Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

It was a dark and stormy night. Outside the wind was howling, rain pouring down as if from a fire hose. But inside, I was stretched out in front of the television, aimlessly clicking the channel button on the remote.

Sigh... nothing good on tonight to pass the time.

In new construction, sustainable building practices are becoming the norm. But even in existing buildings, simple strategies can be implemented quickly and easily to address inefficiencies, reduce energy use, improve comfort, and enhance productivity in the space.

Some facilities are changing their requirements for motor and appliance installations. This could be due to OSHA Lock-out and Tag-out requirements or NFPA 70E. The change is toward using pin and sleeve devices instead of having a hard-wired installation.

Safety requirements often have the maintenance person checking for the absence of voltage before touching. The rules are quite specific and are enforced by OSHA.

Switchboards are critical to the dependability of any electrical power installation because they represent that pivotal point at which incoming power supply is divided into separate circuits, controlled and protected by fuses and switchgear, metered, and then divided into a number of functional units for its given applications. In general, switchboards distribute power to transformers, panelboards, control equipment, and to system loads.

Bonding and grounding are simple concepts, but, unfortunately, they’re also easily confused with each other. Definitions of one term often get wrapped up in the definitions of the other, and, before long, one can begin thinking the words are interchangeable.

“Grounding” refers to the creation of a path from electrical equipment to the earth. It is intended to protect equipment and help prevent fires that might occur due to high voltages resulting from lightning strikes, line surges or unintended contact with higher-voltage lines.

The dependence on quality, reliable data is now more business-critical than ever. Businesses rely on data centers for 24/7 connectivity; to uphold federal codes and regulations; and to ensure resiliency, performance, and more—all so the business can stick to meeting the demands of their own customers. Data centers should also be highly adaptable.