Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

Got a call the other night about 1:00 o'clock in the morning. I had to go into the plant to troubleshoot an electrical problem. When I finally made it back home, I crashed on the couch, worn out, too tired to even take off my boots.

I lay there for a little bit, and finally fell asleep. Needing to get up at 6 the next day, I put my phone on the arm of the couch with the alarm clock set.

About 15 years ago, a friend of mine and I remodeled a vending room area. It used to be full of snack machines and microwaves lined up around 3 walls. We turned that area into a nifty conference room. Ronnie did the carpentry work, building a very nice U shaped workspace around an open area where the speaker would stand.

I'd not thought of this before until I came across some interesting lighting products. Using wireless lighting control indoors is almost second nature to me. I love the technology, to be honest. I can't remember the last time I touched a switch at home to turn lights on or off.

Okay … I haven't fully integrated the kitchen yet … but that's coming soon to a Maurer home near me. The lights I have in there aren't "smart" enough. And they cost me a good chunk of change, so I don't want to trash them.

It's kind of been a theme lately. Smart offices, smart buildings … and smart homes. Believe me, I'm all for it. It's not that I'm to lazy to turn off lights. It's just that, well, sometimes I forget.

Automation and voice control help overcome my forgetfulness.

Correlated color temperature (CCT) has become a hot topic in commercial outdoor lighting, as many have argued LED-based fixtures are just too, well, cool. In part, this is because this newer technology produces a different kind of light than the high-pressure sodium and metal halide fixtures we all became accustomed to during those technologies’ decades of outdoor use.

There are great products that make a contractor's life easier as far as fan and fixture placement is concerned. Whether you're doing new construction or retrofit "old work," there are box options that make installs easier.

And some of them keep the drywall guys from messing with you.