wiring within the walls of your home. Many homeowners find that they are blissfully unaware of the possible damage that’s been done that results in costly damages or frustrated because they cannot resolve the problems with their electricity. A licensed electrician from Sentry Electric can perform a comprehensive inspection after a lightning storm and are able to detect and repair any discovered issues quickly and efficiently.

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After a power surge from a lightning strike, there can be obvious damage where an appliance will no longer operate, or on the other hand the issue can be seemingly harmless as all of your appliances sufficiently hum along during operation with no issue. Someone with no experience with electricity will not be able find the problem let alone repair it. Call Sentry Electric after a lightning storm to ensure your home is safe from potential harm.