What does an electrician do for energy management controls?
We install the electrical parts of a control system: the power, the wiring, the contactors, the sensors and the control panels. The system turns loads on and off by schedule or by demand, and none of it works unless the electrical side is built correctly.
What controls do we install?
- Lighting controls, including occupancy and vacancy sensors, daylight sensors, dimmers and time clocks
- Contactors and relays that switch scheduled loads
- Low-voltage control wiring and cabling to a building automation system
- Current transformers and sub-meters that show where power goes
- Control panels and the power supplied to them
- Demand-limiting relays that stagger the start of large loads
Why does demand matter in the Phoenix area?
Many commercial rate plans from APS and SRP charge based on peak demand as well as total energy used. Summer afternoons stack a building's biggest loads on top of each other, so a single high-demand window can set the charge for the whole billing period. Staggering large loads and scheduling the rest is one way businesses manage that peak.
How do controls fit into an existing building?
We start by looking at what is already there: the fixtures, the dimming type, the panels and the available control wiring. Some buildings accept new controls with little change. Others need new circuits or a new panel for the controls themselves. We lay that out before work begins.
We handle the electrical installation. Programming and commissioning of a building automation system is usually done by the controls vendor, and we coordinate with them on the wiring.
Can you show where the power is actually going?
Yes. Sub-metering and logging put numbers on individual panels or machines. If the goal is to find a problem rather than manage a schedule, power monitoring is the better fit.
This work is part of our Commercial Electrical Services.
Arizona ROC #153656 (CR-11) | Over 40 years in business
