Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

The COVID-19 pandemic is upending work life for just about all of us. For many, this has meant shifting from an employer’s open-plan office space to a kitchen or dining room table at home for the last few months. But now, as states and cities are beginning to allow office buildings to reopen, it’s up to employers to make some changes. Power delivery is just one of the many necessities that will need to be rethought in these office redesigns.

When Mary and I converted our flat roof carport into our home office spaces, we upgraded our electrical system. Originally a cartridge and screw-in fuse box, we installed a 200-amp outdoor panel (main breaker and 12 spaces) and a 32 space interior sub-panel.

While the old panel had only 12 spaces to begin with, the new offices took up at least that many breakers. We had power to spare, and have plenty of room on the main panel for expansion.

In a recent survey conducted by Electrical Contractor magazine, respondents cited skilled labor shortages, product availability, and compressed timelines among their broad-based concerns. Contractors are looking for lighting control solutions that help alleviate these issues by reducing installation time, minimizing risk, and adding value to their jobs. Wireless lighting control solutions and quick estimating software can help.

The weakest links in any electrical distribution system are those locations where connections are made. Secure tap, terminal and splice connections are critical to a system’s safety and reliability. Electrical contractors have a number of options when it comes to the connectors they use in these applications, with mechanical- and compression-style connectors being the most common.

When I first strapped on my electrician's tool belt, control power was relatively simple. Many times, the control power came directly from line voltage. For example, take one leg of the 480 VAC incoming power on a starter and voila … a 277-volt control circuit.

As long as the coil on the starter was rated for 480, no problem.

Your local streets might be looking a little different lately when you’re driving home at night. It could be because they no longer feature that yellow-orange glow produced by the high-intensity discharge lamps that have illuminated U.S. streets for decades. Cities across the country are rapidly upgrading to LED streetlights, leading to improved illumination and significant energy savings.