Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

And with the news, weather, and sports too. We've certainly come a long way from the days of getting up early in the cold, stumbling through the house, and lighting an oil lamp.

I write a lot about smart home lighting. I'm fond of the way I can (and do) automate the lighting in my own home. And I'll touch on that in this article. But automation isn't the only way to create a 'smarter' home or office.

After a hard day's work, often having been cooped up in a stuffy old office, there's not much that can beat relaxing in the great outdoors. Just breathing in the fresh air with your feet propped up lifts your spirits and soothes your soul (or your aching soles)!

And cooking outside?

Heaven on earth.

When installing and maintaining electrical systems for industrial and commercial settings, you need to keep in mind the environment they're located in. Of course, outside the building you'll need to install and maintain weatherproof components. But even indoors, some of the locations will need to have weatherproof, and sometimes waterproof, covers and boxes.

If you’re an electrical contractor, you’ve likely developed a series of workarounds to help you handle business. Maybe you’ve got financial software to help you manage your checking account and invoicing. And maybe you’ve got apps to help track mileage and keep track of upcoming jobs and materials orders.

During a big remodeling project this spring, I became more familiar with the options available for electrical receptacles these days. These include new features, like adding USB charging ports that do away with the need to track down the right adapter for every phone, smart watch and earbud charger. And now there are smart outlets you can control remotely (so, if you’re afraid you left the iron on, you can double check from your phone).