Electricians and their companies install and maintain residential, commercial and industrial electrical power systems. But there is not just one type of electrical company. In fact, electricians can specialize in particular areas of interest within their field. Learn more about these specializations and the work electrical companies do, below.
What do they do?
Besides installing and maintaining electrical and power systems, an electrical company installs and maintains wiring and control equipment, electrical equipment and machines.
Most electricians follow a career path focusing on maintenance or construction-related electrical work. Some do both types. This work starts with reading blueprints to understand where the architect or engineer wants circuits, load centers, outlets, panel boards and other electrical equipment installed. Their next step is to install these parts and connect wiring to components or systems, such as transformers, circuit breakers and outlets.
Maintenance electricians focus on replacing and repairing equipment as needed. These repairs are usually time-sensitive. Common parts they must repair or replace include fuses, switches including gang operated load break switch systems, circuit breakers, wiring or other electrical and electronic components. To prevent problems requiring repairs or replacement, electricians typically conduct periodic inspections of equipment and ensure it functions properly.
Two Primary Types of Electrical Workers
As said before, there are multiple specializations for an electrical company’s focus. But electricians also break down into two types, based on the work they perform. These two types include inside and outside electricians.
Inside electricians, typically called wiremen, install and maintain building and structure electrical systems. They can also design these systems to provide reliable electrical power to the building. The most common specializations for this type include residential, industrial and commercial wiremen. Although they spend most of their workdays indoors, they sometimes must work outside to enable indoor power. A good example of this outdoor work for wiremen is the connection of rooftop solar panels.
Outdoor electricians are also called linemen. These line electrical workers typically work on power distribution and transmission lines. They help electrical power get from the power plant to substations and into homes, industrial settings and commercial buildings. This power passes through high voltage lines that linemen also install, maintain and repair.
Inside electrical workers typically work set hours as part of a daytime shift. But outdoor linemen often work odd hours and emergency services. Linemen must also wear more protective gear for their work around transmission cables and utility poles.
3 Types of Specialization for an Electrical Company
A specialization is a great option for electrical companies. As discussed above, the primary types of electrical company workers are residential, commercial and industrial. These include indoor and outdoor electrical workers, called wiremen and linemen.
Beyond residential, commercial and industrial electrical work, a company can choose to specialize even more. Three key possibilities for this further specialization include:
- Emergency electrical company
- Construction electrical company
- Specialist electrical company
An emergency electrical company provides on-call electricians who fill shifts or take calls 24 hours per day and seven days per week. They quickly fix electrical problems arising at any time of day or night. These companies perform urgent repairs and replacements, instead of focusing on installations or other planned work.
An electrical construction company works on buildings before the structure’s completion. These companies optimize electrical systems to meet requirements for the building’s use.
A specialist electrical company provides much more focused work within one or more specific categories. These categories can include:
- Auto electrical
- Marine electrical
- Oil rig electrical
- Electrical machine repair and rewinding
- Instrumentation
- Electrotechnical panel builders
- Highway electrical systems
- Substation electrical
- Installation electrical
- Integrated building systems electrical
- Electrical maintenance
- Sign electrical
- Refrigeration
- HVAC
- Commercial kitchen electrical
- Solar panel installation
As you can see, an electrical company is not a one-type-fits-all business. Whether you need an electrical company or want to start one of your own, finding the right fit depends on the work focus.