5 Common Electrical Challenges In Commercial Buildings—And How To Fix Them
The infrastructure of commercial buildings is made up of a series of electrical installations, to provide a power source for the operations of the building and its basic facilities, such as lighting and security. This is essential from an operational point of view, but it is important that these installations are designed, planned and installed correctly, in order that they are safe, effective and compliant.
Any problems with these electrical installations can lead to safety issues, damage to buildings and equipment or operational disruptions. All of these issues can be costly and need to be guarded against with regular testing and inspection, but first and foremost, with professional installation from a competent electrical engineer. Here we have listed the five most common issues found with electrical installations in a commercial building, along with adequate advice on how to resolve these issues:
- Overloaded circuits
A circuit is designed to meet a certain capacity, i.e. to meet the needs of a specific installation. However, a circuit can be badly designed or can become overloaded, which means the demand for electricity will exceed the capacity of the circuit. People can add more devices over a period of time or use a number of high-powered appliances at the same time. Often without realising, this can overload the circuit and cause a circuit to shut down. This kind of problem can be avoided by designing a circuit with plenty of capacity, and to allow for future needs. Alternatively, you could design a circuit to distribute loads more evenly, which avoids a single outlet being met by excessive demands.
- Faulty wiring
If wiring has been installed incorrectly you should find that this problem manifests itself very quickly, as connections won’t be made and the circuit won’t work, and can result in things like lights flickering, a burning smell or an outlet sparking. The obvious solution to this is to ensure a professional installation from a competent person in the first place, but adequate testing of the system should highlight issues like this before anything goes into live operation. The effects of faulty wiring can be the same if wiring is damaged, however, which can happen any time. Therefore the best solution is to regularly inspect installations for signs of damage, and to test systems to ensure everything is wired up correctly. Any problems found can then be repaired or replaced.
- Power surges
A power surge can occur when a sudden increase in electrical voltage or current exceeds the normal flow. There could be various causes of this, such as a lightning strike, power outage, electrical overloads or faulty wiring. A power surge can damage equipment, appliances and devices within an electrical circuit. It is possible to avoid this by designing a circuit with surge protectors. These will protect sensitive equipment or the electrical system as a whole, in the event of a power surge.
- Incorrect grounding
It is important to create a safe path for excessive electricity to flow in the event of a problem, otherwise this will flow through a person or a piece of equipment it is in contact with and damage them/it. This is called grounding, also known as earthing. This is a system whereby an installation is designed so that excessive currents have a route to earth in the event of a system failure. This protects the user, and any equipment within the circuit design, from the effects of electric shock. Grounding can be insufficient or inadequate, meaning a conductor used to attract the electrical current to earth isn’t big enough, or isn’t present at all, i.e. there is no grounding present or the grounding system installed isn’t working. Electrical shock and equipment damage can be avoided by ensuring a system has adequate grounding, and periodically checking this to ensure an existing electrical system remains adequate and meets the current grounding standards.
- Issues with lighting
Commercial buildings require many different lighting systems, which vary between offices, public spaces, warehouses and production areas. Lighting fixtures can become outdated or damaged, which can lead to lights flickering or not working, which then interferes with productivity and contravenes health and safety requirements. Lighting installations should be specifically designed to meet the needs of the building They should be designed properly and upgraded as these needs change, in terms of safety, but also in terms of energy efficiency. A regular programme of test and inspection should identify issues with lighting and ensure proper maintenance, but a formal policy of reviewing lighting installations periodically will also ensure installations are adequate, suitable and safe.
Electrical services for your commercial building from Apardion
At Apardion we are able to supply experienced, trained and accredited resources to look after your electrical services. We have vast experience of all electrical installations, such as intruder alarms, smoke detectors, CCTV, lighting and access control systems. We can design and install your electrical systems to be compliant, safe and fully functional at all times, and can periodically test and inspect these systems against an agreed schedule. So for complete peace of mind with electrical services in your commercial building, contact our team at Apardion today.
