Light Fixtures

With the rising costs of electricity, I’m not sure I can afford to light my home as I have in the past. Is there an alternative to the traditional light bulb that will cut the cost of living in light?

In the United States alone, light bulbs make up one quarter of all electricity used but they waste nearly half of their energy. All that’s changed with the introduction of the new light-emitting diodes. According to the Department of Energy, this scientific breakthrough is able to reduce energy consumption by 29% by 2025 for a total savings of $125 billion.

According to Gary Stone, founder of Allstar Electrical Services, traditional light bulbs use 95% of their energy to generate heat and only 5% for light, while LEDs use nearly 100% of their power to directly create light, consuming much less energy and saving you money.

I am sick of the light bulbs in my home burning out after what seems like a few months. I have heard LED bulbs last longer. But I’ve also heard they are more expensive. When will there be a long lasting, economical light bulb?

The typical incandescent light bulb lasts about 850 hours and a long-life bulb can last up to 2,500 hours. Still these lengths don’t hold a candle to the new LED technology, according to Gary Stone, founder of Allstar Electrical Services serving all of metro Denver and Colorado Springs plus the Front Range. While LEDs vary in life, they can last up to 50,000 hours or nearly six years of constant use. The downfall to LED lighting, like all products that are relatively new to the market, is that they can cost up to $20 per bulb. It is important to weigh the savings in the cost of energy as well as the lifespan of LED bulbs.

If all of these numbers put you brain into a tailspin, call Stone at Allstar Electrical Services, Inc. for a review of your home’s electrical needs. Allstar Electrical Services has instituted a Premier Customer Service Agreement for customers that ensures same-day response in the event of an emergency. Loyal and long-term customers plus new customers to Allstar Electrical Service are signing up for this opportunity. For just $95 a year, you can be ensured that in the event of a lighting emergency, Stone and his team of licensed and bonded electrical contractors and electricians responds to your needs same day, before other calls. With this Service Agreement, you can rest assured that your needs will be prioritized and your service restored, repairs made, and any electrical faults repaired prior to day’s end.

Call Allstar Electrical Service today and learn more about the Premier Customer Service Agreement.  It’s a good time too to arrange for an Allstar electrician to review your home or business electrical needs.  Allstar can be reached at 303-399-7420 in Denver and 719-314-9419 in Colorado Springs.

With all of the technological advances made to conserve energy, is there a way I can help save the environment and cut my energy costs?

The new LED trend is just one part of the massive effort to conserve energy and our Planet Earth. While it seems small, The Alliance to Save Energy found that since 1973 energy efficiency technologies and conservation efforts have aided to a 40% cut in the level of energy consumed in the United States.

If the amount of energy used in the United States is not curtailed, we will be facing much higher prices if not a complete depletion of fossil fuels. While changing a light bulb seems miniscule, it’s a step to help the environment as well as cut your energy costs.  Contact Gary Stone at Allstar Electrical Service to schedule a review of your home or business today to learn what other savings you can implement into your electrical use.

When you opened the doors of your business, you likely had a telephone, stationary, business cards, a desk and computer. All of these are important aspects to marketing your enterprise. Answering the phone in a timely fashion is another pro-active business effort. Having a website is something many businesses find essential.

But what many businesses overlook is the importance of highlighting their location with artistic lighting—lighting that can advertise their business even when the office goes dark at 5 p.m.

Restaurants have long recognized that lighting can make or break their business. If dining guests can’t find their location easily, with lighted markers showing the way, chances are hungry guests will stop somewhere else for their meal out of frustration. Clear lighting and signage will help direct patrons to your location, says Gary Stone, President of Allstar Electrical Services in Denver, CO with service in Colorado Springs, CO as well.

New on the horizon is an interest in landscape-type lighting to highlight an address or business name on a wall or entryway. Some businesses have installed lighting at the call box or buzzer box to make it easier on guests coming or going before or after dark—a seasonal consideration.

Safety lighting, along walkways and in parking lots, is another important consideration to businesses today. Inner-city businesses are possibly more acutely aware of personal safety concerns simply because the demographics of the inner city translates to an increased crime rate. Protecting employees against chance encounters with assailants is the responsibility of both the employer and calls for caution on the employee’s part as well.

One of the most unique ways businesses are employing electrical lighting is to highlight their buildings with appropriate and yet distinctive lighting that makes a statement of pride and design sense.

Landscape lighting pointing upward at signage on a building wall can emphasis the business name, and passersby are sure to notice. Lighted doorbells and entryways isn’t only safety-minded, but makes access easier and more evident to first-time visitors to the building.

If your business can use improved lighting, and can better market itself through electrical innovation, call Allstar Electrical Service at 303-399-7420 to make an appointment for an estimate.

Q: I’d like to use the Internet to shop for lighting fixtures. Is there anything I need to be careful of?

A: Buying your lighting fixtures online can be risky. Troubles can range from simple annoyances to potentially dangerous situations that can result in fires…or worse.

Safety is always the first concern when buying fixtures from sources you don’t know. Foreign countries have different electrical standards than the US, and while many are UL-certified or have passed similar safety tests, that doesn’t necessarily insure that quality control standards are scrupulously enforced. And even if they are, you need to be sure that the voltage and grounding specifications are compatible with US standards.

Beyond that, be sure that you understand the payment, shipping and return policies of your online source. We’ve had several customers complain that they were charged the same day they ordered but didn’t receive the merchandise until several weeks later. This may be an innocent case of slow service, but it can also be a tactic used by some merchants to get the use of your money for free.

Be sure, too, that if the merchandise arrives damaged or if it isn’t the color or finish you expected, you can return it for a full refund. Some companies charge restocking fees, and you may have to pay for the shipping yourself. They may not even offer cash refunds, limiting you to “store credit” that is basically useless if you don’t want to buy something else from them.

Q: If there are compatibility and safety concerns, how do I make sure that I’m getting something that will work the way it should?

A: The best way is to only deal with US-based distributors that are subject to US laws and regulations. It gives you some recourse if the deal goes sour, but doesn’t necessarily prevent it from happening. And unless the distributor opens and checks every item for defects, the only way you’ll know you have a problem is when you’ve already paid for and installed it. That could be risky, according to Allstar president Gary Stone. “Given the poor records of some of our foreign ‘trading partners’ I’d be very leery of how carefully they address safety concerns in manufacturing electrical fixtures. It’s not worth the risk to my home and family for the sake of saving a couple of bucks.”

Q: Is there a way that I can get the benefits of online shopping and still be sure I get products that will be what I want?

A: There sure is. Allstar Electrical Services offers a simple solution. They have partnerships with local lighting fixture companies that allow customers to shop a huge variety of products on their web sites and, once they have narrowed down their choices, get a hands-on evaluation at local stores. That way they can be assured that the colors are right, the metallic surfaces are what they want, and, by engaging Allstar’s award-winning installation services, the fixtures will actually work when they’re installed. And at prices that are comparable to other online buying sources.

Q: How do I take advantage of this service from Allstar?

A: “We want to make the process as easy as we can for our customers,” Stone says. “All they have to do is contact us and explain their project and we’ll direct them to one of our showroom partners that’s close to them. The staff at the stores will help them select the right fixture for their needs, passing our contractor’s discount through to them.” Then it’s a simple matter of scheduling the installation at a time that’s convenient for the customer.

Allstar offers extensive residential electrical remodeling services that can transform your home into a showplace while keeping costs under control and guarding you against costly and dangerous mistakes. It may not be quite as fast as clicking a mouse, but it’s a whole lot safer and can save a lot of time, money and aggravation in the long run.

Allstar Showroom Partners

Lamps Plus
1547 S. Colo. Blvd., Denver and 7375 W 88th Ave., Westminster
www.lampsplus.com

Foothills Lighting
1383 S. Santa Fe Dr., Denver
www.foothillslighting.com

Q. I’ve heard there are environmentally superior fixtures I can use in my home remodel. In fact, I’ve seen some fixtures online that look attractive. I’m just worried though because what if they don’t look right when they are delivered.

A. Ask any internet devotee if they’ve made a purchase online that they later regretted and chances are you’ll hear a resounding YES. The bigger question has to do with online store’s policies regarding returns or exchanges.

We have been made aware of some online retailers who only allow exchange for “in-store” credit. If the light fixture isn’t what you want, chances are you will want your credit card to be credited so that you can purchase another fixture elsewhere.

That’s not to say that all online lighting retailers are a bad option. If you live in a major metropolitan area like Denver, there are many reputable lighting stores to chose from. Some of them sell their product online too. Some retailers are exceptional when it comes to handling your product complaints, even paying for the shipping to return the unsatisfactory item to them without charge to you.

Bottom line: be sure you read the online retailers’ exchange policies before giving them access to your credit card.

The important thing is for you to know that the lighting fixture(s) you are selecting to be installed in your home or office will properly light the area you are intending to fix by installing better, improved lighting. A visit to a lighting store can ensure that the light you are considering is appropriate. Often lighting stores have the lights on display and electrified so that you can actually see it turned on.

Q. I am in a rush to select a fixture and don’t have time to waste. What should I do?

A. Rethink your plan. Often even local stores will need to special order lighting. That can take as long as three weeks or more. Even if a store has a light on display, that doesn’t mean that they have as many of the lights as you need on their warehouse shelf. The lighting of your choice might be on backorder, which delays your installation even longer.

We seriously recommend that you don’t rush to have a fixture installed that will need to be changed out any time soon. Our service fees at Allstar Electrical Services are competitive and affordable, but no one wants to spend extra installing and reinstalling light fixtures.

The right fixture installed correctly should be an investment that lasts 5 to 10 years before you even consider changing the “look” of your lighting again.

Q. I heard that some electrical repair services have their own lighting resources. Does Allstar Electrical Services?

A. Allstar Electrical Services has relationships with quality lighting stores that allows us to access lighting for clients at a discount IF we are the electrician installing the lighting fixture for that customer. Call us for a free estimate and to schedule repairs. Our number is 303-399-7420.