Archive for July, 2010

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DENVER, CO – The housing bubble that led to the worst U.S. recession in decades and shows only the slightest signs of recovery after more than two years of stagnation has a bright side for those people able to take advantage: housing costs are down considerably, mortgage and construction-loan rates are the lowest they have been in decades, and a whole host of general contractors and subcontractors are hungry for work and pricing their services accordingly.

While the conventional wisdom is that buying a home in this environment may offer the best combination of pricing and lending rates ever seen, it may be even a better time to consider building a dream home or to extensively remake an existing home into a new castle.

For new-build homes, the same positive economics that apply to the real estate market in general come into play: low acquisition costs of an older, smaller tear-down home or a building lot, and 30-year mortgage rates well below 5%. The added advantage is that builders, jam-packed with business at inflated fees just a few years ago, are in a mood to deal just to keep the business operating. Same for remodeling projects and the many subcontractors who work on both new-build and add-on projects: they take business wherever they can find it, and the market is so competitive the fees charged are some of the lowest seen in more than 20 years.

However, as always, caveat emptor: let the buyer beware. While contractors are keeping fees low in a hyper-competitive marketplace, there is also the potential of the cutting corners to maximize returns. Anyone contracting to build a new home or to substantially remake an existing one would be well advised to insist that subcontractors hire by general contractors or developers to perform critical elements of the building project be fully licensed and capable of the task at hand.

One of the key aspects of any home construction project, whether new or remodel, is the electrical contractor charged with wiring the new home or addition. Modern lifestyles call for the addition of a myriad of appliances, home theater systems, home-wide entertainment systems, security systems, extensive cabling for entertainment and work spaces, outdoor decorative and security lighting, HVAC units, and more – in other words, the modern home is a marvel for wiring and cabling, with electrical demand far exceeding what was the norm only a few years ago. Not every electrician has the experience and expertise to handle a high-demand electrical job, even though most of them will say they do. Best to check the level of experience and all references to insure a new home or extensive remodeling project is done correctly the first time. The best contractors and developers will supply all the necessary background on subcontractors before work commences and are open to make a switch to one the client prefers.

Building a new home or making a new home out of an existing one is a daunting undertaking, but the stars are all aligned and indicate this may be the best time ever to build the dream. Make sure, however, that each and every contractor and subcontractor has the expertise to fulfill that dream, or it could become a nightmare.

Allstar Electrical Services of Denver is a premier electrical contractor, serving the residential, commercial and industrial with cutting-edge, professional and fully licensed electricians with vast experience in new build and remodeling projects.

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DENVER, CO – The days of the incandescent light bulb are numbered, due to federal legislation that will begin phasing out the long-familiar but energy inefficient lighting source beginning in 2012. Most people are well aware of the LED fluorescent alternative showing up on store shelves and EnergyStar reports, but for many commercial applications, and several whole-room lighting solutions in the home, “green” proponents are turning to a technology pioneered more than 100 years ago: induction lightening.

Induction lighting looks very familiar, as it uses light bulbs that look much like the fluorescent tubes in use for decades. Both systems are lighted by the electrical excitement of gasses within the tube that react with phosphor that coats the tube to produce white light. However, fluorescent tubes use electrodes, those metal pins on the ends of the tube, and these degrade over time and lessen the lifespan of the light source. Induction lights, on the other hand, are powered by the transmission of energy via a magnetic field, an electrode-less system that is rated for as much as 100,000 hours – nearly 12 years on continuous use with limited lumen (light output) degradation over time.

Induction lighting has been in limited use for about 20 years, but has become more popular of late with the growing need to conserve energy. The basic principle for the technology, induction, goes back to the early 1890s when noted genius inventor Nicola Tesla described and demonstrated wired and wireless power transfer to electrodeless fluorescent and incandescent lamps. Tesla was said to have lit 200 lamps without wires from a distance 25 miles using a magnetic field, and he subsequently filed and was awarded a US Patent on the principle.

“LED, or Light Emitting Diode, bulbs will remain the choice for home lamps and other uses where the need is for a bulb of 25 watts or less,” says Gary Stone, owner of Denver’s Allstar Electrical Services, which performs commercial, industrial and residential electrical services with fully licensed master electricians. “But for bigger power users and those who need reliable light sources for often large areas, many architects and designers are beginning to spec induction lighting as the more efficient and economical option. We are installing induction systems in many properties with excellent results.”

Stone adds that induction lighting is preferred for office buildings where a great deal of overhead lighting is the norm, and he says the systems are also preferred for commercial applications subject to extremely cold temperatures, like outdoor security fixtures, parking garages, warehouse, public spaces, industrial buildings, company signage, and even freezer and cold storage lighting. Some homeowners and home designers are also incorporating induction lighting for high-ceiling applications.

The advantages of induction lighting, on top of the extended life, are numerous and include:

• Highest wattage outputs (up to 400 watts). Very high energy conversion efficiency of between 62 and 90 Lumens/Watt – higher wattage bulbs are more energy efficient.
• Minimal Lumen depreciation (declining light output over time) compared to other lamp types as filament evaporation and depletion is absent.
• “Instant-on” and hot re-strike, unlike most conventional lamps used in commercial/industrial lighting applications, such as mercury-vapor lamp, sodium-vapor lamp and metal halide lamp.
• Environmentally friendly as induction lamps use less energy, and use less mercury per hour of operation than conventional lighting due to their long lifespan. The mercury is in a solid form and can be easily recovered if the lamp is broken, or for recycling at end-of-life.
• Proprietary heat dissipation designs.
• Dimmable electronic ballasts.

These benefits mean that induction lighting systems offer a considerable cost savings of between 35% and 55% in energy and maintenance costs compared to other types of commercial and industrial lamps which they replace, says Stone.

Allstar Electrical Services electricians serve as electrical contractors on commercial and industrial projects, including new-build and retrofit, of all sizes, and handle household electrical needs too, throughout Metro Denver and Colorado’s Front Range. For more information on induction lighting and all green lighting solutions, as well as the broad range of electrical services provided, visit http://www.allstarelectrical.com/ and call 303-399-7420.