Electical Contractor

Have you ever seen a poor fire alarm system installation? Perhaps the original installer executed an incompetent design, or an incompetent installer poorly installed a proper design. In either case, the bottom line profitability of the installer will suffer.

Programmable logic controllers (PLCS) have been with us for some time—the first PLCs with architecture and functionality like the ones in use now were built in the mid-1970s. They provide practical means for applying logic to automate almost any function that can be electrically controlled.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), Maryland’s largest gas and electric utility, delivering power to more than 1 million electric customers in central Maryland, recently announced an initiative to create one of the most extensive Smart Grids in the nation.

Museums house valuable items that generally are protected by surveillance. Occasionally, exhibits receive rock star attention in the media and require the best security technology offers.

The world of security in museums, archives and repositories is one of contradictions, said Ann A. Fortescue, director of Education and Visitor Services at Pittsburgh’s Senator John Heinz History Center. “Our job is to both protect our collections from, as well as to reveal them to, our visitors.

Charlottesville has been selected as the first city in Virginia and one of the first in the nation to benefit from smart grid technology that will make the delivery of electricity more efficient and less costly while improving customer service.

When upgrading electronic security in a retrofit, it’s quite common for electrical contractors (ECs) to receive a bid specification where they are expected to add to an existing fire or burglar alarm system.

While the dominant theme at ISC West was going digital and networking, the 2009 Lightfair International was all about going green—how smart use of lighting can make big reductions in energy consumption.

Despite downturns in construction, demand for low-voltage cabling—including voice, data and video (VDV)—is growing. VDV work, fueled by the interest in energy-efficient buildings, is bread and butter for security and telecom specialists.