The ominous smoke wreathing Diehl Moving & Storage recently near Baltimore, MD reminds business owners of the danger of an electrical fire, and the value of commercial electricians. Not only can qualified commercial electricians save businesses money through energy efficiency and code compliance, they can help prevent dangerous and business-shuttering fires.
Fire Prevention
One of the simplest ways commercial electricians can help your business avoid a costly fire is with an electrical inspection. Checking every outlet for correct polarity (a shock hazard), inspecting appliance cords (they fray easily), calculating the load on a circuit breaker panel and other small checkups can allay any concerns you have over the integrity of your building’s wiring.
Beyond inspection, commercial electricians can hard-wire smoke and carbon monoxide detectors into crucial spots, wire in or repair Exit signs and install emergency lighting.
Energy Efficiency
A licensed, highly qualified commercial electrician can install energy-efficient lighting, appliances and other equipment to lower your business’s electrical bill. By tapping into the conservation strategies of the federal Energy Star program, your business can decrease its carbon footprint and use more modern, energy-saving appliances like freezers, dishwashers and air conditioning systems.
A commercial electrician can do more, too, by working with you to install solar energy systems, wind energy products, geothermal heat pumps and more. All of these reduce your reliance on the electrical grid while garnering community goodwill.
Communication
Commercial electricians can make your business more efficient and productive by wiring your building for full-spectrum communications services:
- Videoconferencing
- High-speed internet
- Satellite television and radio
- Telephone networks
Code Compliance
The job of ensuring your business is compliant with building, fire and electrical codes is also made easier with commercial electricians. Few amateurs know local electrical codes, and fewer still know how to take an existing situation and bring it up to modern code compliance.
The costs of ignoring safety codes and regulations are steep. You may not be the first concern to use a commercial space, and over the years a series of do-it-yourselfers may have added circuits, run electrical lines off existing junction boxes, or added lines to breaker panels without checking for compliance.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides for substantial and punishing fines for violations of the National Electrical Code (NEC) and other workplace safety issues:
- Fines up to $125,000 (an increase over the $70,000 maximum since 1990) for the most serious violations
- Fines up to $12,500 for lesser violations
“Electrical wiring methods” is the eighth most cited OSHA violation, with 2,404 citations for 2015. No business can endure even a few of the more expensive fines and remain solvent—commercial electricians can not only keep employees and customers safe, they can keep your business thriving.
Advertising
Electrical signage can attract plenty of foot traffic, but only if the signs are installed and maintained properly. While sign companies may handle some of the work, licensed electricians can provide adequate power supply, separate circuit breakers, and junction boxes for attractive, attention-grabbing signs.
Emergency Power
Commercial electricians are adept at providing standby generators for businesses, so even in the worst weather or public calamity, your business can remain active and engaged with customers. Standby generators are not the same as portable generators, and require special knowledge of both electrical and energy supply. Installation must be done carefully to avoid risk of carbon monoxide infiltration. Commercial electricians have the know-how and tools to bring your business the security and comfort of reliable standby power.
Saving money for your business, protecting your employees and customers, helping amplify your message and improve communications, commercial electricians bring value and safety to your company. Contact us to hear more.
