Jasco Blog

With the summer well under way, the kids out of school, and the warm weather it’s a perfect time to get everyone together and what better way than with a Fourth of July celebration! All you really need is a backyard, some food, drinks, and good company to have a good time but here are 3 tips for your Fourth of July celebration that you may not have considered. These aren’t necessities but they can definitely add to the overall experience for you and your guests.

The bedtime struggle is real. Nothing is more frustrating than your toddler fighting bed time especially when as adults we have come to cherish those rare and precious moments of dreamland! Thankfully, we've rounded up some tips and suggestions for mastering the “tuck-in" to help parents get bedtime battles under control.

Our homes are one of the most important things we own, and where we spend so much of our time, so it's no surprise many homeowners take on several remodeling projects throughout their life. The only downside is home projects can be extremely costly and difficult to tackle on your own.

Luckily not all home improvements have to carry such an expensive price tag. Through careful planning, creative ideas and the clever use of electronic accessories, you can make a bunch of fun and affordable upgrades with these easy home improvement projects.

Part II: Quality of Light

Last week, we covered the different types, sizes and features of under cabinet fixtures in part one of the DIY Guide to Under Cabinet Kitchen Lighting (READ PART ONE HERE). Now in part two, you'll learn what to look for in a quality under cabinet light fixture and the final important factors you should consider before making a purchase and getting started with your DIY kitchen lighting installation.

If you have tried shopping for a light bulb recently, you know the lighting market is more complex and confusing than ever, with multiple competing technologies (LED, CFL, tungsten, halogen, and others) on the market that each offer different specs, features, and terminology. The market for under cabinet fixtures is fortunately not nearly as complex, but there are still many options available with enormous differences in quality – especially in the quality of light they produce.

What do we mean by “quality of light?” Imagine, if you will, the crisp, clean lighting of a fine art gallery or museum. This is high quality light. Now imagine the buzzing green-hued fluorescent lights of a gas station bathroom. This is bad lighting. These scenes illustrate the extremes of light quality. While the difference between under cabinet fixtures is rarely this severe, it can still be significant.

Too often, consumers will spend thousands of dollars on a new home or kitchen remodel only to undermine their investment with poor quality lighting that casts an unnatural glow on the room and dampens the vibrancy of the space.

There are several quality of light factors to consider when purchasing under cabinet fixtures that will have a tremendous impact on overall look and feel of your kitchen. This guide will help you understand these factors and what to look for in a quality fixture. 

Part I: Which Under Cabinet Fixture is Right for You?

Did you just remodel your kitchen? Could you use more light for your meal prep? Are your overhead lights too harsh for evening relaxation or gatherings? Then quality under cabinet fixtures are an easy and affordable way to dramatically enhance your kitchen space.

Under cabinet light fixtures, also called linear light fixtures, have many applications, but are used primarily in kitchens to add usable light to cabinet surfaces as well as pleasant, ambient light when dimmed to lower levels.

Under cabinet lighting can also be used for accent lighting (especially behind bookshelves) and as work lights, but for the sake of this article we will focus solely on their use in the kitchen.

If celebrating Earth Day inspired you to make your home more eco-friendly then you're not alone! With a growing emphasis on sustainability, energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important and the push to go green is a win-win for your household and the environment. Fortunately, reducing your energy usage isn’t as difficult (or expensive) as you may think. By unplugging electronics, turning off or dimming lights and recycling, you can make a big difference in your daily energy consumption, help reduce pollution and even save some green by going green! 

As warmer weather quickly approaches, now is the perfect time to reduce your family's energy usage. Here are some easy things you can do to reduce your energy bills and consumption this season:

Universal remotes have come a long way since being introduced in the 1950s. In fact, some companies have expanded their traditional black or silver universal remote offerings to include a variety of shapes, colors, textures and features. In this Q & A guide, our team of experts will address the top 15 universal remote questions so you can better understand your GE, Philips or UltraPro remote and get the most out of it.

The Super Bowl only comes once a year, and provides the perfect excuse to get your football-loving family and friends together to watch the game on your big screen TV.

Hosting the Super Bowl party should be both fun and easy. With these simple tips you will know how to have the best Super Bowl party this year!

Winter isn't over just yet, and for many of us, some of the strongest winter storms often strike in January and February. That is why it's so important to plan for the possibility of a power outage.

Even when we're warned days in advance of possible severe weather or ice storms, power outages can still take us by surprise and can be scary for both children and adults. However, there are plenty of easy steps to take before a winter storm strikes to help protect your home (and all your precious gadgets) and insure peace and readiness for you and your family.  

The final month of 2015 is a time for everyone look back on the previous year, but at the same time, look forward.

The last year was actually relatively huge for cord cutters and the streaming industry. HBO and Showtime released standalone streaming services that cord cutters could access without cable credentials. Netflix continued it's run of releasing critically acclaimed series, from new season of "Orange Is the New Black" and "House of Cards," to entirely new one's, like Marvel's "Daredevil" and "Beast of No Nation."

On the hardware side, Apple, Google, Roku and Amazon all released upgrades to their highly praised streaming devices. Add this to the news that sports giant ESPN has lost 7 million subscribers in the last two years, and the writing is on the wall: cord cutting is gaining momentum.