One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning®, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® and Mister Sparky® are North America’s most trusted home services brands thanks to the skilled, hardworking tradespeople who proudly wear our uniforms. That’s why we’re equally proud to announce a partnership with Mike Rowe, creator and executive producer of CNN’s “Somebody’s Gotta Do It” and Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs.”

In addition to his TV work, Rowe is the founder of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting honest work and reinvigorating the skilled trades. Our home services brands have committed to donating $100,000 in scholarships to mikeroweWORKS over the next 12 months, and will work alongside Rowe to promote the skilled trades industry and empower future and potential trade professionals.

The partnership, announced yesterday at our annual convention in Las Vegas, features Rowe in television, radio and print advertisements, where he will appear alongside real technicians from each of our brands. Rowe will also work with the companies to highlight the benefits of careers in the plumbing, electrical and HVAC industries. No other home services provider has embarked on a partnership of this kind to promote skilled trades and the professionals who’re carrying those industries forward.

“We are pleased to join forces with Mike and appreciate his commitment to the trades,” said Mark Baker, president of franchise for the three brands. “The men and women with careers in this field power all three of our brands. We are excited to support them and share the message of how our trusted technicians, plumbers and electricians are like superheroes to our customers, often saving the day when they encounter a problem and helping to protect their homes and families.”

Rowe became a household name by working alongside tradespeople in essential but often unglamorous fields in his two television programs. Since establishing mikeroweWORKS in 2008, he has written and spoken extensively about the value of hard work, the widening skills gap, offshore manufacturing, infrastructure decline and related topics. To date, his foundation has awarded more than $3 million in education “work ethic” scholarships for schools around the country.

“The goal of mikeroweWORKS is pretty simple - help close the skills gap by encouraging men and women to get the training they need to pursue good jobs that actually exist,” said Rowe. “One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and Mister Sparky are perfect partners because, collectively, they offer thousands of jobs waiting to be filled. And they know first-hand what a "good job" really is. I'm flattered for the chance to speak on their behalf and grateful for their generous donation to my foundation."

Join us in welcoming Mike Rowe to our home services family, and watch for him in new advertisements for our brands coming soon!

So, you want to become an electrical contractor/engineer? Selecting electrical work as a profession brings several rewarding growth opportunities. After all, the need for electricity is on the rise in today’s society. But before you reach a decision, it’s not only important for you to know the numerous duties of an electrical contractor/engineer, but also the requirements for becoming a certified electrician.

Luckily, in this article, you will learn everything about becoming a certified electrical contractor in a step-by-step process. It doesn’t matter if you are looking to start a career in electrical contracting, or are still only considering it, the information provided below will prove useful. Here’s what you need to know:

An electrical contractor or engineer designs, develops, tests and installs electrical hardware, systems and equipment. They work in a variety of settings, including commercial and residential structures. To become an electrical contractor, you have to receive extensive training and obtain a license according to the local regulatory guidelines and standards which apply to your country.

Steps to Become a Certified Electrical Contractor

Several schools and colleges offer instructional programs for prospective electrical contractors. Moreover, a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering offers comprehensive training in electrical design and systems. Academic programs generally include hands-on coursework and internships to help you gain practical experience.

Novice electricians can also gain supervised training under an experienced master electrician through apprenticeships. National organizations, state agencies and unions can introduce you to contractors and companies offering apprenticeship programs. These typically require a high school diploma. If you qualify, you will be offered paid positions that will last at least five years.

As mentioned earlier, electrical contractors perform a range of services for commercial and residential properties. In addition to installing and maintaining electrical systems, hardware and equipment, electrical contractors also train and hire new electricians, do administrative work, as well as plan and schedule projects with clients. They can be an integral part of the team involved in the building process, ensuring the electrical systems are up and running before the final work is completed.

Therefore, mentored training and experience in various electrical positions will provide you the industry-related and foundational knowledge and skills required to become an electrical contractor. Additionally, working under a master electrician can give you the experience and skills required for a journeyman or novice electrician to obtain a license, get certified, and perform independent work.

Some countries require electrical contractors to acquire an electrical contractor or master electrician license, while others don’t. If it’s mandatory in your state or country, you can obtain your license from the relevant state boards. However, keep in mind the requirements to get licensed will vary from state to state.

But generally, the requirements include meeting the experience requirements by working under an experienced master electrician, paying a certain amount as fee, as well as passing a written examination. Also, your license has to be renewed every few years, where you will have to pay the fee as well. You should contact the licensing agency in your state for a clearer picture about the requirements.

Once you have acquired your license, you are a certified electrical contractor and start working independently, or by joining a contracting company. But you should also understand that being an electrical contractor requires ongoing education to stay up to date with the technical advancements in the electrical domain, as well as any changes to the standard electrical code.

Electrical contractors with enough experience under their belt can also consider starting an electrical contracting business of their own. By starting your own business, you can increase your earnings from your work. Not to mention, you will have increased scheduling flexibility, which means you can employ other electricians to work under you and dispatch them to work on projects offered by clients.

And with that, we come to the end! As you can see, this article covers all you need to know to become a certified electrical contractor. Hopefully, now, you will have a better understanding about the requirements and duties the job entails.

If you’re building a new house, getting the wiring installed correctly is essential to its long-term health and to ensuring proper operation—so it’s important to hire the best electrician for the job. Enlisting a quality electrical construction service will ensure that everything is installed properly and safely so that your home will run smoothly for many years.

A new construction electrician is a certified electrician who has taken courses and training on new building codes and new technology as it relates to circuits and wiring. Setting up your circuits correctly for the first time is much more complicated than simply adding a new receptacle or circuit. It’s important no one circuit carries too much of the home’s electrical load.

An experienced new construction electrician will consider all sources of major energy usage, such as the location of your refrigerator and washing machine, to ensure circuits are well spaced out and installed in the best locations.

To make sure that you get the right electrician for your new construction project, look for the following:

At Kolb Electric, we know how important it is that your home be wired correctly from the very beginning. That’s why we hire only the most skilled licensed electricians to work on our clients’ homes. Whether you’re a builder or contractor looking for an electrical partner in the DC area or a homeowner handling the project themselves, we can help with any new home wiring project, no matter how complex.

To learn more about hiring a new construction electrician for your Maryland, Northern Virginia, or Washington, DC project, call us at 877 287-1179. We’ve been helping Mid-Atlantic builders and homeowners with their electrical needs since 1925.

It seems like nearly everything operates on electricity today. All the modern conveniences and necessities that drive the world rely on electricity to keep them going. While we take for granted that when we plug in our television, for instance, it will power on and allow us to watch our favorite shows, there is actually a lot going on behind the scenes. While you will call a Glendale electrician, such as The Electric Connection, with any major problems, it is nice to understand the basic facts about the electricity you use on a daily basis— such as AC and DC current.

Facts about Electricity

These fun facts barely scratch the surface of the information out there when it comes to electricity and other forms of power. If you have more in-depth questions, search for electrician Glendale by visiting The Electric Connection’s website at ElectricConnection.com or getting in touch with us today.