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of the Month

Trinity Power & Electric Discusses Lighting Options

Mark and Eleanor Cook of Trinity Power & Electric, are recognized as Contractor of the Month by the Fountain Hills Association of Licensed Contractors.

Mark Cook has been wiring Fountain Hills for over a dozen years. He and his wife, Eleanor, started Trinity Power & Electric (www.trinitypowerandelectric.com) in 1994, and moved the business to Fountain Hills in 1998 when they bought a home here.

Trinity Power & Electric was named contractor of the month by the Fountain Hills Association of Licensed Contractors.

Mark, a master electrician, was recruited to Arizona to supervise large electrical installations such as the Scottsdale Stadium at Osborn and Drinkwater.

Since that time, he has wired homes all over Fountain Hills and Scottsdale, including many of the large, custom homes in Firerock.

Trinity’s dual license authorizes work on both residential and commercial projects. Most recently Mark did the electrical work on Fountini’s Bar & Grill restaurant. He also wired Bedsmart, Technological Systems, Fountain Bowl and the youth building and the children’s wing of City of Grace Church in Scottsdale. Trinity maintains electrical systems at Copperwynd Resort and Rio Verde Country Club.

“The newest lighting ideas are LED lights,” according to Mark, talking about light-emitting diode technology. “They save energy, give off good light, last nearly forever, and come in every color. White LEDs are as close to daylight as possible. New LEDs are a huge improvement over previous generations.”

“Halogen lights are also nice, because they have pure color, are dimmable and not expensive. Most women prefer halogens for makeup.” The watts per lumens output will keep halogen lamps around well after the 2012 ban on incandescent lamps.

Mark suggests Focus brand lighting for landscapes. “Focus systems can accommodate high-voltage, low-voltage, LED and fluorescent lighting,” he says.

Mark recommends “Eaton I.T. Equalizer” surge suppressors to protect home electronics. “Surge suppression installed on the outdoor circuit-breaker panel will protect HDTVs, computers and appliances throughout the house. The cost is minimal to protect thousands of dollars in home electronics.”

A new National Electric Code calls for circuit breakers that prevent electrical fires. “These ‘arc-fault circuit interrupters’ (AFCI) sense when a loose wire could be hot enough to ignite, and shut the circuit off.” Trinity can now retrofit homes with these safer breakers in almost any electrical panel as a member of the “Eaton Certified Contractor Network,” also known as Cutler Hammer, which uses listed breakers for retrofits.

Mark believes strongly in continuing education. “Over the summer I took a solar class. I expect to install solar-electric systems before the end of year.” He also teaches for the Independent Electrical Contractors of Arizona at Gateway Community College. “I’m teaching first-year apprentices two nights a week.”

The Fountain Hills Association of Licensed Contractors (www.fhalc.org) is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to outstanding craftsmanship. Members pledge to uphold a unique Code of Ethics.

Association officers are: Joe Ciotta of Joe Ciotta Plumbing, president; Roger Rambo of Rambo & Son Landscaping, Pool Service and Repair, immediate past president; Alice Blackerby of Fountain Hills Design Center, secretary-treasurer.