Electical Contractor

We’re now more than a year into the release of the first two major players in the electric vehicle (EV) market—Nissan’s all-electric Leaf and Chevy’s hybrid-electric Volt, and results so far are decidedly, well, undecided.

Despite continued uncertainty about the economy, Americans are showing increased confidence in the housing market and the direction of the economy, according to Fannie Mae’s November 2012 National Housing Survey.

With efficiency now occupying a top-tier status in the effort to transform energy use, it was only a matter of time before the spotlight trained on waste and building construction. An architectural firm in Brighton, England, has taken that concept to the extreme.

Fuel cells are an evolving technology and a current new market for the electrical contractor (EC). As a result of research and development, fuel cells have become feasible to implement with greater capacity, reduced costs, increased reliability and improved efficiency.

More than 8 billion lamps illuminate the United States, accounting for nearly 20 percent of all electricity consumption in the nation, according to a study released by the Department of Energy (DOE). The “2010 U.S.

For the past 50 years, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR has surveyed its readers every other year to get a snapshot of the industry and pinpoint emerging trends, opportunities and other changing dynamics.

Luxury homes are often a launching point for technology, such as home automation, security, lighting management, and entertainment systems, that could become commonplace throughout the residential market.

Electronic shading has been around since the 1980s, but for the most part, electrical contractors have shied away from installing it because it involves those perceived risks always attached to something “we’ve never done before.” But by avoiding this work, contractors continue to lose out on the c

For most of us, winter draws to a close around March. But impressions of cold and icy conditions still may be fresh in the minds of home- and business owners. They may be ready for warmth under foot and snow-free pavement.