Commercial buildings require special considerations when it comes to electrical wiring. Most commercial buildings do not have the luxury of a wooden frame to run wires through, so other wiring methods must be used. Some of those are discussed below.

In some instances, armored cable may be used. This type of cable, known as teck cable, is available in nearly any size and features a core made of the desired number and sizes of wires, protective jacketing, flexible aluminum armor, and in some cases a weather-resistant exterior jacket. Teck cables can be pulled through conduit, cable tray, or be buried directly in the ground as long as the cable is rated for direct burial and certain burial depths are adhered to. Teck cables can also be installed in hazardous locations by using special explosion-proof cable fittings and approved sealing compounds. The main advantage to teck cable is its ease of installation and versatility. When using a cable tray system, cables can also be easily added or removed at any time.

With this basic knowledge of the types of electrical wiring methods used in commercial buildings, it is easy to select the best option for any installation.

If you’re considering buying an electric car (“electric vehicle” or “EV”), you might have questions. Many of the answers given here apply to anywhere in the U.S. But when it comes to rebates and the electricity rates for charging EVs, the info applies to Los Angeles, where I install electric car chargers. I’ve also included a link so that if you live outside of L.A., you can check which rebates or other financial incentives are available in your area.

Do I need an electrician to install a charger for my new electric car? The most common electric car is still the Toyota Prius, which an electrician can’t help you with. You don’t plug it into an outlet to recharge. The battery is recharged by a mechanism that’s triggered when you put on the brakes. With a Prius, there isn’t a worry about running out of electricity. It’s a hybrid, meaning that until the brakes recharge its battery, the car burns gas in its internal combustion engine.

While at this time, you can’t plug a standard Prius into an electric outlet to re-charge the battery, Toyota has announced that its 2014 model will have this capability. The 2011 Chevy Volt (a hybrid) and Nissan Leaf (all-electric) are “plug-ins.”

Level 1 Electric Car Charger. Plug-in electric cars come equipped with a “Level 1 charger.” This is a special extension cord that you can plug into an electrical outlet which carries ordinary house current (110 volts). You may have a suitable electrical outlet right where you need it in your garage or carport. It can charge a Nissan Leaf, empty to full, in about 20 hours. For a Chevy Volt, it takes about 10 hours. Don’t worry, there’s also a faster alternative, a Level 2 charger.

Even if you’re all set up with an outlet in your garage for your Level 1 charger, if you’re not knowledgeable about wiring, have an electrician check things over. The electrician should make sure that the charging outlet in your garage is on a “dedicated circuit,” meaning it serves no other outlets or switches. The outlet should be a GFI (safety) outlet in working order. And the electrical panel should have enough capacity to deal with the added load of charging your car.

Level 2 Electric Car Charger. Most drivers will want the speed of a Level 2 charger. It’s housed in a container about 18 inches around and hangs on the garage wall, sticking out about a foot. It takes a Nissan Leaf from empty to full in about eight hours and a Chevy Volt in about four. This will allow you to charge your car overnight even if the battery starts from empty. Nissan and Chevy have both partnered with manufacturers and installers of Level 2 chargers. Your car dealer can arrange for purchase and installation of the charger, or you can do it on your own.

What does installation of a Level 2 charger involve? Let’s say you decide to go ahead with a Level 2 charger. The electrical contractor will select a location in your garage or carport where a charging cord won’t get in the way. He will consider the location and size of your electrical panel, existing circuits, and where and how your electricity is metered.

He will give you a bid for installing the charger and, if needed, upgrading your electrical panel for the additional load. An electrician who specializes in charger installations can also tell you about tax credits and rebates. Actual installation of the charger along with any needed upgrade of your electrical panel and/or electric meter will take a few hours to a day or so.

Do chargers require an electrical permit and inspection? If you already have a dedicated circuit for a GFI outlet (no other appliance is served by the circuit) in your garage, it can be used for Level 1 charging and no additional permit or inspection is required.

If you need to install a new circuit or new electric meter or upgrade your electrical panel for either a Level 1 or Level 2 charger, you’ll need a permit and an electrical inspection.

How much does installation of a Level 2 charger cost? Without any rebates, installation of a Level 2 charger averages around $2,000. The price for your installation will depend on the distance of your charger from your electrical panel, whether your panel needs an upgrade, and whether you will be installing a special electric meter. Rebates and tax credits can reduce this price if you install before December 31, 2011. We don’t know yet about financial incentives for 2012.

INCENTIVES FOR ELECTRIC CARS The information below on incentives for electric car buyers focuses on L.A. and California. Here’s a link where you can find out more detail about L.A. and also check out incentives for electric cars in other zip codes.

What financial incentives are available for purchase of electric cars? If you purchase an electric car in 2011, you may be able to reduce your federal tax bill by $2,500 to $7,500 with a tax credit. Converting your Prius or other non-plug-in hybrid to a plug-in can reduce your federal tax bill by 10% of the cost of the conversion. Purchase of an electric motorcycle or low-speed “around the neighborhood” electric cart can reduce your federal tax bill by up to $2,500.

Californians who buy an EV and act quickly enough can qualify for a rebate from the State of up to $5,000 on an electric car and up to $20,000 on a commercial vehicle. These rebates apply to many kinds of electric vehicles, including all-electric, hybrid, motorcycles, and low-speed “around the neighborhood” carts.

What rebates are available for installing an electric charger? A homeowner who installs a Level 2 electric charger can cut their 2011 federal tax bill by 30% of the cost of purchase and installation, with a cap of $1,000 (as a tax credit).

If you are customer of the L.A. Department of Water and Power (LADWP), you may qualify for a $2,000 rebate on installation of your electric charger. To qualify, you need to also install a separate electric meter for your new car. Ask your electrician to see if you will save money with this approach.

Are there any other incentives for electric car owners? Some states, like California, provide a sticker to qualifying electric car owners so that they can drive in freeway carpool lanes regardless of the number of occupants.

Does EV charging receive any special break in electric rates? In Los Angeles and many areas of the country, yes. In L.A., both Southern California Edison (SCE) and the Department of Water and Power (LADWP) offer special reduced rate plans for charging EVs at night, during off-peak hours.

Both power companies encourage people thinking of buying an EV or installing a charger to contact them. Call (800) DIAL-DWP or call SCE at (800) 4EV-INFO. SCE has extensive information on its website at www.sce.com. Both companies are particularly interested in customer plans regarding EVs because they need information for planning power demand.

Are electric car chargers safe? At this time, all the evidence points to extreme safety. At Level 1, the EV charging cord is plugged into a GFI outlet carrying ordinary house current (110 volts), very much like outlets in newer bathrooms and kitchens. GFIs are specially designed to protect people against shocks. Should something go wrong, like the outlet gets wet while charging your car, the GFI immediately shuts off power. Homeowners and businesses have many years of safe experience with GFIs.

Level 2 chargers carry more current, 240 volts. Manufacturers have designed Level 2 chargers for every eventuality and advertise that Level 2 chargers are 100% safe. Of course, nothing is 100% safe. But, so far there have been no reports of someone figuring out how to injure themselves with one.

Do all chargers serve all electric vehicles? Your new electric car will come with a Level 1 charger that is compatible with any ordinary electrical outlet.

The manufacturers of Level 2 chargers have worked out universal standards. Regardless of the make of your electric car, any Level 2 charger will be compatible with it.

Where can you charge an electric car in Los Angeles? Level 2 chargers are currently available for a fee in Los Angeles train stations, LAX, the Bob Hope Burbank airport, the L.A. Convention Center, and other public places. Click here for an on-line map of electric car chargers. You can type in your zip code to find publicly-accessible chargers near you.

Click for more information about charging EVs in L.A. For more about my company, The Electric Connection — all the stuff you wanted to know but were afraid to ask — click here. If you’re interested coupons for electrical work, for example $50 off installation of a Whole House Surge Protector in the L.A. area, click on our coupon page.

Now that spring is well on its way, many enterprising homeowners are looking forward to home improvement projects and renovations to their homes. What they likely are not looking forward to, or may not even realize that they have to consider, though, is scheduling inspections and pulling permits. Not every job is going to require a permit or an electrical inspection, but many do, and they are not always the jobs that you’d expect. Language in permitting regulations may necessitate that you pull a permit for replacing a window, for instance, as this is an egress. The best way to ensure that you are doing everything by the books is to hire a skilled professional to do the job.

When it comes to an electrical inspection, it is all about your safety. Once your contractor has finished his or her work, or even just the rough work phase of the job, having an electrical inspection is most likely going to be necessary. This guarantees not only that any existing electrical systems and components in the area are in great working order, but also that nothing was compromised during the home renovation process. You need everything in your home to be up to code, and it is in your best interest to ensure that this is the case prior to the completion of the entire project.

There are a lot of questions surrounding this particular practice, and nobody wants to go through the process of pulling permits prior to getting a project underway, only to find that the permit was not necessary. That being said, allowing a contractor to work on your property without the necessary permits can have some pretty serious consequences. If a complaint is filed, and an investigation opened, the work will have to stop. Any improvements made may actually need to be removed, and you may face considerable fines. There will likely be a lot of red tape that will seriously delay your project, as well. Contact the appropriate governing bodies in your area to know for certain if a permit is needed.