 What is a commercial electrician? Commercial projects differ from residential projects. Thus, electrical specialists in this area are required. Therefore, always choose a specific commercial electrician for any commercial electrical installation. So, what is a commercial electrician? Commercial projects can be categorized as follows. 1. Data centers. 2. Commercial offices. 3. Shops and retail spaces. 4. Warehouses and industrial. 5. Hospitals, clinics and healthcare. 6. Sports and leisure. Electrical installations for data centers. Data centers can be very densely populated with electrical installation requirements. They consist of two main areas with the same building. 1. The data center halls. 2. The administration and client areas. The data center halls will require large-scale electrical installation work when constructed. However, as the data halls grow and different clients require bespoke requirements, additional electrical installation work is required. This can be additional electrical sockets to a cabinet or on a wall for certain control equipment. The majority of our work in data centers is however in the space outside of the data halls. These consist of administration offices, meeting rooms, reception areas, and client space that they use when visiting. These areas constantly change. Therefore, electrical installation and data cabling installation are frequently required. Changes include new televisions, videos walls, Wi-Fi upgrades, signage and desk relocations, and additions. Commercial office electrical installations. Commercial offices are the most widespread of the commercial electrical industry. Every office requires a certain amount of electrical work, and although every office is different, they all have common similarities. The electrical installation will usually cover the following services and area. 1. Desks. 2. Meeting rooms. 3. Audio-visual. 4. Communication rooms. 5. Reception. 6. Lighting. 7. Building services such as AC. Each commercial space will have different size teams, different technology and different growth expectations. Therefore, extensive experience in commercial installations is a must. The electrical systems designed for the initial stage will keep in mind the potential for growth in company size and hardware technology. Electrical installations for shops and retail spaces. The majority of retail installations are shops. However, these can merge into large shopping centres and department stores. The shops can vary immensely in size and requirements. Regardless of size, the biggest challenge in electrical retail installations is how they are constructed. The aesthetics and design are an important part of a store brand. The access and routes for electrical cabling in a shop are usually quite complicated. In an office, there would be a false ceiling, false floor, trunking, or maybe even all three. In a shop, there are generally solid ceilings, lots of shelving, covered floor space, and constant customer traffic. This is where previous commercial experience is important. Thus knowing the best times to undertake the installation, advising on disruption, and knowledge of getting around the difficult cabling routes. In an office environment, people can be moved to different desks to void the electrical installation work. However, in a store, they are open at set times. Therefore, the majority of retail installations are out of hours and in the evenings. Warehouse and industrial electrical installations. Warehouse and industrial buildings are categorized by their larger scope, size, and height. They also incorporate similar installations to offices, as most also have office space within them. However, what sets them apart is the greater size. Greater size usually results in larger requirements. The containment is bigger, the cables are larger, and the distance traveled is greater. Furthermore, additional access equipment is generally required. Installation may be undertaken on powered scissor lifts or boom lifts. Each location is generally unique, and a commercial experience is important in these settings than probably in any other. Hospitals, clinics, and healthcare electrical installations. An example of healthcare buildings can range from a small clinic to a large hospital. It can also include care homes, which although similar to residential they are a different installation consideration, and thus a commercial installation. Clinics and hospitals are generally constructed with false ceilings and at times existing containment. Therefore, the routes and access can be efficient. However, the challenge is working around patients, staff, and delicate equipment. Care homes differ in that the majority have solid ceilings and routes. Older homes will be constructed of older brick construction throughout, and routes will be difficult. In many cases, the cabling involves a lot of disruption. Electrical installations for sports, hospitality and leisure. The buildings in this sector include venues for entertainment, public houses, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, and sports stadiums. Likewise, as with healthcare buildings, these can vary in almost unlimited layouts and construction. They probably have the least common and effective construction for installing new electrical cabling. Aesthetics, ambience, and branding are very important in this space, so easy access is not usually possible. Thus, bespoke installations, planning, and design are generally required. In addition, working out of hours into a set schedule is a common attribute of this sector. When hiring a commercial electrician, what should I know? As explained above, every sector and every building within those sectors vary greatly. However, they all have a common thread in that a lot more planning and experience in those sectors are needed. In residential homes, houses generally have similar requirements. Furthermore, you only have one family or person to work around. In these commercial settings it is important to know the commercial electrical regulations, but furthermore how to design and work around operational buildings. In addition, planning for the future and not just installing for the present. Commercial electrical installation companies should have experience in the following. A larger scale of work. Commercial electricians have experience in a range of more complex projects. Complexity results in greater specifics and a greater range of requirements for electrical work. Electrical scope of works. Residential and commercial installations have a different scope and scale of electrical wiring requirements. In a home, the electrical wiring runs to similar looking rooms through the walls or ceiling. However, in commercial settings, the electrical cabling can be installed in the ceiling, walls, floors, externally, on a tray, basket, or in a metal or plastic conduit. The electrical cabling can be for a greater number of requirements and different power ratings, such as 13 amp, 16 amp, 32 amp etc. In a residential setting, it will all be general 13 amp sockets with a few additional exceptions. Electrical requirements. The overall power requirements in commercial spaces will be higher than in a residential setting. More equipment means more electrical circuits. More electrical circuits result in greater power requirements. A home will generally have one main fuse board. A commercial space may have several. All have to be designed to work together. Summary of what is a commercial electrician. As discussed, it comes down to the breadth of qualification and the breadth of experience. A large range of customers in the commercial space in the past 20 years can give you confidence that we can assist, design, and install the correct system for you. Call our project team today for an initial discussion and to arrange a free survey. For further assistance or a free survey please email or call on the details below, and click like and subscribe if you have enjoyed this video.