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Category: lighting

Great Ideas for Indoor Holiday Decorating With Lights! Make a Lighted Wreathe!

27Nov
by Winters Electric  
0

22150728_sCraft and hobby stores sell wire wreathe frames for people who want to create their own holiday wreathe from scratch by weaving pine boughs in and around wire frames, but you can use that wire frame to create a stunning  and sophisticated lighted wreathe! Simply weave strands of lights around and through the wire frame. You can use numerous strings of small lights, or strings of oversized bulbs – or both for a beautiful modern touch. For contemporary homes that lean toward simple and sleek design, or an industrial look, it’s a beautiful and imaginative design that can go over a fireplace mantel!

Tips For Hanging Outdoor Christmas Lighting – Outdoor Trees!

21Nov
by Winters Electric  
0

21908177_sThere’s no doubt about it, having one or more of your large outdoor trees wrapped in lights is one of the most stunning and beautiful Christmas lighting effects you can have. But wrapping a 20’ tree can look like a daunting process. Here’s where to start:

  • Calculating Number of Lights Needed: Sorry, but there really is no exact formula for calculating how many lights are required to light outdoor trees. Slender and deciduous trees require the least amount of lights; evergreen trees like spruce, pines, and firs retain all of their foliage and may require up to 25% more lights than the recommended count. Here’s a ballpark rule of thumb: when using mini lights, figure on 100 lights per vertical foot of the tree for medium lighting, if you want heavy lighting, figure on 200 mini lights per vertical foot. Remember to figure in the trunk if you’re going to wrap it, as well as the distance to your power source!
  • What kind of lights: Use outdoor lighting only! Bulbs that are spaced 6” to 8” apart are best. Invest in LED’s as soon as possible!
  • Begin at the very beginning: Yes, in this case that means – start at the top. To do this you should lay out – and connect – a number of light sets, using splitters every three strands. If you’ve got a tall tree, you need an equally tall ladder. (this is why you need to do this with a friend!) Once you’ve lodged the top of the light in the top of the tree, you will need to move the ladder around the tree several times in order to place the lights, but then it should become easier, as you will be able to start winding them onto the tree from the ground. Periodically plug everything in to see how it’s going, and adjust the lights if necessary!

 

Tips For Hanging Outdoor Christmas Lighting – Work Safely – Work Fast – Work With a Friend or Family!

12Nov
by Winters Electric  
0

8112054_sIf we only had one piece of advice to offer about hanging your holiday lights, it would be to do all of your outdoor lighting projects with a friend or a member of your family! There’s simply no question – it’s easier, faster, and far safer. Other than that, here are our next best tips:

  • Hang the lights during the day, but not while it’s raining or snowing.
  • Make sure that you unwrap, untangle, and lay out every cord of lights before you start. Then be sure to test each strand. Either replace burned out or missing bulbs – or throw out the strand if it’s showing wear. (this is a good opportunity to replace it with an LED substitute!)
  • Use extension cords to get power to your starting points, the thick heavy ones.
  • In general – start high and then work your way down.
  • Never connect more than three strands, or 300 lights together end to end. After you’ve finished hanging the third strand, insert a “splitter” to conduct power safely. (looks like the end of an extension cords, always available around holiday time)
  • Use clips, clamps, or hooks to attach lights whenever possible. Working outdoors, there will be times when you will need to use a hammer and a nail, but avoid using it to attach any kind of cord.

Tips For Hanging Outdoor Christmas Lighting – Gather Everything You Need Together!

06Nov
by Winters Electric  
0

9673598_sHanging outdoor holiday lights is no small chore, even when you’re going for a minimalist design. It’s best to go through the following checklist and make sure you’ve got everything you need before you start:

  • Outdoor extension cords, the thick, heavy ones
  • Timers
  • Holiday Power Stakes (you can often find these with timers as well)
  • Strong, stable ladder of correct height
  • Specialty lighting hooks, clips, and clamps to attach strings of lights to gutters, window trim, and door frames. If anything is adhesive-backed, make sure it’s appropriate for outdoor use
  • Basic tools and supplies, screwdrivers, hammer, pliers and various sizes of nails
  • Work gloves, thin and flexible
  • The number of light sets of different types that you’ll need.

There’s no longer any argument – LED lights are so superior to the “regular” Christmas lights we’ve used for years that no question exists any longer. There is, however, the question of cost, and if you’ve invested money in a complete set of holiday lights for your home over the years, switching over to LED all at once can be a large chunk of your holiday budget. Try switching to LED’s two or three strands at a time, so you don’t have to take the initial hit all at once. And then remember – you will be saving money on the whole thing very shortly!

Tips For Hanging Outdoor Christmas Lighting – Measure First!

29Oct
by Winters Electric  
0

16628574_s
It’s always a good idea to plan where you want your outdoor lighting to go – and then measure carefully! Here are the most popular spots to hang your outdoor Christmas lights, in order of difficulty, with #1 being the easiest, and # 8 being the most difficult:

  1. Inside window boxes and planters
  2. Along driveways and/or pathways
  3. Around focal points in your yard (like birdbaths, etc.)
  4. Around pillars, posts and railings
  5. Around windows, door frames, and other architectural features
  6. On top of bushes and hedges
  7. Around trees in your yard
  8. Along your roofline, at the eaves

You want to start by measuring the distance from your outdoor power source to your decorating site; make sure you add this number to any final set of calculations you arrive at. When you are outlining doors and windows, those measurements are obvious, but when you want your lighting to twine around trees, wreathes, pillars and posts, use these guides:

  • For wreathes: to light a 3 foot wreath, figure about 50 lights.
  • For indoor Christmas trees: figure about 100 to 200 mini lights for every vertical foot.
  • For pillars, posts, and railings: a ballpark figure is 25 feet of lights for every 7 feet of column-shaped feature you are trying to light. You will need more or less depending on the circumference of the pillar, post, column, or railing.
  • For bushes and/or hedges: net and blanket light sets make it very easy to cover shrubs with sparkle; kits come in various sizes from 100 to 300 lights.
  • For outdoor trees: start with about 250 mini lights for an outdoor tree that’s 5’ tall, 500 mini lights for a tree that’s 10’ tall, 750 mini lights for an outdoor tree that’s 15’ tall, etc. Note: deciduous trees may take less, evergreens may take more.

Decorative Lighting Tips from the Experts – Tips for Lighting Modern Bathrooms!

23Oct
by Winters Electric  
0

12515208_sLighting for the bathroom is like lighting for every room; you should think about levels and features of the room. For bathrooms, the first level is the ceiling. Use pot lights overhead, and place them to accentuate beautiful features of the bathroom, like a designer sink or shelving. Use warm, diffused light in the form of wall-mounted fixtures at eye level to provide even, warm illumination that won’t cast shadows. Finally, use a ceiling mounted pendant chandelier over a bathtub to create pop and interest; if you put the chandelier on a dimmer switch, you can create dramatic effects when company’s coming!

Decorative Lighting Tips From the Experts – Love Lights for Bedrooms!

16Oct
by Winters Electric  
0

14181015_sIn a bedroom, you need what many designers call, a “love light.” Any kind of tall standing lantern with an large and interesting shade will work.  You can find tall, faux-Japanese paper lantern lights at Target. Putting a 25 watt incandescent bulb on a dimmer in the lamp will give a bedroom the golden glow of late afternoon sunshine, and work equally as well as a beautiful night-light, with an almost imperceptible, sculptural glow.

Decorative Lighting Tips From the Experts – Light Up Your Plants!

10Oct
by Winters Electric  
0

15974906_sThis works equally well in a home or business setting. Plants add life and vibrancy to a home, and when you combine them with lighting effects, it can be very dramatic. If the home or office has very large windows, having an ornamental tree – such as a ficus or a palm – in a glazed tile pot is a beautiful and/or exotic touch. Placing an up-light or two at the base of the tree, shining up through it’s branches, is a lovely effect. Pothos are an excellent and hardy plant with abundant leaves that will thrive without much light at all; they can live almost anywhere in a room, no matter how far from a window it is. Because of this, you can put them all along a high cabinet ledge, and then place LED lights among them, or weave small, white Christmas twinkle lights among the leaves so that the plants have an overall glow and illumination. It’s a festive touch at any time of year!

Decorative Lighting Tips From the Experts – Use Multiple Lights!

03Oct
by Winters Electric  
0

14716006_sFor a multi-purpose room, such as a living room, you should have multiple kinds of light to give interest, establish the different “areas” of the room, and create the ambiance for the room’s different “purposes.” A combination of different hanging lights on dimmers for overall illumination works well, especially when it’s used in conjunction with table lamps for task lighting. Combining “up lights” with “down lights” is always a good idea. In a dining room that is also used for detail-oriented purposes like homework, try installing a large reflective chandelier on a dimmer. Then, paint the ceiling in a high-gloss, subtle but warm color; if you can find “Never-need-a-facelift Pink,” that’s the kind of color to get. This will give the room both wonderful light for working in with the dimmer up, as well as a cozy and very romantic glow for dinner parties with the dimmer down.

Your Electric Bill – Energy Saving Tips

12Sep
by Winters Electric  
0

17990829_sElectricity is a bill that takes a big bite out of home budgets today. And since green is the new black, so to speak, and everyone is aware of how their “footprint” is affecting the environment, this is an area where it makes sense to see where you can tighten the proverbial belt. It’s actually easier to save some money on electricity bills than you think, and it’s totally painless and easy to do! Here are some tips and suggestions from your friendly neighborhood electrician for whittling down your electricity bill:

  1. Replace halogen light bulbs with CFL bulbs; they’ll cost a little more up front, but the pull less power and last about 13 times long than the old bulbs. And that actually makes them less expensive in the long run.
  2. Phantom energy use is more of a pull on electricity bills than anyone believes, but it’s true. It may be that each thing that’s still plugged in draws very little energy, but when you add up the 20 to 30 things you probably have plugged in right this moment, it adds up quick. Stop the madness and unplug things when not in use.
  3. An appliance is a big expense, but if yours is older, it’s time to look at replacing it. Look for appliances with Energy Star stickers, because they mean a true savings in energy costs.
  4. Ceiling fans are an amazing way to cut down on your heating and cooling needs, and that’s all we’re going to say.
  5. Only run full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine; you really shouldn’t run a load of laundry just to wash that one pair of pants you want to wear.

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