What's the difference between a Residential and Commercial Electrician
An electrician is a skilled professional trained to fix and install electrical systems, whether commercial or residential. More often than not, electricians either work in commercial environments or residential buildings. Are you wondering what the main differences between a residential electrician and a commercial electrician is? If so, continue reading, as we will talk about their particular skills and the jobs they do.
Where do they Work?
As the name suggests, a residential electrician is a skilled professional who applies their trade in residences and homes. These electricians can install new wiring, replace it or fix it. These professionals can also thoroughly inspect the electrical system of your home to ensure it is up to code and safe. Whether you need repairs or remodels, acquiring the services of a licensed, professional residential electrician can come in quite handy.
Commercial electricians usually work in places of business such as stores and offices. More often than not, they work on lighting, power outlets and the like. Since commercial buildings usually make use of more electricity than houses, businesses generally have contacts with multiple commercial electricians as it allows them to maintain their offices or other place of business on a regular basis.
Whether you are looking for a commercial electrical expert or a private electrical contractor, we at Kato Electrical can help, as we have skilled professionals who can perform various electrical tasks without any hassle.
Training and Education
While the fundamental training for commercial and licensed electricians shares quite a few similarities, these people also get training and practice for their particular field. Generally, electrical systems used in houses are vastly different to those in businesses. So, if you want to repair, fix or inspect them, you must get someone who specializes in the particular type of system you want fixed.
Besides the general scope related to electrical work, residential electricians also have a great deal of knowledge about things like motors, appliance systems, air conditioning and grounding circuits. On the other hand, commercial electrical experts study things such as surveillance cameras, generators, computer cabling, voltage systems, lighting, etc.
What does their Day to Day Work Include
The day to day tasks performed by residential electrical contractors can be quite routine, which gives them plenty of time to hone their craft when they are free. What’s more, residential electricians tend to be highly efficient and one of the reasons for it is that they usually perform the same task numerous times.
Meanwhile, commercial electricians generally work on a wide variety of tasks. This is mainly because they work for different business types, which make them highly skilful, incredibly well rounded, detail oriented and efficient. Electrical companies often employ these professionals for full time or part time roles and use them to fix their client’s various electrical issues.
Commercial Electricians- When to hire them
Commercial electricians play a vital role in making sure shops, office buildings and various other commercial spaces remain safe and comply to their area’s particular codes. Making sure a workplace functions properly often requires guaranteed employee safety, regular maintenance checks, electrical repair, designing electrical systems to meet the various needs of the workplace etc.
When is the best time to hire Commercial Electricians
Commercial electricians are required in a variety of capacities. Companies acquire their services when they want to install new equipment, repair cooling and heating systems and much more. The work of a commercial electrical expert can include almost anything if it falls in these categories.
- Installations
- Laying cables
- Rewiring
Commercial electrical experts can also work with a plethora of security alarm systems and other electronics such as the lights and witches in an office. In some cases, design professionals also require the services of commercial electricians to design existing systems according to blueprints. They may also need their expertise for working on special projects that include electrical work.
Residential Electricians – When to Hire them
Residential electrical contractor often works with house owners to make sure their home’s interior and exterior are completely safe. These experts often work with Romex cables. For those who don’t know, these cables are a wiring type only used for residential properties. What’s more, this type of wiring tends to carry up to 240 volts within single phase power supplies. Romex cables are also ideal for protection against electrical shocks.
The wires in these cables are wrapped in sheathed insulations, which means no one can touch them besides professional electricians, who know how to handle them the right way.
When to Hire a Residential Electrician
As you would expect, the tasks performed by residential electricians are quite dangerous and not for the faint hearted. Those who aspire to become electricians must complete high school, enter apprenticeship programs and get job experience around to eight thousand to ten thousand hours. Once they complete these hours, they will become eligible for a license, which they can get by enrolling in competency exams. After meeting all of these requirements, they can find residential electrician jobs, where they can apply their skills, working with a variety of complex electrical systems. Generally, residential electricians tend to work in homes which requires them to travel from one jobsite to the next.
So, while both professions may overlap with one another sometimes, they have their differences. Needless to say, you cannot hire a residential electrician for commercial electric work because they may not be able to work on your project while keeping the code specific requirements in mind.
Can Commercial Electrician Work as Residential Electricians or Vice Versa
Yes, a commercial or residential electrician can indeed transfer their specialty. Since commercial electricians are capable of working with high complex and high voltage electrical systems, they can be work on residential electrical projects too. However, they will still need to take some time to learn about it before pursuing any kind of residential work.
Similarly, residential electricians who want to work on commercial projects should gain some experience with a variety of electrical hardware, voltage systems and wiring systems present in commercial environments. These specialists may also need to get some extra training or apprenticeship for maximizing their potential.
When hiring an electrician who specialized in residential or commercial work before, make sure they have enough experience with their new role to prevent any issue.
Other Important Differences worth Noting
Difference in Working Environments
As mentioned abundantly, residential electricians work in a variety of environments that usually differ from the environments commercial electricians operate in. Residential electricians can fix various electrical issues in home settings or residential buildings. If you want to repair power outlets, lighting or any other electrical services for your home, acquiring the services of a residential electrician would be ideal. You can either find them in electrical companies or as an individual electrical contractor.
Commercial electricians, on the other hand, mainly work in commercial environments, office buildings, businesses and retail stores. Therefore, you can get a commercial electricians services if you want to handle any type of commercial project. More often than not, these electricians work on big projects.
That said, commercial electricians can also work on certain types of residential projects, including estates and apartment buildings. While commercial and residential electric workers operate solo, some are also associated with one or multiple electric companies.
Differences in Wiring Systems and Voltages
Since commercial and residential electricians operate in different types of environments, the voltage sizes and wiring systems they deal with are entirely different. Residential electricians can work on voltage systems as high as 240 volts, since they usually work on single phase systems, which are usually small.
Commercial wiring systems, on the other hand, are massive and sometimes even require the involvement of multiple electricians.
Technical Differences
While both residential electricians and commercial electrical experts have similar educational backgrounds, the main differences come from the apprenticeship styles they follow. Commercial electricians are usually more experienced and skilled compared to residential electricians. This is mainly due to their ability to deal with complex types of wiring systems, which require more training and knowledge.
Differences in Equipment
Another massive difference between commercial and residential electricians is the kind of equipment they utilize. Residential electrical experts generally make use of hand tools like pliers and screwdrivers. However, commercial electricians generally use power tools like saws and drill presses.
As mentioned before, the main working conditions of commercial electrical experts and residential electricians also tend to be different. Typically, residential electricians work in houses, which are usually well lit and clean. On the other hand, commercial electricians work in large commercial buildings that are generally dark and dirty.
Whether working with electrical companies or as an electrical contractor, an electrician must have right licenses to work on their tasks. So, before, acquiring an expert’s services, you must make sure they have the right licenses to ensure they are reliable for the job.
At Kato Electrical, we offer highly professional electrical services. So, contact us today and one of our experts will be there to help you.