Electrical Contractor

For the first time, Utah produced more power from solar than any other source, according to an Aug. 3 article in The Salt Lake Tribune. In May, photovoltaic (PV) panels in the state generated approximately 1 terawatt-hour (TWh) of electricity—almost a third of all electricity the state generated that month—while natural gas generated 32%, coal 28% and wind 2%, according to think tank Ember Energy.

A recent study by ZipRecruiter, “Unclogging the Pipeline: Why Aren’t More Workers Flocking to Lucrative Trade Jobs?”, surveyed 1,500 trade workers nationwide. What it found may explain one cause of the persistent labor shortages in construction, manufacturing, transportation and other skilled trades.

View information about the latest electrical industry products, from electrician's tools, to electrical equipment, lighting and lighting controls products, work site accessories, safety gear, and much more. See electrical products as they appeared in recent issues of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Magazine, SAFETY LEADER and LINE CONTRACTOR. Product listings are for informational purposes only. For prices and purchasing, contact the manufacturer or your distributor.

Change doesn’t come without challenges, and progress doesn’t always take a direct route. Four years after adopting a temporary exception to a new rule for outdoor GFCIs, the organization responsible for updating the nation’s model code for electrical safety has proposed extending the exception for another two years. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) proposed a two-year extension to the 210.8(F) Exception.

Renewable-powered heat systems could supply up to a third of U.S. industrial heat demand by 2035, according to an April 2026 study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. “Emerging low cost and efficient options such as thermal electric storage and industrial heat pumps offer a promising alternative when combined with local low-cost solar and wind power,” according to the study.

Building the shell of a data center takes 18–24 months in most U.S. markets, but “time to power” can take much longer. While it varies by state, the national average wait time is four years, according to the 2026 JLL Global Data Center Outlook. As the iMasons State of the Digital Infrastructure Industry 2026 Annual Report puts it, power delivery is the bottleneck, not construction.

The market for electric vehicles may experience its ups and downs, but owner satisfaction remains unphased. In fact, it couldn’t be much higher. According to the results of the “2026 Annual EV Driver Survey” released by the nonprofit Plug In America, “EV drivers love their vehicles.” The sixth annual survey was intended to capture the complete picture of the consumer EV driver experience in the United States.

In Part 1 of the 2026 Profile of the Electrical Contractor, we noted a decline in revenues and firm sizes since our 2024 findings. Average earnings decreased and more companies now fall into the 1-9 employee size category. In Part 2, we cover how electrical contractors do their work, with information on team structures and product specification. Read on to learn more.

In last month’s article on imbalance, I was helping a customer find the cause of a tripping 15A AFCI breaker, indicating a possible arcing fault condition in a residence with a typical split-phase voltage configuration. This circuit fed overhead lights in four rooms, two receptacles in bedrooms that were very lightly loaded and the exhaust fan of the bathroom. Initially, it was difficult to determine a pattern or cause for the breaker trips. A possible suspect was the ceiling fan in the bathroom.

The National Electrical Code addresses mechanical execution of work but never describes it or tells the user what constitutes good workmanship. What does this general requirement mean, and how can one determine good from bad? It is usually left to the eye of the beholder, but it is often identifiable when present, and even easier to see when it is not. There are minimum standards that can be applied to electrical installations to help code users meet the requirements in Section 110.12.