While energy efficiency technology may not always be inexpensive, it does not have to be a luxury only wealthy homeowners can enjoy. California policymakers are taking steps to make efficiency equally accessible to the state...
Powering an entire community with solar energy was once aspirational. But success breeds success, and 100% solar-powered neighborhoods are showing market viability and opportunity for developers across the country, thanks to...
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in isolation, illness and even death for residents and staff at senior living communities, but it’s still a viable option. For a while, the age-in-place paradigm suggesting older adults are...
The first electrical service I helped install was back in 1961 when I was 14 years old and wet behind the ears, as we said in those days. My stepfather and I were building a new family home and trying to save money by doing...
According to a May 2022 report from Dodge, total construction starts in April were 3% higher than in March, rising to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $945.8 billion. These modest gains offer a mixed bag, however, with...
I conducted a courtesy electrical inspection for a friend who had purchased a home from a real estate agent, who previously owned and occupied it. The house had supposedly been totally rewired by an “electrician” in the year...
The instability and fluctuations of new construction in the current housing market have certainly been a challenge for contractors, construction companies and homeowners. Home prices are skyrocketing, global supply chain...
Over the long history of the National Electrical Code, there have been numerous changes to how we use different wiring systems. Those electrical industry long-timers may have historical knowledge of the reasons for various...
In “Ice, Washing Machines and a Phone” (ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR, December 2019), I wrote about protecting electronic equipment in new and existing homes, and I mentioned surge-protective devices (SPDs) as a method of providing...
I was a guest during a National Electrical Code Panel 3 discussion for the 2023 NEC process and one of the public inputs and comments under discussion was about the potential damage to wiring methods used in dwelling units...
If you had to pick which electrical branch circuits or feeders to supply power to during a utility company power outage, what would you choose, and would that make you popular or not in your household? If you are the...
Solar panels and smart meters aren’t the only ways that homeowners can color their energy use “green.” According to recent data, upgrading homes with some basic measures can dramatically reduce energy use as well as carbon...
As has been reported in recent months, while the housing market experienced a major “boom” for a good part of 2021, other segments of the construction market struggled, and home construction starts have tailed off in the last...
Ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection for outdoor outlets has been a requirement in the National Electrical Code since 1971, but it was limited to 15A and 20A, 120V receptacles. With the acceptance of the 2020...
An October 2021 report from Dodge Data & Analytics, Hamilton, N.J., shows optimistic signs for the construction industry. According to the report, total construction starts rose 10% in September to a seasonally adjusted...
In a September 2021 report, Fixr conveyed that home building materials have increased in price over the past two years, forcing businesses and construction professionals to find ways to cope and deal with the resulting...
When I was an electrical contractor, I specialized in high-end dwellings, medium-sized design-build commercial installations, and industrial facility maintenance and machinery. I had a small electrical service department of...
According to an August 2021 report from Pecan Street, a residential electricity research firm based in Austin, Texas, electric service panels in up to 48 million U.S. single-family homes will need to be upgraded to fully...
I recently had new air conditioner units and a new swimming pool circulation motor installed at my home. The installer asked if I wanted soft or hard start units installed on these motors for a nominal fee. Not knowing that I...
I received an email recently from a good friend requesting I write an article on knob-and-tube wiring. This request brought back memories of when I was an electrical contractor in the Phoenix area, licensed for 600V and lower...
