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Residential Vs. Commercial Electricians

  • By voltix
  • December 7, 2018
  • By Digma
  • December 7, 2018
  • 3:46 pm

Residential Vs. Commercial Electricians

Residential Vs Commercial Electricians: What Are The Key Differences?

 

 

When it comes to commercial vs electrical services, there are some very significant differences. Fact is, all electricians are not equipped to handle both cases. The flow of electricity is strong and powerful. If channeled improperly into your property – you can end up suffering a great deal of damage. This flow of power into your property is controlled by your electrical panel.  It controls the flow of the electricity and ensures that your electrical system is not underpowered or overloaded. Here, various different building types need need different electrical loads in order to function as intended. Hence, there comes to be a huge difference between commercial and residential buildings, and which kind of services they require.

 

These differences include the different environments where wiring is installed, the different grade or quality of materials, and the different level of energy demands.  A bunch of factors are involved in installing and designing any kind of electrical system. Hence, it is important to work with an experienced trained for your particular project and property type.

Residential Vs. Commercial: What’s The Underlying Difference?

 

As the names suggest, commercial wiring is wiring and electrical work that caters to residential buildings and houses. The scope of such wiring is confined to homeowners. Commercial wiring, on the other, happens to be a much more complex form of service that pertains to commercial setups such as malls, hospitals, warehouses. The varying level of electricity demands, atmospheric conditions and accessibility within these two different setups makes up for a range of differences in the way wiring is installed and repairs. In this article, we break the key differences between commercial and residential buildings. These consist of wiring, phases of power, quality, accessibility, types of electricians, and licensing:

 

Wiring

The first and foremost difference between commercial and residential electrical installation is the type of wiring used for the particular building. In commercial buildings, the wiring is contained in a tube-like conduits for protection. The wires are situated run in open spaces to allow access. On the other hand, in residential homes, plastic sheathing is wound around narrow , thin wires. This sheathing is essential in order to protect anyone from being harmed by touching the wire directly – as these wires may be situated in crawl space or attic space. Residential wiring usually doesn’t use conduits, although they can be used sometimes.

Phases of Power

Commercial buildings use three phase power which consists of a neutral wire, a 208-volt leg and a 120-volt leg. On the other hand, homes use single phase power that has a neutral wire and a 120-volt wires.

 

The power supplied by the utility company also differed massively when it comes to commercial vs residential applications. As imaginable, commercial buildings require way more power than residential buildings. To help make sure that all buildings receive the magnitude of power they require without overloading a property, utility companies categorise the electrical load by phase – residential and commercial buildings.

 

Quality

 

The grade or quality of electrical materials also differed significantly between XX. Commercial materials have to be more chemical exposure, corrosion and heat. They have to comply with different standards, and governed by different codes. Moreover, commercial buildings like hospitals need a backup source of power so they can withstand more demanding usage. Therefore, devices in places like hospitals have to be more durable and also able to work in a temperature range wider than that in residential sites.

 

Type Of Electricians

 

There is a notable difference in the type of electrician you will employ for your particular property type. While the residential electricians and their scope is often just limited to home owners and their applications, commercial electricians are more involved with contractors, designers and architects. Their job is to view a project from a different perspective and implement their role on a large scale. They might also be required to provide detailed plans and drawings for installations, whereas residential electricians are often not required to carry out as detailed planning regarding their tasks or projects.

 

Accessibility

Accessibility is another factor involved here. In the case of residential buildings, home owners don’t want unsightly electrical wiring to be visible. Moreover, if there happen to be pets or children in the house, you definitely don’t want the wiring to be accessible easily. Hence, with residential buildings, it is important to ensure that the wires are hidden behind the drywall. Moreover, all the wiring kit be implemented perfectly the first time round, because it’s extremely difficult to go back inside the wall and make repair.

 

On the other hand, the wiring needs to be easily accessible to make repairs or updates as needed. Wiring in commercial buildings has to be more well positioned in order to be repaired immediately. There’s too much going on on a daily basis within commercial buildings. All of this can take a toll on the wiring in commercial buildings much quicker than residential settings. A commercial electrician must hence take all of this into account during installation as well as when making repairs.

Licensing

There are significant differences between the people who are equipped to work in residential buildings vs commercial buildings, and the way they require their licenses. Electricians who work in the commercial sector have to be licensed but also required to go through a commercial electrician apprenticeship program in order to receive a certification.
On the other hand, residential electricians just have to be licensed by state and local agencies and don’t usually undergo any other kind of certification. Commercial electricians are required to carry out many of the same tasks as residential electricians, but they’re also equipped to be hired for more sophisticated, large scale projects.

 

The load demands, energy needs, and equipment setup for residential electrical work is certainly not the same as for commercial electrical work. To make sure you don’t have to learn this the hard way, make sure that you employ electrical services that are suitable to your particular project. 

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Stephen M, Lead Technician – Lighting Specialist

Steve brings many years of electrical experience and lighting experience. Steve is well versed in all facets of lighting including HID Lighting, LED Lghting, Energy Conservation, Bucket Trucks, Sign lighting.

Perry W, Lead Technician

Patrick B, Lead Technician

Lance N., Apprentice Electrician

Justin S, Lead Technician

Jason T, Lead Technician

Ernest Render, Journeyman Electrician

On any given day you will never see Ernest with a smile. From his infectious laugh to his ability to mold aspiring electricians Ernest has left many lasting impressions on our future generation. His patience and teaching ability are second to none.

Gary S., Lead Technician – Journeyman Electrician

We are proud to have Gary as part of our Jacksonville Electrician Team.

Daniel L, Apprentice

We are proud to have Daniel as part of our Jacksonville Electrician Team.

Evelin M, Administrative Assistant

We are proud to have Evelin as our Administrative Assistant for Empire Electric.

Michele S, Accounting

Michele has been working in the electrical trade for the last 20 years, with that it has brought her a vast range of experience in the electrical industry. In her early years she worked in the warehouse which allowed her to learn the parts and basics behind electrical work. When she transferred into the office it allowed her to be able to talk to the customers and answers their questions over the phone. She has handled everything from dispatching, accounting and management of employees. Providing top notch customer service to our customers is her number one goal. It makes her feel good to be able to be the first point of contact to our customers to help assist them over the phone then to schedule for the technicians to resolve their electrical needs. The end result is making sure our customers are completely satisfied from start to finish. On her days off, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters doing outdoor activities such as kayaking, camping and water sports. In her spare time she enjoys scrapbooking and reading. We are pleased to have Michele as part of our Jacksonville Electrician Team

Kitty JonJock, Permit Coordinator

With permitting being an integral part of construction combined with the sheer volume of permits Empire Electric Inc. pulls with the different locale’s we are pleased to have someone with the experience and expertise dedicated to handling our very important and critical permitting indenture. From coordination to scheduling Kitty can handle the most critical or sensitive permitting with ease. Kitty brings over 20 years of combined Electrical and Mechanical experience in the construction / contracting field.

Jon Brockel, Project Manager

Dave Thompson, Service Manager

Dave is a native of Jacksonville. With over 25 years of electrical experience Dave performs the daily duty of smooth running fleet of technicians. From his combined electrical experience with impeccable customer service skills and techno0logy, Dave is able to maintain a smooth running service department and handle customers hand in hand.

Jim Sullivan, Owner – Vice President

Jim Sullivan is a native of Jacksonville, Florida, he attended Englewood High School and went right into the Electrical trade out of high school in 1983. He worked in the field as an electrician’s helper and then a Lead man then obtained his electrical license in the trade in 1990. Ove the course of 32 years in the trade he has gained a vast range of electrical knowledge by working on many different projects. He transferred into the office in 1999 to become a project manager, where he took off sets of plans for commercial and military jobs. He followed each job thru that he was awarded where he managed crews and over saw the job sites. He is eager and excited to be on a new adventure with his own company to be able to build on his customer basis and continue to provide outstanding customer service. During his off time, Jim enjoys spending time with his two sons boating and camping. He received his private pilot’s license in 2001 and enjoys flying in his spare time as well. We are proud to have Jim as part of our Jacksonville Electrician Team.

Rich Speaker, Owner – President

Rich is President of Empire Electric Inc. Rich was born and raised in Buffalo, New York in where he graduated Lafayette High School and joined the United States Navy. While in the Navy, Rich began his path in the electrical trade as a Electricians Mate stationed in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and subsequently upon the Conventional Aircraft Carrier, John F. Kennedy CV67, ultimately ending in Jacksonville, FL with an Honorable Discharge.Still young and eager to fulfill his thirst for knowledge in the electrical trade, R applied as an Electricians Helper. While progressing through the ranks as Electrician Helper, Rich decided it was time to utilize his G.I. Bill that was given for his military service. Wanting to integrate Electrical and Computer networking, Rich decided to attend night school to obtain his Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer MCSE certification in 2006. After the birth of his two children, Rich decided it was time to once again further his education and knowledge of the electrical trade. In December 2010 Rich obtained his Florida State Certified Master Electrician License EC13004667 and subsequently being accepted in to the Jacksonville Master Electricians Association J.M.E.A.