If you don’t have a home security system installed, what are you waiting for? There are so many reasons you should have one installed, even besides keeping your home safe. Here are our five favorite reasons why we think you should have a home security system installed!

Break ins can happen to anyone, anywhere. Make sure your family stay safe by installing a home security system. Free stock photo of break in, brutal, burglar : taken from – https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-lights-legs-silhouette-8827/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/

Home security systems Colorado Springs: Protect your valuables

The number one reason why anyone has a security system installed is to keep their home and valuables safe. In some areas of the country, homeowners (and renters!) are at risk of burglary. You’ll never know when they’re about to break in, and if you’re unlucky, you won’t hear them. Burglars can take everything of value that isn’t pinned down, and leave your house in an awful mess. Anything that stops that is a good thing.

Burglar alarms keep burglars away. Not only can a home security system inform police of a break-in, and sound an alarm if there is one, but it will deter burglars from even attempting to break in. A home security that’s visible from the street will stop your home from being burglarized at all. So whether you’re at home, or you’re on holiday, you can rest assured that your home and everything in it are going to be safe.

Home security systems Colorado Springs: Protect your family

Home security systems are for keeping safe everything that’s valuable to you. So whether that’s your jewellery, your computer, your Xbox, or your loved ones, a home security system can help.

Of course, even more important than your valuables are your family. You can’t possibly put a price on keeping you and your family safe. And a home security system will do just that. Of course, the worst case situation of a burglary is that you or your family will be hurt, either in confronting the burglars, or for some other, even worse reason. It doesn’t bear thinking about. But you can have peace of mind by installing a security system, so that situations like that won’t ever arise. If you’re not sure how your system works, you can always ask one of our friendly master electricians!

Onto another important reason. Having a home security system installed can actually help to save you money in the long run! Home insurance premiums, like every other kind of insurance, are determined based on risk. So if you’re going on holiday to somewhere particularly dangerous, your travel insurance will cost more. Or, if you keep your car on the kerb instead of in your garage, you’ll pay more for auto insurance. It’s how insurance companies make money!

The exact same applies to home insurance. If your home is somewhere dangerous, you’ll have to pay more. If you keep Picasso paintings on the wall, you’ll have to pay more again. And if you have no home security system, you’ll have to pay the most. You can knock a sizeable chunk from your monthly premiums by having a security system installed, so you’ll be able to save a lot of money in the long run. And where we’re from, saving money is always a good thing!

Make sure your home stays safe and secure by installing a home security system.Blue and Gray Concrete House With Attic during Twilight · Free Stock Photo : taken from – https://www.pexels.com/photo/blue-and-gray-concrete-house-with-attic-during-twilight-186077/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/

Home security systems Colorado Springs: Raise the value of your home or business

Another reason to have a home security system installed is that it can improve the value of your home. Any kind of home improvement does the same. So, if you have a new kitchen installed, you can add a few thousand dollars to your house price. If you have your yard landscaped, you can add a few thousand more. And the same goes for having a home security system installed.

If you ever look to sell your house, potential buyers will be impressed with your security. Nobody would want to move into a house in a dangerous area, with no security, weak locks and flimsy doors. But if you’re serious about security, you’ll be able to impress buyers and make it simple for them to imagine living in your home. So whether you’re trying to sell your first home, whether it’s in an unsafe area or not, you’ll have a much easier time selling it with a home security system- and you can charge more, too!

Home security systems Colorado Springs: Keep an eye on your home when you’re away

An important part of a full security system are security cameras. And they’re not just for watching your front yard. You can have them installed throughout your home or business, to keep an eye on everything from your kitchen to your lounge. When you’re away from home- on holiday, on a work trip, or just out and about- you can rest assured that anything going on back home will be on camera.

And thanks to technology, the live feed from these cameras can be accessed online. Talk about useful! So when you’re on holiday or out for the night, you can keep an eye on your home. You’ll have no more trouble with the babysitter- and all because you had a home security system installed!

The short answer is yes, you can build your own DIY home theater! But it isn’t a small undertaking. You need to plan, plan and plan some more. And then it’s going to take some hard work.

Because it’s such a complex undertaking, we’ve come up with this list of hints and tips. And at the end, we’ve summed everything up with a little advice. Read on to find out everything you need to know about putting together your own DIY home theater!

DIY home theater: don’t skimp on the planning

Planning your home theater is the most important step. It’s the step you should spend the longest on. So our first piece of advice is that you should never, ever skimp on the planning (either when putting together your DIY home theater, or doing any home improvements).

The sheer magnitude of planning you’ll have to do is why most people go with a professional. As electrical engineers, we spend a lot of time and money installing home theater systems, so we like to think we know what we’re doing! If you’re going to go it alone, you have to allow for the fact that it’s more difficult than it looks.

DIY home theater: do a dress rehearsal

Before you start actually installing your home theater, do a dress rehearsal. If you’re not sure exactly how to do that, it’s simple: set out all of the furniture, all of the equipment and all of the lighting (if possible) to see realistically what your home theater will look like. You might surprise yourself and find out that you don’t actually have enough room. Or, that you would prefer to put out the surround sound speakers somewhere else.

There’s nothing wrong with changing your plans around at this stage- that’s why you should always do a dress rehearsal. In fact, it’s not just possible but probable that you’ll make adjustments to the wiring setup, the equipment and the layout of your room at this point. Just bear in mind that you might have to put aside yet more time for your project, both because of the additional planning, and potentially the additional orders you’ll have to put in.

DIY home theater: don’t rush your job

The last thing you should do is rush the installation of your home theater. If it’s a weekend project, don’t set an arbitrary limit of time- say, eight weeks- because projects overrun. Maybe you need a part that you didn’t realise you did. Or maybe you cut a cable in half by accident, and have to send off for a replacement. Accidents are always inches away from happening on jobs like these!

The same applies if you’re taking time off work to work on your project. You might be tempted to work day and night to finish your work in a week’s paid holiday. But if you do that, do you really think you’re doing the best job you possibly could? And if you knew that a professional electrician was rushing through the job you were paying them to do, would you be happy?

Of course you wouldn’t be happy! So apply the same rules to yourself: give yourself enough time, as long as it takes, to complete your project.

DIY home theater: do pre-wire everything, and wire everything properly

If you give yourself enough time, wiring is likely to take up a large portion of it. You have two options for wiring: if you’re fully renovating the room, the best method is to hang the wiring inside the wall. That way, you’ll be left with the amazing aesthetic effect of hidden wiring! But if you’re not going that far, think about alternative methods like a cable tidy. If you hire a professional, we can completely renovate the room, install insulation to muffle the sounds escaping from the room, and hide the wiring almost completely. Like we said, it’s a bigger job than it seems!

When you’re wiring, keep to the hints and tips you can find for wiring anything. Mark every single wire, so you know exactly what it is when it’s tangle with the other wires. Make sure you pick cables that are too long for the job you need them for, so you never pull them too tight. This is something you have to address during your planning stage, and if your cables are too short when you go through your dry run then you’ll have to order more. But it’s worth doing right, and doing right first time, because once you’re done with your project it’s best if it stays done!

DIY home theater: always remember why you’re building a home theater

Through all the long days, and maybe long nights, remember this: it isn’t easy now, but once you’re finished, it’ll all be worth it. You’re likely to stress out by working on a large scale project like this, and there are guaranteed to be unforeseeable hitches. You might feel that you take one step forward and two steps back as you encounter roadblocks to realising your dream. But don’t give up!

The good thing is that if you hit a hitch that you just can’t overcome, you can always bring in the expert. Electrical engineers pick up the pieces of abandoned projects all the time, so it’s nothing we’re uncomfortable with. All that matters in the end is that you’re happy with your home theater, so if it gets to the point where you’re dreading coming home to be confronted by your unfinished project, call in the experts.

Are you thinking of having security system put in place at home, and you’re wondering what to expect from a home security alarm installation? Look no further: read our quick guide on how home security alarms are installed!

Home security alarm installation: site assessment

The first step of an alarm installation- or any security installation for that matter- is to assess your home. This assessment is only brief, and consists of having a little look around the inside and outside of your home. The engineer won’t poke around your laundry room- unless you want your alarm installed in there, to keep your washing safe- they’ll just look around enough to figure out how best to place and install your alarm.

The point of the site assessment is to pinpoint the ideal position for your security equipment. Installing security cameras is a good example: there’s no point having a camera pointed at the wall! Through the site assessment, we make sure that that scenario could never happen: all cameras would be placed looking along hallways, for instance.

The same applies to installing a home security alarm. You want to make sure that it’s close to to the main entry points of the house, where you’ll be able to quickly and easily turn it on and off, and input your pass code. The site assessment will also take into account the task of where best to install the alarm in terms of the electrics: can the alarm be installed in a particular place with a minimum of wiring having to be installed?

When you have your actual alarm installed, it actually doesn’t take too long. The engineer has to do two things: install the wiring that’s going to power the alarm (or alarms), and then fit the alarm itself. The part that takes the longest is doing the wiring. This depends on your house, more than anything. Some houses, particularly older ones, have erratic and unpredictable wiring; but no matter what kind of house you live in, the engineer will try and make sure they don’t have to knock through any walls just to install your alarm.

Once the engineer finishes the wiring, they’ll move on to fitting the alarm. It isn’t too complicated. It basically involves plugging the alarm in through the back of the system. Afterwards, the engineer fixes the alarm to the wall. If you want more than one alarm, installing them will obviously take twice as long. So prepare to make a cup of coffee or two for your hard working electrician!

After we install your system, we have to configure it. To configure your alarm system, we have to ask you: what would you like it to do? Obviously, it’s for keeping burglars out, but we don’t mean that. What we mean is that we can configure the system to know when you’ll be leaving in the morning, when you’ll be coming home in the evening, and what days you work. That way, it can know when to expect you, and it won’t call the police when you arrive home from work.

Configuring the system is something you can do yourself. But while we’re there, we may as well do it for you! It won’t take long, and all it involves is asking you a few questions about your schedule. If you’re more of a private person, we can skip this step. It’s up to you. Either way, we’ll leave a manual for you after we finish installing your alarm. You can use the manual to figure out how to program the security alarm yourself. For anybody of a certain age, it will probably remind you of setting your VCR to record something after you go to bed!

Home security alarm installation: testing the system

The last thing we’ll do before we leave is test your system for you. This, of course, is just to make sure that it works as intended, and as programmed. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t work at all; the only fault we’re likely to find at this point is that the timing instructions might be a little off- in other words, which times to expect you and which times to suspect a burglar is breaking in.

The test is pretty simple. It’s a case of pretending to break in and seeing if the alarm goes off! If you would like, you can jimmy your own window and sneak in to see if the security alarm detects you as it should. If you’d rather not, we can do it for you!

What are the benefits of a professional installing your alarm system?

It is possible to install your own security system, and it will save you money on the initial installation fee. But we recommend having a professional install it for you, and here’s why:

If you aren’t an electrician, you might not fully appreciate the danger of installing anything electrical. Getting things wrong could be lethal. If you do manage to install the system correctly, and you have it working, that’s not the end of the story: one improperly insulated wire could one day cause a fire. So installing an electrical appliance is definitely different to putting together your own furniture from Ikea.

If things do go wrong for you- say, the alarm just won’t configure properly or the wiring is all messed up- you’ll have to call out an electrician anyway, and spend all the money you tried to save. Not to mention, all that work you put in just went down the drain! You may as well sit back and let somebody else do everything for you.

The proof of a properly installed security system is in it catching burglars in the act. It’s best not to wait until your system has to prove itself- you should get it professionally installed, because there are professionals who secure people’s homes for a living. It’s wise to rely on them!

Knowing is half the battle, and not knowing when to hire a professional electrician could mean the difference between needing a $20 wall outlet or needing to call the fire department because faulty wiring caught fire.Only a professional who has been trained and who has the experience will know what to look for and properly check your electrical problem.Doing it yourself is not just cheap, but reckless—it could end up costing more for a DIY fix in the long run.

Being Prepared

Not all electricians are created equal, some are fresh, enthusiastic, but lacking in experience, qualifications, or proper equipment.That goes for any trade profession, really.Before you go digging through the classifieds, you can make the search a bit easier on yourself by preparing a list of qualifications that should be met before calling them for an estimate.Simply print out of checklist to check off as you’re going through the classifieds, so that you don’t forget a major red flag or missing skillset because of how friendly and well-spoken the prospective electrician is on the phone.

Starting your Search

You could go straight to classifieds in the paper or online, but the fastest and easiest way to source an electrician is through family or friends.Call them first to get their recommendations, or advice against ones they’ve used.Once you’ve got a few good recommendations, then you begin your research and discovery process with interviewing.

Licensed and Bonded

Step one, never respond to a classified ad online that does not notate that they are licensed and insured in Colorado.Never settle for someone who is just simply licensed to work, you will be left on the hook if they damage anything, lest you take them to court, which is a huge stress that could simply be avoided by being more careful with who you hire.

Resume/Experience

Obviously, you should check their credentials, but while you’re at it, see if you can learn about the types of projects or jobs that they have done in the past.Experience is a great way to separate two electrician candidates who are similarly priced.As far as minimum requirements go, you’ll want to hire someone who has at least three years under their belt, and preferably one whom can offer a twelve month guarantee after their work is finished.That means if anything goes wrong with a part or if your problem persists, then they will come back and fix it for you, free of charge.This tells you when an electrician is confident in their skills, no matter how big the problem may be.

Get the Best Value

Cost will be the first thing you’ll be looking at when filtering through electricians, but it shouldn’t be looked at as some binary litmus test.Electrical work is going to be expensive, whether you like it or not, if you’re going to hire someone who is licensed and bonded.Yeah, you could hire cousin Sal to do it for you for half the price of the average electrician listed online, but you really don’t want to have to deal with a problem of encountering an “oops” in the middle of a repair.Besides, these types of situations can create lasting rifts in family if there’s a lot of money involved.

Get multiple quotes, be realistic about your budget, and look at the big picture when purchasing services for what appears to you as just a “minor repair” job.

Reviews and Referrals

After you’ve gotten the basics out the way, put aside a few minutes to go through their feedback and comments left online or via referral numbers that you can request from them.They shouldn’t have any problems connecting you to recent customers if they are confident in their work.Now, just because they are okay with giving you reference numbers doesn’t mean you should save time by not calling them.You might learn some valuable information that can help you decide between competitive electricians that you have lined up.

If you want a quality referral right off the bat, for an electrician in Colorado Springs, visit wireworkscoinc.com.You’ll quickly realize why they come recommended after reading their reviews and credentials.You need a highly qualified professional to make sure you get the job done right the first time, don’t put your home or its value at-risk.

Why trust Wire Works Co Inc for electricians Colorado Springs?

Wire Works Co Inc has over 20 years of experience in providing quality electrical installations, including home theaters, lighting, & security systems. Our licenses and insurance are up-to-date. In addition, we have many testimonials from satisfied clients. Wire Works Co Inc serves Colorado Springs and Southern Colorado. We are a local, trusted master electrician. Contact us today to meet a friendly, helpful electrician who can help you with all your home theater needs & wants.

What do electricians in Colorado Springs do?

An Electrical Contractor or a Master Electrician installs and maintains electrical power, lighting, communication and control systems in homes, offices, businesses and factories. An Electrical Contractor would work on building a home theater; maintain electrical wiring and home automation Colorado Springs or help with home theater installation.

A Master Electrician directs and trains other electricians to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring or equipment. He manages a team of electricians, studies blueprints or technical diagrams, identifies any electrical problems, replaces electrical wires or rewires a building and may work with a home theater installer Colorado Springs. An electrical contractor or a master electrician will have a comprehensive understanding of the state and local building regulations that are based on the National Electric Code.

Electrical contractors may work alone, or collaborate with other professionals such as architects, civil engineers and building contractors. They may work with specialists such as elevator installers, heating and air conditioning workers, or home theater installers in Colorado Springs.

Hire Only Licensed Professionals For Electrical Needs

An electrician is a man who is licensed and specializes in the installation, repair and maintenance of various electrical appliances for both residential and commercial purposes.

They are trained in this field with the main focus on how the electrical feature of an appliance works. They look deeply into the engineering and the electrical connectivity of a device and therefore when something goes wrong, the electricians in Colorado Springs know exactly how to fix it. The electrical appliances of today are more complicated to understand than ever before. With every device being “smart technology” these days, the systems are a combination of fine detailed engineering and design. It is a must to get them installed with the help of a professional to avoid wear and tear.

Many people try to save that extra buck or two on installation by trying to go through the reader manual and install these appliances on their own. Well, an important aspect that they don’t understand is that the appliance may have cost them a fortune and in the process of saving those few extra bucks, they may actually be risking thousands. There is a good chance that you may connect the wrong wires, or get the sockets mixed up. Electric appliances are delicate and all it needs is one spark to destroy the entire piece. Expert electricians of Colorado Springs help install your gadgets perfectly at exclusive and reasonable prices that do not feel too heavy on your pocket. They are licensed individuals who are trained to deal with these things and are just a call away. Contact Wire Works Co Inc today!

What is the Minimum Qualification required to be an Electrician?

In almost all states, electricians need to be certified. But before that, a prospective electrician must have earned a high school diploma or its equivalent. They should have taken 1 year of algebra in high school, pass an aptitude test and pass a drug test. This is the minimum qualification required to attend a technical school, where they learn the techniques involved in operating with circuitry, electrical safety practices and the basics related to electrical science. On graduating from a technical school, electricians may continue their education and learn more about safety practices, details about the electrical code, and get specialized training by manufacturers in various electrical products.

After completing their initial training, electricians may be required to take continuing education courses. These courses are usually related to safety practices, changes to the electrical code, and training from manufacturers in specific products such as building a home theater and work as a home theater installer Colorado Springs, for example.

Electricians are required to get certified even as they are trained through apprenticeship programs under electrical contracting companies that are sponsored by local unions or national associations.

Aspiring electricians may join a certificate program before or during an apprenticeship with an electrical contractor. An apprenticeship program may take 4 to 5 years to complete. During an apprenticeship program, electricians must complete a minimum of 144 hours of technical training and over 2,000 hours of on-the- job training.

An electrician certificate program is quite comprehensive and covers maintenance and installation of residential, commercial and industrial electrical systems, with a special focus on safety procedures. An electrician certification program takes a year to complete.

On completing the apprenticeship, electricians-in- training should get certified by passing the state licensing exam. Getting certified is absolutely critical for electricians. All states require electricians to take the state licensing exams and be licensed before working as professionals in the field. For more information on this, get in touch with your state electrical licensing board.

What are the requirements of a State Electrical Licensing Exam?

Electricians can get certified only by passing an electrical licensing exam conducted by their state board. In a typical licensing exam, electricians will be tested on their knowledge of electrical theory, national and local electrical codes. Some states require electricians to get a master electrician certification for specialized electrical work. It is important for electricians to have gathered sufficient work experience to become eligible for an electrician certification and licensing offered by their state.

Job Outlook for Electricians in the United States

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), electricians in the country had a mean annual wage of $53,030 in 2012. The BLS expects demand for electricians in the country to increase by 23% from 2010 to 2020 with a specific demand for specialists working on areas such as home automation Colorado Springs, home theater installation, solar and wind power and so on.

Home Security in Colorado Springs: Safe Housing And Better Lives

A lot of people do not consider home security systems until they fall prey to a theft or a mishap. A great deal of these incidents can be prevented, if people have security systems pre-installed.

The current economic system and crisis have been putting people in financially desperate situations. Therefore such crimes are taking place every 15 minutes in some or the other part of the world.

There are a lot of ways to prevent these things from happening and security systems are on top of the list of things to do to prevent burglars from breaking into your house. There are a lot of other benefits associated with security systems. Thieves try to enter a property based on the ease of entrance but they are always afraid of getting caught. If their target has a Home Security in Colorado Springs, it is highly likely that they will not break into the house and find an easier target with no security systems installed.

There is complete peace of mind in knowing that your house and family are safe. There is no worry when leaving the house empty and going out of the town as well. Even insurance companies offer better discounts and premiums to properties with security systems installed. The systems let you respond better to emergencies and deal with culprits even if a theft has taken place.

Questions That Need To Be Answered Before Finalizing A Home Security System

Security systems protect you from more than just a thief. What makes the most difference is the automation system, the installing and the monitoring options, but choosing a home security system needs careful consideration. There are a few questions that require specific answers before finalizing a home security in Colorado:

Is the home under your ownership or rented?

Will the current owner need mobile access?

Is a camera necessary?

Are the owners going to stay for long or are they planning to move anytime soon?

Does the home need simple security or more than an anti burglar system?

Answering these simple questions will help you chose the right home security in Colorado. You will not only be able to finalize a particular system but also be able to work on your budgeted amount. The right system will be available for the right price only by knowing exactly what is needed. The next thing that needs attention after the cost is:

Installation- The installation procedure and requirements are very important. Some people may try to install the systems themselves to save extra bucks, but it is always better to get it done by a professional to avoid mishaps and future repair costs that may turn out to be way more expensive.

Warranty on equipment- This is a very important aspect to consider when choosing a home security system in Colorado. Most companies offer warranties on replacement and repairs for a certain period. Make sure these are taken care of, to avoid problems in the future.

Take note of the above mentioned FAQs and contact Wire Works Co Inc for more details.

What options are available for lighting in Colorado Springs?

The electricians of Colorado Spring’s based Wire Works Co Inc can help you select and install the ideal lighting setup in your home. Wire Works has personally worked on countless lighting installs. We have the experience necessary to help you perfectly capture the right environment in your home. What areas of your home may need to be lit up? Here are some popular options:

Above the kitchen sink

Over a breakfast bar

Around the home theater system to prevent glare

Light up a bookshelf

Show off your collection of model cars, beautiful antiques or other valuables

Those are just some ideas that can help beautify your home. Our specialized consultations can help take your lighting projects to the next level!

What options are available for home theater Colorado Springs?

A home theater can help make football Sunday that much more special. It can turn a triple AAA Hollywood blockbuster into a memory you cherish. Even popular TV shows look and sound better when the the technology in your audio & video system are easy to use.

The electricians of Colorado Spring’s based Wire Works Co Inc can help you select and install the best home theater for your living space. Wire Works has personally worked on copious home theater installs. We have the experience necessary to help yo amplify your home entertainment experience. Our specialized consultations can help take your home entertainment project to the next level!

One of the great innovations of the recent decade is the home theater, which has successfully changed people’s outlook when it comes to home entertainment. Home theaters with surround sound have made it possible to bring cinematic movies to a whole new level of entertainment that you can indulge yourself with at home. Essentially, it is possible to decorate your living room with a home theater and enjoy a new level of entertainment. Home theaters also offer a great way to have fun with the family while you also enjoy a much better movie experience. An experienced home theater installer in Colorado Springs can help guide to the maximum visual & sound quality at a minimal price. Right now home theaters are taking a great leap in the features they offer you. One recent revolution in the home theater space is Dolby Atmos.

With Dolby Atmos in your home theater system, you can expect nothing but a whole new level of excitement when it comes to video entertainment. You can certainly have an immersive video entertainment environment which will transform your viewing experience into something that is full of color and brightness. All of which is brought to you by Dolby Atmos’s advanced vision technology. If what you are looking for in your home theater is faultless visual quality and immaculate sound, Dolby Atmos products can bring them both to you. Dolby Atmos products allow you to upgrade your home theater to experience great benefits.

Take Your Home Theater to the Next Level with Dolby Atmos

A qualified, certified master electrician can help ensure you understand what the best options are for you and what the capabilities of your home theater system should be. If you want to experience a one of a kind home entertainment, you should use Dolby Atmos for the following reasons:

Stellar Sound Performance

Dolby Atmos’ A/V receivers are designed to transform and upgrade your living room home theater to be more powerful with surround sound which is ideal if your home theater is easy on your eyes but leaving your ears ill impressed. With Dolby Atmos, your A/V receiver comes with auto-calibration and speaker configuration that’s completely flexible. It definitely lets you experience every emotion and thrill of the movie you’re watching, without the hassle of configuration help from you!

Brighter and Colorful Picture

Dolby Atmos uses Dolby Visio technology which can deliver a significantly different visual experience. It can effectively raise your expectations when it comes to visual display with it ultra-rich colors and striking brightness. TVs with Dolby Atmos are designed to provide you with dramatic quality of images that are incredibly brighter and deeper in color. You can literally lose yourself in its cinematic quality that is completely captivating.

Movies are not the only entertainment that is available in surround sound and with Dolby Atmos. You can also experience a whole new level of entertainment through TV shows, live sporting and streaming content – all in higher specs of stunning image quality and sound performance. The only problem you might find with upgrading your home theater to the next level is the cost and product knowledge. But with Wire Works Co Inc, that does not have to be a problem as they offer you a simplified solution: 1 on 1 consulting, easy to understand directions, mess-free installation and superior service all around.

Why trust Wire Works Co Inc with home theater in Colorado Springs?

Wire Works Co Inc has over 20 years of experience in providing quality electrical installations, including home theaters. Our licenses and insurance are up-to-date. In addition, we have many testimonials from satisfied clients. Wire Works Co Inc serves Colorado Springs and surrounding areas. We are a local, trusted master electrician. Contact us today to meet a friendly, helpful electrician who can help you with all your home theater needs & wants.

What options are available for home theater Colorado Springs?

An electrician who understands the advantages & risks of a home theater can help you assess your relaxing spaces (living rooms, bedrooms, etc) in detail and make sure you utilize it them effectively.

For instance, the reverberation of the sound in a room degrade audio quality. The television also deserves special consideration; it should be chosen according to the room size.

Budget-performance ratio – Though it is true that a little extra money will be able to get you more feature-rich system, you can also get a good system within your budget. A good system doesn’t have to be necessarily the most expensive one in the shop. If you research thoroughly on what will fit your requirements best, you are almost there.

Overall versatility – This defines a good home theater system considering the various audio and video formats. A good system can handle both Dolby and digital sound formats.

Why bother with Powering devices over Ethernet?

Oftentimes you’d like to install a device such as a security camera. To install this device, you’d normally need two wires traipsing through your establishment. Usually, power comes a separate power cord and controlling the device using data requires using yet another cord, usually an Ethernet wire.

These two lines supply power and data. Data would send information to your device, allowing you to control it. For example, if you are running a remote control camera, any time you adjust the focus of the camera, this data is sent over the cable connected via Ethernet.

Wouldn’t it be nice to just have one wire running through your home or business? Enter Power over Ethernet (PoE). There are many advantages to using Power over Ethernet:

With one less wire to run, your bill from a local electrician just went down!

Your device doesn’t need to be next to a power outlet, or have a separate power source installed, thus allowing you increased freedom.

POE is advanced. Power over Ethernet can protect your devices from being overloaded, underpowered, or being installed incorrectly.

Because of its universal nature, Power over Ethernet can have a back up power source or be controlled easily – disable and reset devices at will!

With power on your network, the possibilities are unlimited. Give your business room to grow with simple and effective installation and scalability.

What practical applications can PoE serve?

Power over Ethernet can control a variety of devices. 3 of the most popular applications are:

VoIP (communicating via the internet).

IP cameras (security cameras, or other video cameras).

and wireless devices such as RFID readers (security cards).

How can you add Power over Ethernet to your home and commercial buildings?

POE Switch – Power over Ethernet Switches

A POE switch is a popular way to add PoE to your network. A PoE switch has Power over Ethernet built in. There are a variety of options available to suit any application. Ask your local electrician for advice regarding which PoE to buy, or have them set it up for you.

Then, simply connect your network devices to the switch like any other Ethernet switch. The PoE Switch can and will detect what devices are PoE compatible and make the necessary adjustment. For example it will enable the power automatically!

Midspan – Power over Ethernet

What if your regular network links do not have PoE? Use a midspan, or PoE injector. Each network connection must be routed through the PoE injector. A midspan can be used by an electrician contractor to upgrade existing LAN to Power over Ethernet. As with a PoE switch, there are a variety of midspan options available. Also similar to Power over Ethernet switches, power is automatically supplied.

PoE Splitter – Power over Ethernet Splitter

The device itself, such as an existing IP security camera, can be upgraded to PoE. The camera’s network connection is tied into the PoE splitter, and taps into the Power over Ethernet. The power is then converted into low voltage power acceptable to power the device.

What types of tools make PoE and PoE Switch installation easier?

There are a variety of tools available to test and install Power over Ethernet devices. Wire Works Co Inc officially recommends the use of Net Prowler™, Cable Prowler™ or Net Chaser™ tools. These are products of Platinum Tools. When these network testers are connected to an Ethernet cable, a lot of valuable information can be found out, like:

The Ethernet networking standard that underlies most of today’s wired data connections is over thirty-five years old. Early Ethernet connections offered bandwidth at a tiny fraction of what today’s connections do. Dozens of important developments have since collectively allowed for the far higher speeds users enjoy today.

In addition to evolving consistently in the digital realm of zeroes and ones, network cable in Colorado Springs has also developed greatly in terms of the data that it carries, like video and streaming material. The first cables used for creating Ethernet connections were simple by today’s standards, with many advances since allowing for far faster and more reliable networking.

Category 6 – State of the Art Advancements in Network Cable

The most advanced standardized form of cable at the present time is known as Category 6, often abbreviated as “cat 6.” Just like their predecessors in Category 5, data cables from this family come in a couple of different varieties.

What they share, though, is the ability to provide the greatest possible bandwidth allowed for by the modern Ethernet standard. When the right conditions are in place, Category 6 cables can deliver speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second under the 10GBASE-T Ethernet standard. At the same time, cable of this class will also allow for full backward compatibility with older, slower equipment, making this the most flexible and future-proof basic form of Ethernet cable Colorado Springs providers offer today.

Upping the Ante with Improved Shielding and Reduced Noise

While Category 6 has proved to be an extremely capable and desirable form of network cable in Colorado Springs, an even newer and more advanced version is also available. With improved shielding and other design tweaks, CAT6A cable can deliver the same levels of bandwidth over greater run lengths and with even more reliability.

Although the benefits of this refined version of the Category 6 standard become most obvious in especially demanding environments, making use of it in other settings can be a good way of covering all the bases. Because it is even more resistant to crosstalk and other forms of interference, it will often make sense to deploy cable of the more advanced Category 6 “A” type just to be safe.

Terminating Networking Cable

Of course, cable alone will not allow for the network connectivity that local business and residents are so interested in. Unfinished Ethernet cable of all kinds has to be terminated with an appropriate connector being affixed to each end of a particular run.

This is a straightforward, routine process, although it does require skill and attention to complete successfully:

The end of the cable is first stripped to expose the individual wires bundled within.

The wires are then carefully separated and sorted into a predetermined order according to their colors.

So arranged, the wires are inserted into a fresh connector of the appropriate class and type.

A specialized crimping tool is then used to permanently close the connector with excess wire length often being trimmed in the process.

Any necessary finishing will be conducted, followed by testing to ensure the termination was successful.

Running Network Cable in Colorado Springs in a Home or Business?

As might be expected, actually installing network cable in Colorado Springs is something a professional electrician will be well suited for. In fact, the installation of cabling itself is generally easier than doing the same for electrical wiring, with the skills that allow for the latter being all that are needed and then some.

It will therefore generally make excellent sense to call a local electrician for any work of this kind that might be needed. Terminating CAT6 is only one step in the process, and it is one an electrician will be especially well qualified for as well. Contact Wire Works Co Inc for all your Ethernet or network cable services.

Every year, in the Unites States alone, there are 28,600 electrical fires (according to the US Fire Administration). These fires are responsible for $1.1 billion in property damage cost, 310 deaths, and 1,100 injuries. To add to that, approximately 400 people die yearly from electrocution, and 4,400 are injured. These are outrageous numbers! And the sad thing is that most of these disasters could have been prevented.

So, how can we be careful? What can we do to prevent this from happening to our families, friends, and colleagues?

WHAT TO DO TO PREVENT DISASTER

All it takes is one little spark, or just a little bit of overheating, and we could have a big problem on our hands. Below are some things we can do or have done to save a lot of time and trouble.

SMALL Precautions: YOU CAN COMPLETE THESE ELECTRIC REPAIRS (DIY)

Space Heaters: Because of their portability many people end up placing heaters next to flammable objects, like bedding, curtains, clothing, etc. Always keep space heaters from touching any items in our home or business that could ignite.

Lighting: Putting bulbs in a lighting fixture or lamp that do not match wattage is another common cause of electrical fires. Never go over the recommended wattage of your lamp and this won’t be a problem. Also, never place paper or cloth over a lampshade. The heat from the lamp-light could cause it to combust.

Cords: Many fires are caused by outdated appliances with worn or frayed cords. Never use an appliance with a worn cord, nor wrap the cord tightly while using (this can cause overheating). Both of these are big dangers.

Another similar problem is when people remove the grounding prong (that’s the third prong on a plug) in order for a plug to fit in a two-pronged outlet. The grounding prong is there for a reason! This helps to ensure that only outlets are used that can handle the large amounts of electricity the appliance needs to operate. Without it, we have a fire, or large surge of electricity, just waiting to happen.

The last similar issue is when people use an extension cord permanently. Extension cords are only meant to be used temporarily, not indefinitely. Plug your appliance into an appropriate electrical outlet. If you don’t have enough outlets for your appliances, hire a professional electrician to put some in for you.

BIG Precautions: AN ELECTRICIAN CAN COMPLETE THESE ELECTRIC REPAIRS (HIRE A PRO)

Old Outlets and Wiring: By far the most electrical disasters come from old or faulty outlets. This may be the case in an older home that can’t handle all of the electricity we are demanding of its wiring. Or, it could be that the outlet was wired incorrectly in the first place.Under good wiring conditions, if circuits happen to get overloaded then breakers should be triggered, thus preventing anything bad from happening. Outdated breaker boxes, however, often will not respond correctly to an overload and a fire will start.

If you think that you may have faulty outlets, that your building wiring is old, or that your breaker box is out of date, hire an electrician to fix the problem for you. This will prevent disaster!

Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter: An arc occurs when an electrical current goes where it shouldn’t because of a surge of heat produced by the wiring. When this happens the very high heat can ignite anything around it – like wood framing and insulation. To prevent this problem enters: Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI). The AFCI is a type of circuit breaker, but it differs from an ordinary circuit breaker in that it provides much greater fire protection. It monitors the circuits for arcing conditions, and immediately disconnects the circuit before it gets the chance to cause a problem. The AFCI is so helpful that the National Electric Code decreed that one should be included in all newly built homes. But, older homes are even more susceptible to arcing issues. Be preventative. Call an electrician.

Electrical Inspection: An inspection is especially important if you are new to the residence or if you have an older building. Over time, a building’s wiring starts to have some issues. You may have loose wires, faulty wiring, or shorts, which all increase the risk of electrical fires and electrocution. Hire a certified electrician soon to give your home or business an inspection. He will be able to tell you whether your wiring is safe or if it needs some electric repairs. In either case, you will be preventing disaster!

WHO SHOULD I HIRE FOR ELECTRIC REPAIRS?

As always you want to get the best possible work for the best possible price. But, with your home and business electricity, it is not the place to compromise. Always hire a professionally licensed electrician. That way you will get the best work for the best price, because you will know that everything was done to code, ensuring the safety of everyone.

If you live in the greater Colorado Springs, Colorado area, call up Wire Works Co. We would be thrilled to help you with your electric repairs.


/***************************************************************************
 *                     Copyright © 2020 - Arianne                          *
 ***************************************************************************
 ***************************************************************************
 *                                                                         *
 *   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify  *
 *   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by  *
 *   the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or     *
 *   (at your option) any later version.                                   *
 *                                                                         *
 ***************************************************************************/
package games.stendhal.server.core.rp.achievement.fighting;

import static games.stendhal.server.core.rp.achievement.factory.FightingAchievementFactory.ID_SAFARI;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;

import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

import org.junit.Before;
import org.junit.BeforeClass;
import org.junit.Test;

import games.stendhal.server.core.rp.achievement.AchievementNotifier;
import games.stendhal.server.maps.MockStendlRPWorld;
import marauroa.server.game.db.DatabaseFactory;
import utilities.AchievementTestHelper;
import utilities.PlayerTestHelper;
import utilities.ZoneAndPlayerTestImpl;

public class SafariAchievementTest extends ZoneAndPlayerTestImpl {

	private final int reqTiger = 30;
	private final int reqLion = 30;
	private final int reqElephant = 50;

	private final Map<String, Integer> enemies = new HashMap<String, Integer>() {{
		put("tiger", reqTiger);
		put("lion", reqLion);
		put("elephant", reqElephant);
	}};

	@BeforeClass
	public static void setUpBeforeClass() {
		new DatabaseFactory().initializeDatabase();
		// initialize world
		MockStendlRPWorld.get();
	}

	@Override
	@Before
	public void setUp() throws Exception {
		zone = setupZone("testzone");
		AchievementTestHelper.setEnemyNames(enemies.keySet().toArray(new String[0]));
	}

	@Test
	public void init() {
		final int reqTotal = reqTiger + reqLion + reqElephant;

		// solo kills
		int totalKills = 0;
		resetPlayer();
		for (final String enemy: enemies.keySet()) {
			int killCount = player.getSoloKill(enemy);
			assertEquals(0, killCount);

			final int count = enemies.get(enemy);
			while (killCount < count) {
				killCount++;
				player.setSoloKillCount(enemy, killCount);
				AchievementNotifier.get().onKill(player);
			}

			totalKills += killCount;

			if (totalKills < reqTotal) {
				assertFalse(achievementReached());
			}
		}
		assertTrue(achievementReached());

		// shared kills
		totalKills = 0;
		resetPlayer();
		for (final String enemy: enemies.keySet()) {
			int killCount = player.getSharedKill(enemy);
			assertEquals(0, killCount);

			final int count = enemies.get(enemy);
			while (killCount < count) {
				killCount++;
				player.setSharedKillCount(enemy, killCount);
				AchievementNotifier.get().onKill(player);
			}

			totalKills += killCount;

			if (totalKills < reqTotal) {
				assertFalse(achievementReached());
			}
		}
		assertTrue(achievementReached());
	}

	private void resetPlayer() {
		/*
		if (player != null) {
			PlayerTestHelper.removePlayer(player.getName(), "testzone");
		}
		*/
		player = null;
		player = PlayerTestHelper.createPlayer("player");
		player.setPosition(0, 0);
		zone.add(player);
		assertNotNull(player);

		for (final String enemy: enemies.keySet()) {
			assertFalse(player.hasKilled(enemy));
		}

		AchievementTestHelper.init(player);
		assertFalse(achievementReached());
	}

	private boolean achievementReached() {
		return AchievementTestHelper.achievementReached(player, ID_SAFARI);
	}
}


Vodafone BlackBerry users lose data services

BlackBerry users on the Vodafone network may be unable to access their data services.

The problem, which seems confined to the Vodafone network, but is reportedly affecting users across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has left customers without email and instant messaging services. The outage is affecting customers who run their own BlackBerry Enterprise Server as well as those who rely on RIM's infrastructure.

"Vodafone is working closely with Research in Motion (RIM) to restore full service as soon as possible. As soon as we have further information we will provide further updates."

RIM, meanwhile, appears to be lobbing the ball into Vodafone's court. "All BlackBerry services are operating normally but we are aware that a wider Vodafone service issue is impacting some of our BlackBerry customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa," reads a company statement.

"We are supporting Vodafone’s efforts to resolve the issue as soon as possible."

Technical problems, albeit confined to one network, are the last thing beleaguered RIM needs ahead of the crucial launch of its BlackBerry 10 devices at the end of this month.


666 N.E.2d 909 (1996)
281 Ill. App.3d 5
217 Ill.Dec. 240
Craig CUMMINS, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
COUNTRY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, Defendant-Appellee.
No. 5-94-0821.
Appellate Court of Illinois, Fifth District.
June 12, 1996.
Michael B. Marker, Carr, Korein, Tillery, Kunin, Montroy & Glass, East St. Louis, for Appellant.
Kenneth W. Blan, Jr., Blan Law Offices, Danville, for Amicus Curiae.
Stephen C. Mudge, Mitchell B. Stoddard, Reed, Armstrong, Gorman, Coffey, Gilbert & Mudge, P.C., Edwardsville, for Appellee.
Justice GOLDENHERSH delivered the opinion of the court:
Plaintiff, Craig Cummins, filed suit in the circuit court of St. Clair County to recover *910 underinsured motorist benefits from defendant, Country Mutual Insurance Company. Defendant filed a motion to dismiss plaintiff's complaint on the grounds that the at-fault driver's vehicle was not "underinsured." The trial court ultimately granted defendant's motion, and plaintiff now appeals. The sole issue we are asked to consider is whether a beneficiary of an underinsured motorist policy can state a valid claim for such coverage when the at-fault motorist's liability insurance, which has identical policy limits as the underinsured motorist coverage, is exhausted by payments to other claimants in the same occurrence. The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association filed an amicus curiae brief in support of plaintiff. We reverse and remand.

I.
Plaintiff sustained damages exceeding $50,000 in a two-car collision. At the time of the accident, plaintiff was covered by an insurance policy with defendant which provided for underinsured motorist benefits in the amount of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident. These limits were identical to the limits found in the at-fault motorist's liability insurance. Plaintiff received a court-approved, good faith settlement of $35,000 from the at-fault driver, with the balance of the liability insurance proceeds going to passengers in the at-fault driver's vehicle. Plaintiff filed suit seeking the $15,000 differential between the $35,000 which he received from the at-fault driver and the $50,000 limit of defendant's underinsured motorist coverage. Plaintiff is the sole claimant to defendant's underinsured motorist coverage.
Defendant filed a motion to dismiss plaintiff's complaint, arguing that the at-fault driver's vehicle was not "underinsured" under similar definitions of that term contained in both the policy in issue and section 143a-2(4) of the Illinois Insurance Code (the Code). 215 ILCS 5/143a-2(4) (West 1992). Defendant argued that even though the at-fault driver did not indemnify plaintiff up to the limits guaranteed by defendant's underinsured motorist coverage, the at-fault driver's vehicle was not underinsured because the limits of liability coverage were equal to the limits of defendant's underinsured motorist coverage. Initially, the trial court denied defendant's motion to dismiss on the basis of Sulser v. Country Mutual Insurance Co., 147 Ill.2d 548, 169 Ill.Dec. 254, 591 N.E.2d 427 (1992). However, in light of this court's decision in Purlee v. Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co., 260 Ill.App.3d 11, 197 Ill.Dec. 430, 631 N.E.2d 433 (1994), the trial court felt obligated to reconsider its original ruling and grant defendant's motion to dismiss. Plaintiff now appeals from the trial court's order dismissing plaintiff's complaint.

II.
The parties agree that the issue we are asked to address is similar to the issue presented in Purlee, namely, whether a beneficiary of an underinsured motorist policy can state a valid claim for such coverage when the at-fault motorist's liability insurance, which has identical policy limits as the underinsured motorist coverage, is exhausted or reduced due to payments made to other claimants in the same occurrence. In Purlee, the issue was framed as follows:
"(1) whether the availability of underinsured motorist coverage to a claimant, when the at-fault motorist's liability insurance is exhausted by payments to other claimants injured in the same occurrence, should be determined by comparing the amount of the claimant's underinsured motorist coverage to the stated amount of the at-fault motorist's liability coverage or to the amount the claimant actually recovers from the at-fault motorist's coverage." Purlee, 260 Ill.App.3d at 13, 197 Ill.Dec. at 433, 631 N.E.2d at 436.
The statutory language in issue here is identical to the language under consideration in Purlee:
"(4) For the purpose of this Code the term `underinsured motor vehicle' means a motor vehicle whose ownership, maintenance or use has resulted in bodily injury or death of the insured, as defined in the policy, and for which the sum of the limits of liability under all bodily injury liability insurance policies or under bonds or other security required to be maintained under Illinois law applicable to the driver or to the person or organization legally responsible *911 for such vehicle and applicable to the vehicle[ ] is less than the limits for underinsured coverage provided the insured as defined in the policy at the time of the accident. The limits of liability for an insurer providing underinsured motorist coverage shall be the limits of such coverage, less those amounts actually recovered under the applicable bodily injury insurance policies, bonds or other security maintained on the underinsured motor vehicle.

On or after July 1, 1983, no policy insuring against loss resulting from liability imposed by law for bodily injury or death suffered by any person arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of a motor vehicle shall be renewed or delivered or issued for delivery in this State with respect to any motor vehicle designed for use on public highways and required to be registered in this State unless underinsured motorist coverage is included in such policy in an amount equal to the total amount of uninsured motorist coverage provided in that policy where such uninsured motorist coverage exceeds the limits set forth in Section 7-203 of the Illinois Vehicle Code [625 ILCS 5/7-203 (West 1992)]." (Emphasis added.) 215 ILCS 5/143a-2(4) (West 1992) (formerly Ill.Rev. Stat.1989, ch. 73, par. 755a-2(3), (5)).
See Purlee, 260 Ill.App.3d at 20, 197 Ill.Dec. at 437-38, 631 N.E.2d at 440-41. The policy in question in the instant case defined an underinsured motor vehicle as follows:
"2. Underinsured motor vehicle means any type of motor vehicle or trailer for which the sum of all liability bonds or policies at the time of an accident are less than the limit of this insurance." (Emphasis in original.)
It is well settled that when an issue involves statutory construction, the court must ascertain and give effect to the legislature's intent, and that inquiry appropriately begins with the language of the statute. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Yapejian, 152 Ill.2d 533, 540-41, 178 Ill.Dec. 745, 748, 605 N.E.2d 539, 542 (1992). In determining legislative intent, a court may consider the reason and necessity for the law, the evils to be remedied, and the objectives to be attained. Yapejian, 152 Ill.2d at 541, 178 Ill. Dec. at 748, 605 N.E.2d at 542. In addition, a court construing the language of a statute will assume that the legislature did not intend to produce an absurd or unjust result. Yapejian, 152 Ill.2d at 541, 178 Ill.Dec. at 748, 605 N.E.2d at 542. Under the doctrine of stare decisis, when our supreme court has declared law on any point, only it can modify or overrule its previous opinion and lower courts are bound by such decision. Agricultural Transportation Ass'n v. Carpentier, 2 Ill.2d 19, 27, 116 N.E.2d 863, 867 (1953); Angelini v. Snow, 58 Ill.App.3d 116, 118-19, 15 Ill.Dec. 780, 782, 374 N.E.2d 215, 217 (1978).
In Purlee, we determined that the underinsured motorist statute provided for determination of coverage by comparing the amount of underinsured motorist coverage maintained by the injured party to the face amount of liability coverage maintained by the at-fault driver, not the amount actually recovered by the injured party. We concluded that "where the tortfeasor's liability insurance limits equal or exceed the underinsured motorist coverage limits, underinsured motorist coverage is not applicable." Purlee, 260 Ill.App.3d at 27, 197 Ill.Dec. at 442, 631 N.E.2d at 445. However, in a special concurrence written by Justice Rarick, this court recognized the hardship created by denying underinsured motorist benefits under such circumstances. Purlee, 260 Ill.App.3d at 33, 197 Ill.Dec. at 446, 631 N.E.2d at 449 (Rarick, J., specially concurring).
The Purlee court's analysis concentrated on the statutory language, stated above, dealing with limits of coverage. In the second sentence, however, the underinsured limits are stated in terms of "the limits of such coverage, less these amounts actually recovered * * *." An underinsurer's exposure, therefore, is the limit of its liability less those amounts actually recovered from the underinsured vehicle's insurer. See Sulser v. Country Mutual Insurance Co., 147 Ill.2d 548, 169 Ill.Dec. 254, 591 N.E.2d 427 (1992). We are obligated to read a statute as a whole, not one or two sentences selectively or with undue emphasis. The *912 first sentence defining "underinsured motor vehicle" includes the term "limits of liability." That term is defined in the second sentence (above, emphasis added), clearly modifying the first and defining the term as to the insurer's position. Read together, the insurer is subject to a liability limit of its coverage, less whatever funds are actually received from the underinsured vehicle's insurer.
In the instant case, plaintiff urges us to reconsider our holding in Purlee in light of our supreme court's decision in Sulser. The Sulser opinion was not argued in Purlee. However, the Sulser case has been cited herein, and we find it controlling, particularly in terms of the statutory language discussed above.
In Sulser, the plaintiff's husband was killed in a motor vehicle accident involving an underinsured motorist. The Sulsers had an insurance policy with the defendant Country Mutual which provided for underinsured motorist benefits in the amount of $100,000. The policy explicitly stated that any amounts received by the insured in worker's compensation benefits would be deducted from Country Mutual's coverage. The plaintiff recovered $50,000 from the underinsured motorist and then sought $50,000 in payment from Country Mutual. The policy provided for $100,000 in underinsured motorist benefits, but only $50,000 was sought to be recovered, as $50,000 had already been recovered from the underinsured motorist. Sulser, 147 Ill.2d at 551-52, 169 Ill.Dec. at 254-55, 591 N.E.2d at 427-28. Country Mutual claimed that any worker's compensation benefits received by the plaintiff should also be deducted from the $100,000, and since the worker's compensation benefits received by the plaintiff exceeded $50,000, Country Mutual argued it had no further obligation to the plaintiff under the policy. Sulser, 147 Ill.2d at 552, 169 Ill.Dec. at 255, 591 N.E.2d at 428. The Sulser court compared the uninsured motorist provisions and underinsured motorist provisions of the Code and found that it was the legislature's intent in enacting both provisions to place the insured in the same position he would have occupied if the tortfeasor carried adequate insurance. The court decided that worker's compensation benefits could be offset against uninsured motorist coverage. The Sulser court concluded:
"Since deducting worker's compensation payments from coverage under his underinsured motorist policy would still fully compensate the policyholder for his injury, * * * we hold that workers' compensation benefits may offset payments made by the insurer under underinsured motorist policies." Sulser, 147 Ill.2d at 558, 169 Ill.Dec. at 257-58, 591 N.E.2d at 430-31.
In reaching this conclusion, the Sulser court discussed at length the purpose of the underinsured motorist provision. The Sulser court quoted from House debates on the proposed provision:
"On June 20, 1980, during a House debate on the bill that included section 143a-2(3) [now section 143a-2(4)], Representative Telcser, a sponsor of the bill in the House, spoke of the drafters' intent in providing for underinsured motorist coverage:
`The Amendment deals with technical problems that came up regarding an underinsured motorist. As an example: If a loss occurs, the motorist is underinsured, we wanted to be sure that the language set forth that the difference between the claim and the underinsured would be taken care of by your own insurance policy to fill the gap between the claim and the amount available from the underinsured and that there would not be any excessive claim that could be made.' (81st Ill.Gen.Assem., House Proceedings, June 20, 1980, at 44-45.)" Sulser, 147 Ill.2d at 556, 169 Ill.Dec. at 256-57, 591 N.E.2d at 429-30.
The Sulser court went on to explain that an insurance provision designed to "`fill the gap' between the claim and the tortfeasor's insurance was obviously not intended to allow the insured to recover amounts from the insurer over and above the coverage provided by the underinsured motorist policy." Sulser, 147 Ill.2d at 556, 169 Ill.Dec. at 257, 591 N.E.2d at 430. Stated differently, "When the insured opts for $100,000 in coverage against either uninsured or underinsured motorist risks, he is assured of receiving no more than *913 that amount." Sulser, 147 Ill.2d at 557, 169 Ill.Dec. at 257, 591 N.E.2d at 430. Most importantly, our supreme court found that by enacting both the uninsured and underinsured motorist provisions, "the legislature intended to place the insured in the same position he would have occupied if injured by a motorist who carried liability insurance in the same amount as the policyholder." Sulser, 147 Ill.2d at 558, 169 Ill.Dec. at 257, 591 N.E.2d at 430. The Sulser court concluded:
"The court must assume that, in enacting a statute, the legislature did not intend an absurd result. [Citations.] In enacting [the underinsured motorist provision] the legislature avoided the absurdity of a situation where a policyholder would receive fewer benefits in the fortuitous event of being injured by an underinsured rather than by an uninsured motorist." Sulser, 147 Ill.2d at 557, 169 Ill.Dec. at 257, 591 N.E.2d at 430.
Although Sulser is not directly on point because it involved a set-off of worker's compensation benefits, its discussion of underinsured motorist coverage leaves little doubt as to our supreme court's position. Moreover, Sulser is not the only case in which our supreme court has taken a view contrary to our decision in Purlee.
In Hoglund v. State Farm Mutual Auto. Insurance Co., 148 Ill.2d 272, 170 Ill.Dec. 351, 592 N.E.2d 1031 (1992), State Farm sought a set-off from settlements paid by insured drivers against the plaintiff's claims under uninsured motorist policies. Hoglund consisted of two consolidated cases in which the plaintiffs were injured through the negligence of both uninsured and insured drivers. Both of the plaintiffs suffered damages in excess of $200,000. Each of the plaintiffs was the beneficiary of $100,000 in uninsured coverage, while each insured driver had $100,000 in liability insurance and paid that amount to each of the plaintiffs. Hoglund, 148 Ill.2d at 274, 170 Ill.Dec. at 352, 592 N.E.2d at 1032. Because the insured drivers paid the plaintiffs in amounts equal to the limits of the plaintiffs' uninsured motorist coverage, State Farm refused to pay the plaintiffs, claiming a set-off due to policy language providing that "uninsured motorist coverage shall be reduced by any amount paid the insured by any other party" and upon the Code provision granting uninsured motorist carriers subrogation rights to the proceeds of any recovery which its policyholder receives from the liable party. Ill. Rev.Stat.1985, ch. 73, par. 755a(4) (now 215 ILCS 5/143a(4) (West 1994)); Hoglund, 148 Ill.2d at 275-76, 170 Ill.Dec. at 353, 592 N.E.2d at 1033. The Hoglund court refused to give literal interpretation to the policy or the statutory language. Hoglund, 148 Ill.2d at 278, 170 Ill.Dec. at 354, 592 N.E.2d at 1034. Instead, the Hoglund court noted that premiums were paid for such uninsured motorist protection and it was the policyholder's reasonable expectation to be protected by uninsured motorist coverage in such a situation. Hoglund, 148 Ill.2d at 278, 170 Ill.Dec. at 355, 592 N.E.2d at 1035. The Hoglund court also pointed out that the public policy behind the uninsured motorist statute would be frustrated if State Farm's position was adopted. Hoglund, 148 Ill.2d at 280, 170 Ill.Dec. at 355, 592 N.E.2d at 1035. The Hoglund court held that the set-off provision at issue was subject to a second reasonable interpretation and, therefore, was ambiguous. The ambiguity was resolved in favor of coverage for the plaintiffs, and the defendant insurer was entitled to a set-off only to the extent necessary to avoid double recovery. Hoglund, 148 Ill.2d at 280, 170 Ill.Dec. at 355, 592 N.E.2d at 1035.
We note that like Sulser, Hoglund is not directly on point to the facts of the instant case because it involved interpretation of the uninsured motorist provision. Nevertheless, because the uninsured and underinsured motorist provisions were enacted for the same purpose, we likewise find Hoglund instructive in the instant case. In light of Sulser and Hoglund, neither of which we considered when deciding Purlee, we reach a holding different than the holding in Purlee.
We agree that it is absurd to allow a policyholder to receive fewer benefits after being injured by an underinsured driver rather than an uninsured driver, which often happens in multiple claimant situations such as presented in the instant case. Such an interpretation would effectively nullify the *914 policy and would deny the insured the economic value of insurance coverage for which he paid premiums. Hoglund, 148 Ill.2d at 278, 170 Ill.Dec. at 355, 592 N.E.2d at 1035. Defendant accepted plaintiff's premiums; it is now time for defendant to perform its side of the bargain. Accordingly, we follow the guidance of our supreme court and the intent of the statute that the relevant factor to be considered is the amount actually recovered from the at-fault driver, not the limits of liability coverage. Banes v. Western States Insurance Co., 247 Ill.App.3d 480, 486, 186 Ill.Dec. 579, 584, 616 N.E.2d 1021, 1026 (1993), is an example of the application of Sulser and Hoglund. The insured in Banes filed a declaratory judgment action against her underinsured carrier for the total of coverage, $100,000. The underinsured vehicle's insurer paid $50,000; the insured's damages exceeded both policy limits. Citing Sulser, the court reasoned that the set-off provision in the statute was intended to "fill the gap" between any amount recovered from the underinsured driver's insurance and the limit of the insured's policy. Banes, 247 Ill.App.3d at 485, 186 Ill.Dec. at 583, 616 N.E.2d at 1025. The Banes court applied the Sulser ruling as follows:
"The relevant factor is the amount the plaintiff actually recovered from the tortious driver or drivers and/or workers' compensation. See Sulser, 147 Ill.2d at 557-58 [169 Ill.Dec. 254, 591 N.E.2d 427].
Plaintiff contracted for $100,000 in underinsured motorist coverage. Under Sulser, plaintiff is entitled to a total recovery of $100,000. Plaintiff received $50,000 from King's insurer. Plaintiff therefore needs $50,000 to `fill the gap' in the coverage. Reducing defendant's payment to $50,000 would `fill the gap' and ensure that plaintiff receives what she would have recovered had King been insured adequately." Banes, 247 Ill.App.3d at 486, 186 Ill.Dec. at 584, 616 N.E.2d at 1026.
In light of our decision above, the policy provision is ambiguous, subject to a reasonable interpretation other than the one urged by defendant, and therefore must be interpreted in favor of the insured. Allstate Insurance Co. v. Elkins, 77 Ill.2d 384, 33 Ill. Dec. 139, 396 N.E.2d 528 (1979). The Hoglund court's method of determining ambiguity is applicable to the case at hand:
"We cannot ignore that a premium was paid for uninsured motorist protection. If that protection is not there, the policyholder has been denied substantial economic value in return for the premiums which have been paid. At the time coverage was purchased, Mr. Hoglund believed that he was purchasing uninsured motorist protection in the amount of $100,000. After his daughter's claim was filed, however, he was told there was no coverage. In other words, now you have insurance protection; now you don't. While the collection of insurance premiums is an important part of the insurance industry, it is not the only part. Insurers are also expected to honor claims under their policies for which premiums have been paid in good faith.
We believe that the exculpatory language on which State Farm relies cannot be read in isolation. Rather, it must be read in conjunction with the policyholder's reasonable expectations and it must also be read in conjunction with the public policy behind the uninsured motorist statute and the coverage intended by the insurance policy itself. Moreover, the setoff provision must be read with reference to the facts of the case at hand. When viewed in this way, a latent ambiguity in the policy language is disclosed. Black's Law Dictionary defines a latent ambiguity as a situation:
`where the language employed is clear and intelligible and suggests but a single meaning, but some extrinsic fact or extraneous evidence creates a necessity for interpretation or a choice among two or more possible meanings.' (Black's Law Dictionary 102 (3d ed. 1933.)
With reference to the policyholder's expectations, it is a fact that he paid a premium for $100,000 of uninsured motorist coverage and reasonably expected coverage for damages caused by an uninsured motorist up to that amount. With reference to the facts of the occurrence, it is significant that Miss Hoglund was injured in part by an uninsured motorist and in part by an insured *915 motorist. Although she was paid $100,000 towards her $200,000 of damages by the insured motorist, nothing was paid to her on behalf of the uninsured motorist. The payment for the insured motorist's fault was paid without reference to the uninsured motorist. State Farm is claiming credit for money paid by another party for that fault, which is unrelated to the fault of the uninsured motorist." Hoglund, 148 Ill.2d at 278-79, 170 Ill.Dec. at 354-55, 592 N.E.2d at 1034-35.
Defendant interprets the policy to deny payment when the limits of coverage are identical. The language of the statute, as well as Sulser and Hoglund, indicates payment when there is a gap between actual payment by the underinsured and the insured claimant's policy limit. This ambiguity must be resolved in favor of the insured claimant.
In the instant case, the amount available for payment is less than the insured's policy limits, the at-fault driver is underinsured, and the insured is entitled to underinsured motorist coverage. $15,000 is the difference, or "gap," between the $50,000 in plaintiff's underinsured limits and the $35,000 he recovered under the at-fault driver's liability policy as one of several claimants. Therefore, plaintiff is entitled to state a claim for $15,000 in underinsured motorist benefits to "fill the gap."
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the circuit court of St. Clair County is reversed, and the cause is remanded for further proceedings.
Reversed and remanded.
HOPKINS, P.J., concurs.
Justice MAAG, specially concurring:
I concur in the majority opinion. I write separately only to emphasize why the majority decision is correct.
Assume that an automobile accident occurs. Assume further that the driver of vehicle "A" is negligent and is the cause of the accident. The driver of vehicle "A" carries $25,000 in liability coverage. The driver of vehicle "B" carries $25,000 in underinsured motorist coverage. Finally, assume that in vehicle "B" there is one passenger along with the driver of vehicle "B". If the passenger in vehicle "B" immediately files suit and is awarded $25,000, and if the judgment is paid in full by driver "A"'s liability policy, then there would be no coverage left under driver "A"'s policy to pay a judgment later rendered in favor of the driver of vehicle "B". The driver of vehicle "B", despite having paid his insurance premium dutifully, would not be entitled to recover anything under his own underinsured motorist coverage if the position of Country Mutual in the instant case was adopted. The insurer would have collected the premiums, but the insured would be left without any benefit of the bargain. For the insurer that is a wonderful deal. For the insured it is less than wonderful.
The law ought to make sense. For the law to make sense, "underinsured" must be defined by comparing the amount of underinsured coverage to the amount of liability coverage available to be collected from the tortfeasor's liability policy. To the extent that the amount of liability insurance available to be collected from the tortfeasor's insurance company is less than the amount of underinsured motorist coverage, the tortfeasor ought to be held underinsured. I believe that Sulser stands for this proposition. I believe the court in Sulser was correct. To the extent that Purlee is inconsistent with the majority opinion in this case, I believe it was wrongly decided.


Robotic Laparoscopic Fundoplication.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a very common disorder, and both medical and surgical treatments have shown outstanding results. Whereas proton pump inhibitors are the mainstay of treatment, laparoscopic fundoplication has become a very attractive alternative due to its efficacy and low morbidity. There are defined patient categories that may benefit more from laparoscopy than medical therapy, but a conclusive comparison between the two is lacking. Robotic laparoscopic fundoplication can be performed safely without increased morbidity. Potential advantages include enhanced precision, improved dexterity, and remote telesurgical applications. Disadvantages include increased cost and prolonged operative times. Further studies and more long-term outcome data are needed to fully evaluate the procedure. Robotic surgery is currently in its infancy and not cost effective but has a very promising future. With further development of automatization and miniaturization features, robotic surgery may prove more efficient than conventional laparoscopy.


The invention relates to steel production by the electroslag remelting method, and more specifically to electroslag remelting furnaces with relative displacement of a mould and an ingot being cast.
The principle of operation of a electroslag remelting furnace with relative displacement of a mould and an ingot being cast and comprising an automatic control system based on the weight rate of the ingot casting, may be used in plasma-arc remelting furnaces, electron beam remelting furnaces and electroslag welding installations using this system.
Known in the art are electroslag remelting furnaces having systems for controlling production parameters in stationary moulds using indirect control parameters, such as electrode flashing current, voltage drop across a slag bath, furnace transformer voltage, feed rate of electrodes, resistance of an interlectrode gap and the like. Several parameters may also be used in combination.
Known in the art is a furnace comprising a stationary water chilled mould wherein the electroslag remelting and formation of an ingot from molten metal take place. Consumable electrodes remelted in the mould are connected to a furnace transformer by means of power supply cables. The electrodes are fixed with the top part thereof to an electrode holder mounted for movement along a furnace column.
At the beginning of the process, a carriage of the electrode holder with electrodes secured therein is at the top portion of the furnace column. During the melting of the electrodes, the carriage moves down along the column. The automatic control of the process is effected by controlling the feed of the electrodes. The electrodes are fed in accordance with the slag bath resistance, which is the resistance between the electrodes and the ingot being cast. For that purpose, the furnace is provided with a control system for controlling the displacement of the electrodes which is placed at a control board and consists of a series circuit including: a unit for measuring active resistance, a comparator unit, an amplifier and a drive for displacement having a reducing gear. Signals proportional to the flashing current of the electrodes (from a current transformer) and to the furnace transformer voltage are fed to the unit for measuring active resistance of the slag bath. The signal at the output of the unit for measuring active resistance, which is proportional to the actual resistance of the slag bath, is compared to a preset signal value. The difference in these signals is fed, via the amplifier, to the drive for displacing the electrodes which restores the preset resistance value.
It should be noted, however, that the measurements in the method of controlling the process in accordance with the resistance of the slag bath are effected with great errors. The consumable electrodes are heated during the remelting and are shortened as they are consumed. The active resistance of the electrodes varies during the entire casting period, and the control system takes no account of that. The resistance of the slag bath is an indirect parameter of the process which cannot insure an accurate maintenance of the rate of ingot remelting which represents the main parameter affecting the quality of metal.
Known in the art is also an electroslag remelting furnace for casting ingots of up to 14 tons. The furnace comprises a stationary water chilled mould which is mounted on a bottom and has a slag bath in which an electrode is melted under the action of current fed from a furnace transformer and in which molten metal is cast into an ingot. A consumable electrode of a round section has a standard head for locking in an electrode holder. The electrode holder is mounted on a carriage which is positioned at the top portion of the column at the beginning of the process. During the entire remelting period, the carriage of the electrode holder with the electrode secured therein moves down along the column as the electrode is consumed.
The primary control of the process for maintaining and controlling the melting speed is effected by a system for weighing the consumable electrode.
The standard electrode head is screwed into a weight cell which is mounted in the electrode holder cross piece. In this position, the weight cell senses the entire weight of the electrode holder, a standard head, electrode residue and a part of the weight of water for cooling the cables. Electric signals from the cell are fed to an amplifier and therefrom, to a measuring instrument. As the electrode is consumed, its weight changes, and the rate of remelting of an ingot may be computed.
The use of the weight cell in the control system for controlling the electroslag remelting process is very difficult because there are a number of factors influencing the readings of the cell which cannot be taken into account. The load on the cell from the power supply cables varies with the altitude of the electrode holder. When the electrode holder is in the upmost position, the cable weight is at its maximum. As the carriage is lowered, the cable weight decreases, and this variation is non-linear. The current value change during the melting results in a change in the magnetic field which negatively affects the accuracy of the readings of the weight cell.
Therefore, the prior art systems for controlling the electroslag remelting process have a number of substantial disadvantages. They cannot provide for maintaining a sufficiently accurate rate of ingot remelting since the process control is being conducted in accordance with indirect parameters, whereas the rate of ingot remelting is the main production parameter affecting the quality and structure of an ingot being cast.


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Walk One takes you on a tour of the Heritage buildings in Central Dunedin, that have been categorised by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. You will be amazed by the buildings architecture which dates back to 1864 when early Dunedin buildings were designed and built.

Walk Two takes you on a tour of the Heritage buildings in North Dunedin. A lot of the magnificently designed buildings are located in the University Campus which provide great photographic opportunities.