If there’s something strange (or weird) with your home or building’s wiring or other electrical components, who are you going to call? Nope, you don’t call the Ghostbusters, but the – electricians! In general, an electrician is a highly-skilled tradesman who is adept at installing and repairing wiring and all the components in any electrical system, including lighting, computer networks, air conditioning and security systems etc. However, electricians differ in skill sets and working environments. Let’s look at the top 3 differences between residential and commercial electricians.

They Differ In Their Areas of Specialization

Although a commercial electrician and a residential electrician have one thing in common, which is they take care of a home or building’s wiring and other electrical components, they somehow differ in their areas of specialization.

A retail electrician is a highly-skilled professional who works for the construction, servicing, restoration and review of electrical and insulation systems of a residential building. On the other hand, commercial electricians specialize in the areas of electrical installations, safety checks and servicing in manufacturing, retail and other commercial workplaces. A retail electrician designs and schedule electrical systems which comply with industry standards and city or town electrical codes.

They Differ in Duties and Scope

A commercial electrician‘s duties and responsibilities slightly differ that of a residential electrician. For starters, the duties of commercial electricians include new construction of new equipment or repair of existing equipment, repairs of cooling and heating facilities, installation of security systems (like alarms, switches and lights), installation of cables which comply with city guidelines and codes, and handling a team of trained electricians. But, they all do these in a commercial setting like in a factory, mall, high-rise office block or warehouse.

A retail electrician‘s duties are nearly almost the same as that of commercial electricians, but they do these in a residential building like a the typical suburban house, rental apartment or town home. Their responsibilities and duties include the preparation of technical drawings and interpretation of electrical plans, ensuring the proper operation of a home’s electrical components in compliance with city guidelines, installation of new cables; wires, lighting and electrical components, maintenance and diagnosis of electrical systems, and replacement of damaged or old electrical components.

They Differ in Working Environments 

A retail electrician is either self-employed or working for a construction firm. They go to work in a residential building and work either alone, or with a team of skilled electricians. Any new electrical components and cables, as well as existing or older systems, may be installed by the residential electrician.

On the other hand, commercial electricians are inside factories, malls, office buildings or warehouse blocks (or in any other large business entity or corporation). But, just like residential electricians, their work is also very physically demanding, because sometimes need to enter small spaces, move around a lot, and spend a lot of time standing or crouching!

I hope after reading this, you’ll somehow learn to differentiate the skill sets between a residential and commercial electrician, as well as have a greater appreciation of what they do!