When you are building a new home or shop, or remodeling, finding contractors and skilled
trades you can rely on for quality work and honest pricing sadly can be a challenge. Colorado
Springs is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S., making trades people scarce and already
booked when you call. It also leads to too many jack of all trades telling you they can do certain
jobs and really are not qualified to do things right.
One of the most critical tradespeople you will need will be a Colorado Springs electrician. A lot
of handymen will tell you they can wire in something for you and you will be fine. You might be,
until the inspector arrives. Colorado is a tough state when it comes to licensing trades people
because it wants consumers to be protected and get honest, reliable, safe work done on their
homes or businesses. You need to hire a licensed electrician Colorado Springs recognizes for
quality work, fair prices, and timely completions.
The Colorado State Electrical Board requires several levels of training before you can apply for
and test to become a Master Electrician. Apprentice electricians must work 8,000 hours of on-
job training before they can even sit for the journeyman’s exam. The state also requires 288
hours of classroom instruction in addition to the on-job work. Only then can they take the state
journeyman test. Journeyman can do some things unsupervised, but a full electrician must wire
new circuits and other parts of a job to insure they are done completely correct. Depending on
the quality of the journeyman’s work and how quickly they learn, they can expect to put in an
additional 144 hours of classroom instructions and roughly 2,000 more hours of on-job training
and time before they are considered to sit for the Master Electricians licensing exam. Even
becoming a residential wireman requires 4,000 hours of on-job training and a state exam for
licensing in Colorado.
It is worth note that Colorado only has reciprocity on licensing with 14 states for journeymen.
There is no reciprocity for Master electrician’s licensing. An ME from another state can provide
endorsement they are qualified to sit for, but must take and pass the state exam. Only one 30-
day temporary work permit is allowed in Colorado before the appropriate level exam in taken
and passed. This insures that out of state electricians know Colorado code and regulations,
protecting Colorado consumers.
There is a reason electrical companies in Colorado Springs are in demand, and that is because
they follow the state guidelines. Most people do not realize that an electrician must be able to
read plans and blueprints, have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the building codes,
and be able to do very clean work. Inspectors look hard at electrical work, as many building fires
are caused by faulty, worn, or incorrect wiring. A good electrician can advise when an old
building needs new wiring pulled, when circuit breakers and panels are out of date, and when
something is causing a load on your system, thus increasing your power bills.
With the increase in wind and solar applications in Colorado, it is really important to have a
qualified electrical contractor from Colorado Springs look at your plans and assist with the
installation of the inverters and control room when setting an array. Conversion to a different
phase of electricity means making sure there are no issues either in wiring or appliances that
utilize the power system. Be safe and always hire the best electrician Colorado Springs offers.