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Don't Touch That! Childproofing Home Theater

12/26/2012

If you have kids, or know any kids, you know that pretty much everything in their vicinity needs to be baby-proofed, for the safety of a crawling or toddling child, as well as your expensive technology. A personal childhood memory of my younger brother sticking tweezers in a wall outlet reminds me that the clatter of the remote control isn't the only thing to be concerned about.

Here are 3 ways to protect your little ones and protect your electronic investments, without sacrificing any style or convenience.

A great solution to keep little fingers away from the opening and shutting DVD trays and enticing blinking lights, not to mention keeping little feet (and teeth?) away from stray cords, all in on fell swoop, is a custom rack system. BCG specializes in these rack systems, which organize all your home theater and networking components into one spot and neatly bundles cords and wires. They're then tucked away in a closed cabinet or closet, making them a great streamlining feature for you and a non-issue for the little ones. If you're not quite ready for a whole rack system, you'll want to at least have a rack in spirit. Enclose components like DVD players behind doors that can be fixed with childproof "locks," and hide cords and wires behind cord-concealers, which will not only be safer around children, they'll look cleaner and more organized. Products like power strip covers and outlet covers are readily available and will prevent curious toddlers from finding out what happens if they unplug something or maybe even more worrisome, what happens if they plug something in, while still allowing the outlets to be used, unlike those finger- and nail-breaking standard plug covers.

Next, secure your TV. As it's usually the biggest and most expensive single element of your system, and you can't hide it away, you'll want to make sure it's protected. More importantly, studies show that roughly 40% of furniture/appliance related child emergency room visits are from televisions alone. A win-win solution is to mount your TV on the wall. While a hanging television sounds counterintuitive when considering falling television injuries, having an expert, like BCG, professionally mount your flat screen would ensure that it is extremely secure and out of reach. Flat panel TVs are much sleeker looking, lighter (although generally more front heavy), and definitely an upgrade from the older boxy tube TVs, but those features also make them easier to knock over when they're perched on a piece of furniture. Securely mounting your TV to the wall will look great in your space, avoid a tip-over injury, and will even put the glossy frame around the screen away and out of reach from snack-sticky hands.

Everyone, whether due to a curious child or not, has cringed at the sound of the remote control crashing to the floor, and we've all seen a remote with a taped-on battery door. Be sure to safeguard the most used item in your home theater and sound system from the little ones (and the adults!) The first thing to do is condense. Universal remotes are a great option to eliminate a different control for every element of your system. This will make everything more convenient for you, so much more streamlined than 5+ different remotes sprawled out on the coffee table, and will mean less "toys" sitting out just begging to be played with or hidden. A universal remote is typically a bit larger, heavier, and more durable than the remote packaged with your TV. The size and weight won't even be noticeable when you're using it, but will make all the difference if it does hit the ground. Some companies even offer protective cases for their controls. Maybe the best part, since these remotes are so customizable, they also have "lock" features, allowing a child to have fun pushing the buttons if they get a hold of it, but not allowing them to do any programming or viewing damage.

Childproofing your home electronics doesn't have to mean hard-to-open (for adults!) cabinets and an ugly plastic cover over everything. You don't want to have to steer the younger members of the family away from an entire area of the house or continuously repeat, "Don't touch that!" Protecting your loved ones and your investments can be easy, and a bonus for everyone. These changes will mean that every guest and member of the family can fully enjoy every part of your home with total peace of mind.

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It’s Easy Being Green. Eco-Friendly Lighting Control.

12/5/2012

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Kermit may have sung of the hardships of being green, but here at BCG we think it’s easy, and totally worth it. Especially in Los Angeles, you already recycle, use re-usable grocery bags, and drive an Earth-friendly vehicle, why shouldn’t your house be part of the environmental fun too? With all the advances in today’s technology, there are easy things you can do throughout your home that Mother Nature would be proud of, and actually make your life better. Making your home a “Smart Home” is just the thing to modernize your space and make everything around the house a little more convenient, all the while saving you money and doing your part to protect our planet.

The quickest way to get your home on the “smart” track? Lighting Control. Automated lighting is an essential element of any smart home. It’s also the easiest way to cut down your electricity bill and save some energy. Preset dimmers, motorized shades, and scheduled automation can help ensure that lights aren’t left on unnecessarily and your entire home can take advantage of natural light. Especially here in Southern California, we should take advantage of all that sunshine!

5 Big Benefits of Lighting Control:

Lighting control increases comfort and improves productivity. Not only will uncontrolled lighting zap the energy in your home, it can zap your personal energy as well. Lighting that is too harsh strains your eyes, is a common culprit for migraine headaches, and will subconsciously discourage you from spending much time in that space. Conversely, lighting that is too dim for your task also puts undue stress on your eyes and can cause drowsiness and lack of focus. Being able to control the light levels in your space through dimmers, or through motorized shades and sensors for natural light, will keep you productive and comfortable while saving your electric bill.

So often, in order to reduce your energy use or to be more eco-friendly, you have to sacrifice something for the “greater good,” whether its convenience, money, or time. With lighting control, you’re actually going to enrich your life. You’ll have more control in your space (a lighting solution for every situation, i.e. scary movie ambiance, novel reading, playing with the kids, anything!) setting customized “scenes,” or preset lighting conditions, will mean your preferences are at the easy touch of a button, and there’s the option to control everything from your mobile devices. No more fumbling around in the dark trying to find the wall switch, and no need to turn the car around when you realize you’ve left all the living room lights on.

Dimmers, like those from Lutron, will save you energy. Even if you keep your dimmer switch at its highest level, you’ll still be saving about 5% in electricity compared to a typical on/off control. And the more you dim, the more you save. This goes for any light source you use a dimmer on, whether halogen, CFL, or LED; if you dim it, you’ll save energy on it.
Dimmers and lighting control will also extend the life of your light bulbs. Since you’re reducing power, you’ll get more mileage out of each bulb, saving you even more money, and the hassle of replacing burned-out bulbs, especially those hard-to-reach ones, in the long run.

According to Lutron, if every US homeowner changed just 2 standard switches to dimmers, the United States could potentially save $1.5 billion in electricity and would be the equivalent environmentally of taking more than 1 million cars off the road. That’s a big impact for such an easy change around the house!

Taking the first step toward total lighting control will give you instant gratification on your electric bill, as well as making your home modern and beautiful. We told you it’s easy being green!

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Don't Touch That! Childproofing Home Theater

It’s Easy Being Green. Eco-Friendly Lighting Control.

5 Big Benefits of Lighting Control:

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