YOUR PANEL MAY NEED REPLACING IF:

• • It’s older than 20 years. If you’re unsure of the electric panel’s age, it’s usually the same age as your home.

  • The lights dim or flicker any time a major appliance comes on (such as a refrigerator or air conditioner).

  • The electric panel ever feels hot to the touch.

  • There is corrosion visible anywhere on the electric panel or panel cover.

  • Several different brands of breakers are installed. Look for different colors or manufacturer labels.

  • Rusting has occurred or is visible anywhere in the electric panel.

  • When adding on to your house, your need for electricity will increase. You will need to find out if you need a new electrical panel, subpanel, or both.

  • If you are using multiple power strips in your home, you are also using more electricity. You should assess your electrical system and make sure that it is equipped to handle your electrical needs.

  • If the electric panel is a Federal Pacific, Zinsco, I-T-E Pushmatic, or GTE/Sylvania brand, we recommend an immediate electric panel replacement for the safety of your home and family. These brands have been off the market for years because of serious safety issues.

An electric panel replacement is also generally recommended for “split-buss” electrical panels that were popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Instead of having one circuit breaker to shut down the whole panel if necessary, the split-buss panel has up to six main breakers. Our 21st-century lifestyles, with multiple TVs, computers, refrigerators and other electronics have made these electric panels obsolete and often subject to overload, power outages, as well as reliability and safety issues.

LED (light emitting diode) lighting is one of the energy-efficient types of lighting available today. It’s fast becoming the lighting of choice for many reasons. The technology has improved significantly over the past few years. Prices have come down, and not only do they use less energy, but they last longer than both incandescent and fluorescent lighting. In this article, we’ll explore how much you can save with LED lighting.

Incandescent is the oldest type of lighting in use today. It produces light when electricity is run through a wire inside of a globe. Halogen is a type of incandescent bulb that uses halogen gas to increase the amount of light they produce and the life of the bulb. It’s more efficient than incandescent, but both produce a lot of heat.

Incandescent and halogen waste energy by giving off up to 90% of their energy as heat. For example, a certain children’s oven was known for using an incandescent bulb to bake cookies and cakes because of the amount of heat it produces.

LED’s use up to 80% less energy than an incandescent bulb, and they can last 25 times longer. Since LED’s last a lot longer than incandescent bulbs you won’t need to replace them as often.

A 10 watt LED light is equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent bulb.

LED’s lights can last up to 50,000 hours. Incandescent and halogen lights last over 1000 hours. Compact fluorescent lights can last up to 15,000 hours.

This means LED’s can last over 10 years, which far exceeds other forms of lighting. LED’s can be replaced far less often, so their extra upfront cost can save money over time.

LED’s use up 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last significantly longer. They use around 30% less energy than CFL. This can amount to significant savings in your energy bill.

A 40 halogen bulb can cost $6.02 in energy per year. The equivalent LED light is 9 watts and can cost $1.26 in energy per year. The actual savings will depend on the number of lights you use, the number of hours you use them per day, and the wattage you use.

LED lights are more expensive than incandescent and CFL lights up front (at around $5 vs $1 and $2 respectively), but with the amount of energy they save and the number of years they last, they will easily pay for themselves. With a savings of up to 80%, it’s easy to see how switching to LED lighting can save several hundred dollars per year.