May is National Electrical Safety Month, established to bring awareness about home electrical safety to families. Throughout the month, electricians are being encouraged to tell their customers to have their electrical equipment checked out, cleaned and maintained if they haven’t had that done recently.
It is also is a good time for electricians to take a look at the industry to ensure they’re staying abreast of changing circumstances and technology. So, what are some electrical trends they can expect this year and beyond?
We’ve all seen the commercial: “Alexa, turn on the light!” Voice controlled smart homes are becoming all the rage…and not just because it’s new and “cool.” Smart control of heating and lighting actually improves energy-efficiency by up to 30 percent or more. Like smart homes, 3D printers with new filaments are creating new worlds of possibilities. Not only are these printers able to create more complex designs, they’re becoming more affordable – hence, more prominent.
The Raspberry Pi mini-PC is bringing more diverse applications to the masses, firmly establishing itself in the general marketplace, while copy-cats are trying to grab slices of the industry as well. Electricians will need to know their way around all this new electrical technology to remain relevant.
A recent study also reported more and more electrical buyers are using online tools for research, pricing and checking inventory. Electric companies and distributors are finding they need to offer eCommerce options to their customers or fall by the wayside. While the majority of eCommerce options are more applicable to medium- and larger-sized companies, smaller electric distributors do have platforms and services specific to their needs. They just have to search a bit harder to find them.
Fortis Electrical Systems Technician and Electrical Trades programs remind us that National Electrical Safety Month is a time to encourage a healthy respect for all things electrical…but also a time for electrical workers and companies to make sure they’re on the right side of today’s emerging technologies.
American can’t live without electricity, but most of us don’t know how to harness it. We need electrical technicians who are up-to-date to help power us forward.
