Commercial Electrician in Co. Meath

Commercial electrical work differs from domestic work less in the wiring itself than in the scale of the installation and the cost of switching it off. Shops, offices, workshops, salons and small industrial units usually run on a three-phase supply, with a main board feeding sub-boards, machinery, catering equipment and lighting. Cable is more often run in visible trunking, tray or conduit than buried in walls, so that circuits can be added later without opening the building up.

The recurring jobs are new boards and sub-mains, dedicated circuits for equipment, lighting upgrades, emergency lighting, fire alarm wiring, and fault finding on premises that cannot simply be powered down. Emergency lighting and fire alarm systems have their own Irish standards, I.S. 3217 and I.S. 3218, covering design, installation, commissioning, servicing and maintenance, so they carry test and commissioning records rather than being treated as ordinary lighting. Electrical safety at a place of work also falls under the electricity provisions of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007, which is why insurers and auditors ask for periodic inspection reports.

The registration rules are the same as in a home. A new distribution board or a new circuit is restricted electrical work under S.I. 264/2013, so it must be carried out by a Registered Electrical Contractor registered with Safe Electric, who issues a Completion Certificate against I.S. 10101. When comparing quotes, ask when the work can happen, how long the supply has to be off, and whether certification and as-fitted records are included or extra.