The sole work of an electrician is to deal with wires and electrical components of an area or a building. However, there are various elements that come under electrical wires. The electrical working of a residential site is different from that of a commercial building. Therefore, different companies provide different commercial electrician services. A commercial electrician has the upper hand over the residential electrician as a commercial installer deals with large projects, and they can easily understand the concept of residential electrical working. That is why a commercial electrician can take on projects in residential areas.
The following are the five significant differences between residential and commercial electrical contractors.
Services offered: Residential electricals are responsible for the safety of the residents and finishing the electrical installation along with maintenance and fixture of services, interpreting society’s technical blueprints, repairing electrical faults and rewiring. Whereas a commercial performs these similar tasks but on a large scale which includes machines and wiring system installation following the official blueprints. You can easily find commercial electricians in industrial areas, office buildings etc. They handle all the electrical permitting.
Equipment and supplies used: Another difference between the two types is their different supplies and equipment. Local electricians use single-phase systems which range between 120V-240V. On the other hand, a commercial electrician deals with three-phase systems ranging between 120V-480V due to the high electrical load requirement. Because of the difference in power systems, the equipment and supplies also vary.
Therefore, residential electrical systems require thin cables with less insulation. On the other hand, commercial electrical systems need thick cables with more insulation and sheathing to handle commercial applications. Apart from this, commercial electrical systems are designed to be more accessible during electricity failure.
Technical skills: Both electricians start their education at the same level. Their basics are similar. However, the experience requirement for commercial electricians is a must as they have to deal with complex business projects. They must have more than 4000 hours of job experience and a deep understanding of the topics such as phase and voltage, phase diagrams and wiring control systems. Both types have different certification levels.
Project size: It is said from the very beginning that the project sizes of the two electricians are different. Commercial electricians deal with large projects as compared to resident electricians. Electrical tasks like that of office buildings and various complexes are labour-intensive and time-consuming. So they are not suitable for residential electricians. Moreover, commercial electricians are not limited to just commercial projects; they can also take up large residential projects, and the opposite is not always possible for local electricians.
The Bottom line:
Regardless of the differences between the two types, the importance of each electrician cannot be changed. They have their roles settled. However, if you are searching for a ‘commercial electrician near me, ’ you can find ample options to choose from but make sure that you select the appropriate electrician as per your need, as going for a residential electrician for a commercial project will not be a rational choice.