Electrical Contractor | Electrician Service

Electrician

An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also specialize in wiring ships, airplanes, and other mobile platforms, as well as data and cable. Electricians were originally people who demonstrated or studied the principles of electricity, often electrostatic generators of one form or another.

In the United States, electricians are divided into two primary categories: linemen, who work on electric utility company distribution systems at higher voltages, and wiremen, who work with the lower voltages utilized inside buildings. Wiremen are generally trained in one of five primary specialties: commercial, residential, light industrial, industrial, and low-voltage wiring, more commonly known as Voice-Data-Video, or VDV. Other sub-specialties such as control wiring and fire-alarm may be performed by specialists trained in the devices being installed, or by inside wiremen.

Electricians are trained to one of three levels: Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master Electrician. Apprentices in the US and Canada are working to learn the electrical trade. They generally take several hundred hours of classroom instruction and are contracted to follow apprenticeship standards for a period of between three and six years, during which time they are paid as a percentage of the Journeyman's pay. Journeymen are electricians who have completed their Apprenticeship and who have been found by the local, State, or National licensing body to be competent in the electrical trade. Master Electricians have performed well in the trade for a period of time, often seven to ten years, and have passed an exam to demonstrate superior knowledge of the National Electrical Code, or NEC.

Service electricians are tasked to respond to requests for isolated repairs and upgrades. They have considerable skills troubleshooting wiring problems, installing wiring in existing buildings, and making repairs. Construction electricians primarily focus on larger projects, such as installing all new electrical system for an entire building, or upgrading an entire floor of an office building as part of a remodeling process. Other specialty areas are marine electricians, research electricians and hospital electricians. "Electrician" is also used as the name of a role in stagecraft, where electricians are tasked primarily with hanging, focusing, and operating stage lighting. In this context, the Master Electrician is the show's chief electrician. Although theater electricians routinely perform electrical work on stage lighting instruments and equipment, they are not part of the electrical trade and have a different set of skills and qualifications from the electricians that work on building wiring. In the film industry and on a television crew the head electrician is referred to as a Gaffer. Electrical contractors are businesses that employ electricians to design, install, and maintain electrical systems. Contractors are responsible for generating bids for new jobs, hiring trades people for the job, providing material to electricians in a timely manner, and communicating with architects, electrical and building engineers, and the customer to plan and complete the finished product.

Electrical contractor

An electrical contractor is a business person or firm that performs specialized construction work related to the design, installation, and maintenance of electrical systems-a $130 billion industry in the United States. An electrical contractor is different from an electrician; an electrician is an individual tradesman and an electrical contractor is a business person or company that employs electricians. Both usually hold licenses and insurances to properly and safely operate a business, protecting the employees and home owners/business owners from insurance liabilities. These requirements vary from state to state. Electricians may work for an electrical contractor, or directly for individuals or companies.

Electrical contractors are generally classified by three major types of work performed.

"Outside" or "line" contractors are responsible for high-voltage power transmission and distribution lines. Line contractors build and maintain the infrastructure required to transport electricity generated at a power plant through a series of high-voltage lines and substations before it is used to power facilities, buildings, and homes.

"Inside" electrical contractors provide electricity to any structure within a property's boundary lines, including outdoor lighting or substations. Under current construction specification guidelines, "inside" electrical contractors can serve as prime contractors for all electrical and cabling design, installation, and maintenance for commercial, institutional, and residential buildings. Projects also include Database Centers/Infrastructure and Pharmaceutical Work.

"Integrated building systems" (IBS) or "Voice/Data/Video" (VDV) electrical contractors work primarily with low-voltage installations such as back-up power, climate controls, wireless networks, energy-efficient lighting, telecommunications, fiber optics, and security systems. IBS contractors are particularly skilled at integrating these system controls to work together for maximum energy efficiency and building performance.

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