 The Shock Doctors ECRA/ESA #7001377 |
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Writing your Prescription for Electrical Safety
January 2010 |
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HRTC Deadline is Looming
Canadian homeowners only have until February 1, 2010 to make use of the Home Renovation Tax Credit. Residents could save up to $1,350 on home improvements purchased before February 1, 2010.
HRTC is a non-refundable tax credit based on eligible expenditures for work performed, or goods acquired, after January 27, 2009, and before February 1, 2010, on eligible expenditures of more than $1,000 but not more than $10,000. The HRTC can be claimed when filing your 2009 tax return.
Eligible electrical expenses include wiring, electrical panels, service upgrades, autostart generators and generlinks. electric & gas furnaces, air conditioners and hotwater tanks. (labour, material & equipment)
We can answer your questions regarding all of these products or services.
SEE COUPON BELOW | |
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Welcome to 2010 and your "News You can Use around Your Home".
This month our goal is to "shed a little light" on the task of "shedding a little light".
Our feature article covers some of the design tips you might want to consider when lighting your kitchen in order to improve functionality.
Terry Carman
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| "Mood Lighting" - the Real Deal |
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Did your New Year's resolution involve eating healthier and cooking at home more often? We can help. The right lighting style can make your kitchen more energized and creative.
The recipe for designing the lighting for your kitchen is easy to follow and layering them creatively will get your kitchen "really cooking".
By layering the 3 key elements of lighting: ambient light, focal light and decorative light, you can evoke a wide range of moods and emotions tailored to fit your needs.
Ambient light provides general, background lighting for the room. It should be a crisp, clean, natural light that floods the space evenly. Pot lighting and fluorescent lighting are common choices. (Tip: never use regular bulbs in your potlights as most of the light is lost into the canister.) Flood style bulbs in either incandescent or dimmable CFL are the lamp of choice for potlights. When choosing bulbs or tubes for ambient kitchen light, the best choices are ones that say daylight or natural. 
Focal light draws our attention. In the kitchen focal light spotlights task areas and helps prevent "digit dicing". Under-cabinet lighting, spot lights over the sink, pendants over islands all focus the light on the task at hand. Under-counter fluorescent tubes will flood the entire countertop work area while halogen lights provide more intense and directed light source. These days many designers choose halogen because although halogen bulbs cost more, they last twice as long and provide a bright, natural light.
Finally define your eating space without the use of walls. A chandelier or hanging decorative light captures an area and separates it from the workspace. To achieve glitter without glare, keep your chandelier dimmed. For extra sparkle, consider installing small recessed downlights on either side of the chandelier.
Have you noticed that everything tastes better by candlelight? Scientific experiments show that impairing one sense makes the others more acute. When you turn down the lights, your visual senses are muted, allowing your sense of taste to be enhanced.
Whether preparing a meal or hosting a casual get-together, you'll love how multiple layers of light can change the feel of your kitchen to suit the mood of the moment!
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| BULB SCIENCE 101 |
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Uncle Fester recently called us for help. He had a terrible time choosing the right bulb for his needs from the vast selection of lamps at his local Home Depot.
Here are some of the scientific terms found on packaging that can be helpful when choosing bulbs to achieve a desired ambience. 
Colour temperature or Kelvin (K) temperature - Warm vs. Cool
This is a scientific term that refers to the "colour" of the white emitted by the bulb or tube. Most lights used in the home falls within a range of 2700K to 4000K. Yellowish-white ("warm white") lamps, have lower colour temperatures in the 2700K-3000K range. Warm light is more flattering to skin tones, while bluish-white ("cool white") range from 4000 - 4500K. The higher the colour temperature (K value) the whiter, or more blue, the light will be.
For decoration purposes, warmer lights are preferred when the room is decorated with warm colours such as reds, browns, and oranges, while cool coloured lights (4000K and up) can dramatically enhance the look of rooms where greens, and blues predominate.A mid-range bulb in the 3500K range ("soft white") is a good compromise when you want a natural white light or have a mix of warm and cool colours in your decorating mix.
Color Rendering Index (CRI)
An international system used to rate a lamp's ability to render object colours. The higher the CRI (based upon a 0-100 scale) the richer colours generally appear. Only use the CRI rating when comparing lamps if the lamps are close in colour temperature. You will be unhappy with the look of two lamps in the same room even though they have the same colour temperature if the CRI difference between them is more than 5 points.
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| ASK THE DOCTOR |
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| I would like to have under-cabinet fluorescent lighting installed in my kitchen. Can they be hardwired to my existing counter workspace receptacles?
No. The Code does not permit circuits that supply receptacles located behind kitchen counter work surfaces to supply any other outlets.
Solution: Most often, there is enough space in the kitchen light circuit to run the undercabinet lighting from it. If investigation proves otherwise, a new circuit would be run in directly from the panel. (never a problem for the 'snake charming' Shockdoctors) |
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We had the opportunity to spend New Year's Eve in our nation's capital when we drove our daughter back to school. We approved of the Christmas lighting efforts of the Parliamentary building maintenance staff!
Cheri Carmanafety l sson": NEVER use a met
 a stepOVER ECRA of the ESA #7001377 |
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Receive an additional INSTANT rebate of $50 on all HRTC eligible work completed before February 1st 2010. |
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