POCO get in the home wiring business

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Pierre C Belarge said:
I agree that this needs to be nipped in the bud or it could lead to worse things. If it were to become successful, then it could spell big trouble in more ways than just loosing work. The price they could/would charge can really make a big difference in the future to make a reasonable profit.

This could be trouble with a Capital T
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Worse for who?

Trouble for who?

If they can charge this and make a profit at it, and the consumer wants it, who is really hurt, other than the dinosaurs of the industry who want nothing to change?

In my area the gas, cable, and phone companies do similar things, and I do not hear the plumbers and low voltage installers whining that they cannot compete.

Big companies will always have an advantage in some things because they are big. The law of large numbers works in their benefit when there are large numbers involved. It works against them when the numbers are not large, just as large numbers tend to work against smaller businesses.

I think all this will do is tend to make some contractors do mostly service work. They should get pretty good at it pretty quick. Specialization will make them much better at it than a guy who only does it now and then. A big benefit to many smaller contractors is they will not have to spend as much on chasing business as they do now. It will just come to them in regular, dependable chunks.
 
celtic said:
Back in the 90's, when I worked for a railroad - they "polled" the men who were licensed EC's on who was willing to be the license holder for them. My first question: How much? Their reply....$150/year. Not a typo...no missing zeros...one-hundred-and-fifty-dollars. I laughed...but they did get someone for that pathetic price.
I don't know what the story is over there now....I'll long gone from that show.
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Why would a RR need an EC license in the first place?
 
petersonra said:
Why would a RR need an EC license in the first place?
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To install wiring that does not have anything to do with the rolling stock.

In other words the wiring for power and lighting in stations and offices is covered by the NEC.
 
petersonra said:
Why would a RR need an EC license in the first place?
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I wasn't at that level within the organization to know "why?" ...I can only "assume" it was because the Division of Consumer Affairs (maybe DOT?) "decided" they needed to.
 
iwire said:
In other words the wiring for power and lighting in stations and offices is covered by the NEC.
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That could be it too :D

The first time I saw an inspector was when we built a few sub-stations.
 
iwire said:
To install wiring that does not have anything to do with the rolling stock.

In other words the wiring for power and lighting in stations and offices is covered by the NEC.
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How is this any different than the hundreds of thousands of plants in the us that do their own wiring by their own electricians?
 
petersonra said:
How is this any different than the hundreds of thousands of plants in the us that do their own wiring by their own electricians?
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Are they accessible to the general public?
 
celtic said:
Are they accessible to the general public?
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I ask again, what difference does it make?

The important thing is that the installation is safe.

Are you suggesting the electricians that work for a company other than an EC are unable to wire something up in a safe way?
 
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petersonra said:
How is this any different than the hundreds of thousands of plants in the us that do their own wiring by their own electricians?
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It's very different.

Those plants and factories don't normally hire local electrical contractors to do their day-to-day work. The people this power company is roping in do.
 
petersonra said:
I
Are you suggesting the electricians that work for a company other than an EC are unable to wire something up in a safe way?
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Not at all.

It may come down to a question of liability.
 
petersonra said:
How is this any different than the hundreds of thousands of plants in the us that do their own wiring by their own electricians?
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I think your misinformed about the numbers of places that do not have licensed electricians on staff.

Many plants do have licensed electricians on staff.

Here in my area of the country you can not wire any premise wiring systems without a license, that includes industrial or commercial facilities.

For the past few months I have been assigned to a large plant, counting my self and the other two in house electricians that makes 3 of us.

I am not saying at all a license makes us any better at our job, what I am saying is that the law requires that these places either have an licensed electrician on staff on sub out the wiring.

This does not include the wiring in the machines but it does include the wiring to the equipment, the lighting, the adding of panels etc.

I know you disagree with the licensing and inspection process but that does not change the fact many areas have it and enforce it.

For better or worse I can not imagine a railroad in NJ would be not be forced into hiring some licensed electricians, either by the Govt. or perhaps some labor organization who's 'offer' can not be refused...
 
In GA. you do not have to have a license to do any wireing inside a plant.
The only thing a license in GA. allows is the ability to contract to do electrical work.
we are only required to have 1 lincense for as many employees as you can manage.
 
Some jurisdictions here have "Master limited" licences, the holder is allowed to preform electric work in ONE plant, factory,etc. In that facility, he would be the same as any othe master, but he would be unable to pull a permit for anything off-site.
 
In Northwest Indiana its called inside electric line service and its a retail div. of the POCO - here, they use subcontractors and we make apretty good buck doing it for them
 
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