Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

Grounding is a critical safety component in any electrical system. It provides a safe pathway for excess electrical current that arises through a short circuit or surge event to travel to the earth. Otherwise, that current could end up electrifying adjacent surfaces, creating an obvious safety hazard.

I thought my phone was smart … well, it is. Probably smarter than me by a long shot. In fact, the phone is the least intelligent part of the device. With all the technologies packed into on small device, a smartphone handles everything from online banking to document generation.

But … have you heard of an intelligent breaker?

As the power requirements for our connected world grow at an increasingly faster pace, a more reliable means of generating and monitoring that power is a necessity. Old systems need upgrading or retrofitting to keep up with the demand.

Lighting impacts virtually every aspect of a building, and as a result, contractors are always looking for solutions that make lighting control easier to estimate, faster to install, and more profitable.

As someone who’s been writing about LED lighting for almost a decade, I’ve gotten used to the terms “color temperature” and “light output,” and I now have a reasonably good idea about what to look for when shopping for my own lamps (aka, “bulbs”) and fixtures. But I still, on occasion, either realize I’ve chose the wrong lamp for a fixture or wish I could move between two color temperatures with the same luminaire.

Yes, you guessed. Once again, we're talking about … poke-through devices. In boardrooms, auditoriums, and other meeting locations, they're vital to ensure power and connectivity are available when needed.

What you use will depend on the flooring materials, whether the installation is old work or new construction, and the type of cabling necessary for the location.