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Work never stops! With modern businesses relying so heavily on uptime and productivity numbers, it is important to maintain a disruption-free zone in workplaces.
But how is one to reduce downtime during electrical installations? Since electrical installations require the maintenance of electrical components, most people think that these activities will lead to the most downtime for businesses.
However, modern electrical installations are no longer just about getting power in. They are increasingly becoming more client-centric with installers catering to the demands of the customers.
People want installations that keep operations running without losing productivity, and professional installers deliver on this!
Read below to learn more about electrical installations that reduce downtime in active workplaces:
Modern workplaces are hugely power-reliant. From computers and laptops to office equipment and even light machinery. Without power, most offices in the UK will cease to operate. This is why power management during electrical installations is so important.
Whether it’s an office, warehouse, retail unit, healthcare site, or manufacturing/packaging facility, downtime has a direct correlation with financial cost. Therefore, it has become pertinent to reduce all downtime to maintain smooth operations in a cutthroat business environment.
Electrical contractors, such as Calder Electrical, understand these needs and are moving towards phased installation, out-of-hours work, modular systems, and proactive maintenance strategies.
These activities help electrical installers get work done in the quickest and least disruptive manner possible.
Here are the main types of installations and strategies that can reduce downtime in active workplaces:
As mentioned above, phased installations have become very popular because of their ability to accommodate work and maintenance activities simultaneously.
Using this strategy, instead of shutting down an entire site, contractors split projects into zones or stages.
For example, a large commercial property can be broken into three zones: Zone A, Zone B, and Zone C.
Zone A can be assigned to areas that are most crucial to operations in a particular business, while Zone B and C can be assigned to tertiary operations.
Electrical installers can work with the business owners to figure out the least disruptive strategy for installing or upgrading components.
By using this approach, parts of the workplace can remain operational while work continues elsewhere.
Professional installers, like Calder Electrical, specifically work on phased deliveries for large projects to accommodate operations and avoid downtime.
Another strategy to get work done quickly and with almost zero disruption is to schedule all electrical work outside of business hours or during the weekend.
Even though some companies have employees working the weekends, the number of these employees is usually less than the full workforce. This means that even if there are employees working over the weekend, the team can still easily work over large portions of the property without causing disruptions.
Common practices can include night-time shutdowns, holiday-period refurbishment, and even early morning isolation before staff arrive.
These strategies can also be used in combination to enable electrical teams to work freely and without the fear of causing any downtime.
For operations that require power without fail, such as datacentres, temporary backups are a great way to get work done without disruptions.
Temporary power setups are becoming increasingly common for large businesses due to their ability to eliminate downtime. Temporary power can be useful in installation scenarios that require distribution board replacements or infrastructure upgrades.
This strategy is often decided in advance during the scoping stage, where the electrical team discusses the plan with the business owners.
Power can be provided using temporary distribution boards, generator-backed supplies, and even UPS-supported systems.
Modular Installations are perhaps one of the smartest ways to install complex electrical systems with the least number of delays.
In most cases, prefabricated electrical assemblies are used for modular setups as they dramatically reduce installation time on-site.
For example, these setups can include pre-wired containment, modular wiring systems, plug-and-play lighting systems, and even prefabricated distribution assemblies.
The modular approach results in faster installs, fewer disruptions, reduced on-site labour, and even better quality control. However, these types of installation usually require a lot of work before the project kicks off.
Since the assemblies must be fabricated beforehand, you will need to start a module electrical installation project at least a month or two before the intended kick-off date.
Starting with the least disruptive installations allows the business to get used to workers being around the workplace.
This enables the employees to acknowledge that work is being done around the workplace, and they should accommodate the rare but eventual friction in the workplace due to installations.
For example, a good place to start is with LED upgrades. This type of installation is the least disruptive and has immediate operational benefits.
Furthermore, installing modern smart lighting systems can also benefit the business in the long run. These intelligent lighting systems are designed to provide a range of benefits, including energy savings.
Motion-sensing lights are a good example because they work well in large spaces where light is only needed when people are around. These lights can help achieve daylight harvesting and can also enable the business to save a lot of money in the long term.
Electrical components are most likely to show faults during normal operation rather than during active installation work. This is why maintenance activities are so important. These small but meaningful operations around the workplace can keep the business running for longer without facing disruptions.
Maintenance activities can be done during work hours by professionals who can conduct a survey of the premises and determine the best way to go about upgrades or repairs.
This strategy aims to reduce downtime through proper EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) testing.
These tests can highlight the overall health of the electrical system in the property and can help the technical teams sort out trivial and serious issues around the premises.
These tests can be done through thermal imaging surveys, load monitoring tests, and emergency lighting checks.
The benefit of maintenance is that small errors in the system can quickly be addressed on the spot by technicians before they become full failure points. For example, technicians can pre-emptively replace electrical components if they fail stress tests or show signs of deterioration.
So, what’s the result of all of this? Well, business can shift from reactive breakdowns to planned maintenance windows that offer zero disruption and no surprises (power outages) for the employees.
Segregation is another great way to reduce downtime by separating essential systems from the general workplace power.
Typical segregated systems work well for the following:
Modern businesses rely heavily on IT infrastructure, and any downtime in this regard can spell disaster and financial loss. This is why the IT system is the first to go on backup power. In fact, many installers assign an individual and segregated team to deal with the upgrades in this department.
Just like IT infrastructure, security and access control systems also need to be up and running without fail.
These systems, specifically the access control network, have the potential to completely disrupt the entire premises. Since these systems handle the flow of people to and from one place to another in the workplace, any disruption to this system can result in significant downtime.
This is why installers segregate security systems and work on them as quickly as possible.
Fire alarms are essential for workplaces, which is why installers take extra precautions when upgrading these systems.
Instead of attempting to replace or repair all systems at once, the fire alarm system is worked on in zones. Installers work zone by zone to ensure that the system is working as intended and that there are no faults in the alarms.
Emergency lighting and signage are crucial for workplaces and are a regulatory requirement, which is why these systems are also segregated and worked on separately.
During installation or repair work, the team will conduct tests to ensure that the system works properly and assess the hardware to highlight any known faults in the system.
The primary reason why segregation works is that maintenance of faults on one system does not bring down the entire site.
Since each system is segregated and worked on separately, you do not have to worry about the essentials of your property going down at the same time.
Keep in mind, though, that segregation strategies can increase the overall budget of your installation project because it will require multiple teams to handle the backup and installation work in different sites around the workplace.
This is why segregation activities are best suited for large properties or businesses that cannot afford any downtime.
For active workplaces, segregation strategies work extremely well and are becoming increasingly important for a wide variety of businesses ranging from retail to software/datacentres and more.
Smart systems with Artificial Intelligence capabilities are all the rage in the modern world. These systems are becoming ubiquitous, and many businesses are looking to adopt this technology for higher efficiency.
If your property has a solar system installed, then chances are that the system inherently offers remote monitoring and diagnostics.
In the context of electrical installations, smart diagnostic devices are being widely used to monitor the overall electrical health of commercial and residential spaces.
These systems offer remote energy monitoring capabilities, fault errors, smart metering control, and even predictive maintenance analytics powered by AI.
Smart systems empower property owners to get a quick overview of the electrical installation using their mobile application.
Instead of calling in technicians to investigate issues and causing possible disruption, these systems can notify users about potential failure points and even pinpoint the exact cause of the failure.
For example, when the lighting system of an area goes out, the system can notify the users that a specific breaker in the distribution board has tripped. If the property has an in-house electrical team, they can visit the problem and fix it immediately.
If the property does not have an in-house team, then these systems can also send out an automated request to the installers, who can then send out a technician to quickly fix the problem.
Here are some of the benefits of smart diagnostic components:
These systems, especially when paired with solar systems, can quickly help installers figure out the failure points in the system. Instead of wasting time and potentially causing disruption, the team will know exactly what to look for even before they open the distribution box.
Some issues, such as simple breaker trips, can be handled on-site by in-house teams. By diagnosing the issue remotely and analysing the data from the smart system, the in-house teams can quickly fix trivial errors.
This reduces the callouts to engineers, reduces costs, and keeps the business running longer without disruptions.
Energy management has become very popular and an important demand for modern property owners. With soaring electricity costs, it’s no wonder that people want to manage their electrical consumption.
Smart systems are designed to help workplaces achieve higher levels of efficiency by using smart strategies. For example, smart lighting systems can be integrated into the workplace and give property owners the ability to optimise the system based on their specific use-case.
You will also be able to accurately track the overall energy usage around the workplace and determine the areas that you need to focus more on for better efficiency numbers.
Wiring and electrical installations are tasks that require a certain skill set to be performed successfully. When hiring an electrician to plan and conduct a full electrical installation for your commercial property, make sure that they are fully certified, qualified, and that they understand your requirements.
At Calder Electrical, we have been providing electrical services to residential, commercial, and industrial properties for over 40 years and are specialists in all aspects of electrical installations, maintenance, and testing.
All our work is fully insured, and we work to meet the standards set by the NICEIC to make sure all your electrical installations meet the current regulations. All the notifiable work is signed off by the local authorities.
If you have unplanned issues within your home or business, we can provide a call-out service to rectify and solve any problems, such as circuit tripping, loss of power, broken items that need repairing, or to check if you feel something is unsafe or a potential hazard.
Our team can generate a Visual Inspection Report (VIR) to identify anything visual that does not comply with the standards or looks unsafe, as well as a full Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), where we will identify and test each circuit to make sure they are not deteriorating and are safe for use within the current standards and regulations set by the BS 7671.
We can also provide PAT testing of appliances to make sure that any items such as kettles, computers, and microwaves are safe for use in the home and workplace.
Contact us here or call us at 0800 612 3001 to get in touch with our professional electricians for more information on how to plan an electrical installation for a commercial property and electrical installations that reduce downtime in active workplaces.
Photo by Winston Tjia on Unsplash
