Discover the Convenience and Energy Savings of Programmable Home Lighting and Shades

Residential Energy Savings

Programmable lighting can automatically activate different lighting and shade settings at specific times of the day or at times relative to sunrise or sunset. Automated lighting can even adjust for seasonal changes and daylight savings time. You can also program multiple schedules allowing for different events on weekdays, weekends, and holidays.

Light control offers many ways to help the environment, while beautifying your home.  Dimmers and light control systems let you use just the right amount of light, reducing electricity usage and extending lightbulb life. With eco-home products, you can save energy without sacrificing comfort or style.  Whole-home light control systems extend energy saving throughout your entire home with advanced technology that allows you to control the latest energy-efficient light sources, such as LEDs and fluorescent lamps.

Automated Shades

Shading solutions help optimize daylight in your home by reducing heating and cooling costs while making the space more comfortable. The perfect complement to light and shade control, temperature control gives you the ability to adjust heating and cooling systems any time of day—even while you’re away from home, saving on your energy usage.

Tabletop keypads provide wireless control of lights and shades throughout your home. Perfect for anywhere a convenient portable control is desired. Also provides status of lights or shades in other areas of the home.

Increasing Home Safety And Security With Outdoor Lighting

Security lighting is one of the most effective ways to prevent crime around your home. Studies have shown that outdoor lighting is an effective crime deterrent. There are several types of security lights and outdoor lighting systems available. The two most basic light categories are HID and halogen or incandescent.High intensity discharge (HID) lighting systems are energy efficient, long lasting and very commonly used in landscape lighting.

Halogen or incandescent lighting fixtures are designed to operate on standard household current. Halogen lights are commonly seen on homes and are usually referred to as floodlights and are ideal for continuous or instantaneous use because they require no warm up period. Halogen security lights produce a white to yellow color and are less desirable for aesthetic lighting applications.

Motion Detection Lighting

Home security lighting systems that can detect and recognize movement in dark areas around the home are a good choice for homeowners who wish to reduce continuous glare and power consumtion. Because motion detector units are constantly switching the lights off and on the lights, they cannot be used to control high intensity discharge sources.

Clover Electric has been installing home security lighting throughout the Cleveland are for over 25 year. For expert outdoor lighting advice and professional service and installation, call Clover Electric.

The Importance of GFCI Circuits In Your Home

Homes today are filled with electric devices that are often used in the kitchen, bathrooms and outdoors. The close proximity of these devices to water sources is real concern. When a laptop, charging cell phone or other device falls comes in contact with water, electrocution is a real concern.

GFCI devices were designed to prevent electrocution from electrical appliances that come in contact with water. They are an part component of any home's electrical system and are required by law in most cities and towns in Ohio. Clover Electric can help you ensure that your home is protected with GFCI devices. We can help keep your family safe from the danger of accidental electrocution.

What are GFCI Devices?

GFCI is an acronym for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt. GFCI electrical receptacles and AFCI circuit breakers are outlets or circuit breakers that have  electrical circuits that can detect the symtoms of household electrical current problems before dangerous problems can occur.  When the device detects problems, it automatically cuts off electrical power, providing an critical layer of safety for your family.  

Regular circuit breakers are designed to protect your home's electrical system, not your family!  The amount of electricity that can kill a human is thousands of times less than the amount that would 'trip' a normal circuit breaker. Fuses and circuit breakers will not protect your family from being electrocuted. Think of GFCI receptacles as Anti-Electrocution Devices.

Do I Need GFCI Circuits In My Older Home?

Most homes built in the last 15 years are now required to have GFCI circuits wherever there is a close proximity to the grounding of a person.  Such places are; kitchen counter tops and center islands, within 6' of sinks or tubs, bathrooms, unfinished basements, garages and all outdoor outlets.

If your house was built before GFCIs were required, local building codes do not necessarily require them, but for your family's safety we highly encourage homeowners to upgrade to GFCI outlets. Having your older house retrofitted with GFCI protection is an inexpensive and simple process.

GFCI protection can be installed with GFCI receptacles, or with a whole circuit being equipped with GFCI circuit breaker.

What is an AFCI Device?

An AFCI protection device will detect arcing, conditions where electricity is being conducted over the air, and converted to heat and shut down the outlet before damage occurs.

AFCI protection is now required by law for electrical wiring that reaches sleeping areas.  These are areas where fires could start and catch people who are sleeping or otherwise unable to get out quickly.  Upcoming standards will require the entire house to have AFCI protection.

What's the Difference Between a GFCI and an AFCI Device?

AFCI protection is a lot like a GFCI outlet, but it protects against a different kind of danger.  Some types of electrical appliances are used to convert electricity into heat.  Sometimes, these devices will also produce heating where the device plugs into the wall.  This condition is called arcing.  You may see it when you quickly unplug a heat producing appliance, like an hair dryer, from an outlet while it is switched on.

Unlike GFCI devices, AFCI protection devices are not installed in your home's wall receptacles, but are built into your home's main electrical service panel as special circuit breakers.  Your house can easily be AFCI protected.

When it's time to upgrade the safety of your home's electrical system with GFCI and AFCI devices, call ABC.  A licensed and insured Clovera electrician will replace the circuit breakers for sleeping areas with AFCI circuit breakers and install GFCI outlets to protect your family from the risk of accidental electrical fires and electrocution.

Choosing the Right Backup Generator For Your Home

Keep Your Family Safe and Comfortable with a Whole House Generator

Power outages are occurring more frequently than ever in Ohio and lasting longer with more harmful effects. Whole house generators are becoming a popular way for Cleveland area homeowners to keep their homes safe and comfortable during prolonged periods without power.

Today's backup generators are quieter, more reliable and offer the  convenience of auto start and practically infinite run time. When the power goes out  a standby generator goes on - automatically - protecting you and your home 24/7. With a standby generator your family can maintain everyday necessities like heating, cooling, refrigeration and lighting.

Whole House or Portable Generator?

A portable generator needs to be rolled out from the storage, filled with fuel or hooked up to a fuel line, manually started, and connected to your loads. By contrast, a permanent standby generator starts automatically because it is already connected to both the house wiring and the fuel source. It can sense a power outage, isolate your electrical wiring or designated emergency circuits from the grid, and start powering your home immediately.

Whole house standby generators offer power levels higher than portables - their rating ranges anywhere from 5 kilowatt up into hundreds of kW. This makes them the best choice for long-term power outages. While the initial cost is higher than a portable generator, a whole house generator will increase the value of your home.

When power is restored, a portable generator will need to be switched off manually. A whole house generator will connect you back to the utility lines and will turn itself off automatically. You don't even have to be home to switch it over.

What to Look For When Choosing a Whole House Generator For Your Home

Aside from wattage, consider the duration of time you may need emergency power, fuel availability, safety and convenience of use.

By selecting which appliances and lighting you want to maintain during a power outage, you can calculate the power requirements of the designated circuits and select a generator that can maintain the proper wattage for your application.

Most residential generators can run on both natural gas and LP (propane). Your installer will do a simple field adjustment to convert the unit to your available fuel source. A whole house generator will be permantentlly installed in a location that provides easy access to your home's electric and fuel supply and that minimizes the risk of exhaust fumes entering the home.

Have backup power generator questions?  The experts at Clover Electric can help you select the best whole house generator solution to fit your family's needs and budget.