Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

When working as an electrician in a processing plant, I was often called in to work on renovations, new area construction, and emergency repair scenarios. Often there wasn’t permanent power available, so temporary power using extension cords was necessary to power up tools and equipment for the job.

If you’ve been following business headlines (or your 401K’s monthly statements), you’ve likely heard about a lot of layoffs and other cost-cutting measures at some of the biggest tech companies. After flying high during the pandemic, when many of us were living significant parts of our lives online, these firms are finding they might have been overly optimistic that the growth would continue once Covid’s worst days had passed.

Next time you’re helping a customer design a new lighting layout (or upgrading an existing one) don’t forget the blinds.

That’s right. Window blinds.

Like companies in pretty much all the building trades these days, electrical contracting firms are becoming increasingly stretched when it comes to getting the staffing numbers in line with their needs.

Electrical contracting is, by its nature, a bespoke profession – that is, every installation features its own unique design quirks requiring customization. At the same time, though, contractors also now are often dealing with the need to do more with fewer workers. As a result, prefabrication is becoming a bigger part of many companies’ operations.

Alternative energy sources— green, clean solar and wind power—certainly get a lot of “air time” of late. (Pun intended.)

Of course, water power has been around a long time. And still is for power generation on a large scale. But it’s not so convenient for single user electrical supply, or even most municipalities.