Domestic versus commercial electricians – a brief discussion

The vocation of electrician is undoubtedly rewarding provided you keep working hard and honestly. As a professional electrician you may have to cater to your residential clients and work in domestic environments. This is likely to include visiting houses that are in need of electrical repairs. On the other hand you may also have to work in commercial settings. Thus you have to provide support to business establishments or companies. The responsibilities of a domestic electrician often overlap with that of a commercial one although there is a distinct difference in both how and where the two work.  

Therefore it is important for you to understand each role clearly. In the following sections of the blog post let us explore differences between the two categories of electricians.

Domestic electrician and commercial electricians – how they differ

At some point of time or the other while training you should consider the roles of both a commercial and a domestic electrician. Electricians can be divided in various categories. This depends on different areas of expertise and training. There are industrial electricians, low voltage electricians, automotive electricians and various other categories of these professionals.

But a reliable commercial electrician near me in London explains domestic and commercial electricians are the two basic categories. One of the significant differences between these two categories of professionals is the size of projects they usually handle. Even technicality of the projects varies widely among the two. In easier words you can say domestic electricians are trained to work in homes and residential properties whereas commercial electricians work in commercial spaces including offices, warehouses, malls, retail stores and other places where business is conducted. Commercial electricians are technically sound and skilled enough to handle more complex structures compared to their domestic counterparts. This is possible because of the specialised skills, qualification and training that they get during apprenticeship programme.

Now let us shift our focus on domestic electricians.

Who is a domestic electrician?

A domestic electrician is also a trained and skilled professional. However this category of professionals is trained to work on electrical wiring, circuit boards, light fixtures, repairs and installation in homes or residential properties. The range of professionals is also capable to smoothly carry out modelling and scheduling electrical projects, reading blueprints, computing estimates, providing quotes and designing plans for illuminating a given area.

Some of the crucial responsibilities of this category of electricians include the following –

• Identifying and replacing faulty, outdated or malfunctioning electrical components
• Installation and testing of security systems in a residential property or building
• Supporting your electrical system comply with both local and national safety regulations
• Repairing and replacing electrical sockets, switches, charging points and fuse boxes
• Performing a range of inspections related to electrical safety in homes (including EICR)
• Executing a range of electrical installations and maintenance at homes

In addition to the ones mentioned above the category of electricians also fixes and installs light fixtures and appliances in any residential property. Just like professionals providing commercial electrical services domestic electricians too test and diagnose malfunctioning electrical systems as well as cables but that only in residential homes.

Now let us shift focus on commercial electricians.

Who is a commercial electrician and what he does?

A commercial electrician is also a trained and qualified professional. This professional possesses the license to wire, install, repair and maintain heavy electrical equipments like transformers, receptacles, generators and others in commercial properties or buildings. Unlike a domestic electrician this electrical professional will not visit homes to sort out electrical issues that crop up in residential buildings. You will find this category of electricians working in industrial buildings, government organisations, offices, shopping centres and such other places.

Some of the unique responsibilities of commercial electricians include the following –

• The category of tradesmen works with heavy duty appliances like generators, heating and air conditioning units, electrical systems and appliances that usually consume higher voltage of electricity 
• They inspect and replace outdated or faulty wiring
• Commercial electricians are also known to construct and install electrical apparatus in designated areas to boost safety of electrical panels and the central control sentre
• The professionals also replace faulty insulated cables and circuits
• The prevent breaking down of electrical systems in commercial and industrial setups
• Commercial electrical work also includes conducting troubleshooting measures to identify units that are not properly working and repairing those
• This category of professionals even installs electrical fixtures and wiring for intercom, security alarms, lighting and other modern electrical systems

In addition to the ones mentioned above commercial electricians also upgrade and install components related to safety and distribution including resistors and circuit breaker panels.

What are the differences between the two categories of electricians – namely domestic and commercial?

With access to the correct set of tools and equipments a qualified electrician can power up a building easily. It is important to mention that every electrical project obviously does not require the same level of technical knowhow and expertise. Both domestic and commercial electrical contractors – including electricians – have a lot of common in their respective job descriptions. There are too many of differences between thes two. Let us now discuss few of these dissimilarities in the sections below.

Environment in which they work

One of the major differences between the two categories of electricians is in the environment in which they work. Domestic electricians work on electrical wiring system and components in residential properties. In other words they work in houses, flats, apartments, bungalows and other such types of properties where people setup homes.

Commercial electricians on the other hand work in

• Retail stores
• Shopping arcades
• Malls
• Restaurants
• Offices
• Manufacturing units and such other places

Educational requirements

In order to step into the shoes of a professional electrician one has to acquire necessary skills and qualifications. Without that there is no way one can kick start his career as an electrician. For a domestic electrician it means completing the domestic installer course. The course includes topics like – wiring regulations, Part P regulations, electrical installation, testing and inspection.

On the other hand a commercial electrician must be fully qualified to take up any commercial electrical work. This category of professionals has to secure an electro technical qualification. This includes a Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Electro-Technical Systems and equipment.