The Electrical Blog

Berwick Electric has been providing outstanding residential and commercial electrical services for the Pikes Peak region since 1921. We’re kind of the “hometown kids” when it comes to electrical work, and a lot of businesses and residents in the area know our name. 

There’s an old adage, however, that say, “Familiarity breeds contempt,” and while we’ve certainly enjoyed a great relationship with the people of the Pikes Peak region over the years, it can be easy to think of a longtime fixture in the community as a bit quaint and maybe not up to speed. Clients that really know us, however, know that couldn’t be farther from the truth! 

Even though you may know our name, you may not really know our work. We thought it might be helpful to get to know your hometown commercial electrical company, so here are a few of the commercial projects we’ve worked on.

• PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom Outpatient Clinic (C.S. VA Clinic: Construction of a new 96,000 square-foot, 1,322-occupancy clinic for U.S. military verterans with state-of-the-art medical care set against awe-inspiring views of Pikes Peak. Our work included installing a wide variety of electrical, data communications, life safety and security systems. All of the electrical activity is now supported by a 3,000 amp, 277/480-volt electrical service which required nine electrical rooms, an emergency generator for the smoke evacuation system, mechanical equipment, a sophisticated lighting control system, and other electrically-related items. It also can support the radiology suite, which contains three x-ray rooms as well as MRI, CT and mammography equipment and site lighting.

• ST Francis Medical Center: This is a six story hospital that can be expanded up to 600,000 sq ft with the present plans representing 459,768 sq ft. the project has a Central Utility Plant (CUP), four floors of medical facilities, mechanical located on the 4th and the 6th floor. The hospital has three 4,000 amp 480 volt services with an emergency system consisting of 8,000 amp 480 volt paralleling switch gear, two 1,500 KW generators, future for two generators, automatic transfer switches, switchgear and distribution. It includes a 4,000 sq ft commercial kitchen, 3,800 sq ft servery and 5,000 sq ft dining room. The kitchen is fed with an 800 amp 480 volt service with five subpanels.
• Seven Falls Lighing and the 1858 Restaurant: This unique project included installatioin of infrastructure piping and wiring throughout the 4,000 foot long canyon to include (100) stream side LED lights, (30) under stair mounted High Output LED fixtures to wash the main falls, (18) Underwater fixtures to light the trout pond, (10) parking lot pole lights, and assorted tree and rock formation accent lighting. Lighting control panels and override switches throughout the canyon for automatic and manual control of all fixtures. Power needs included a 12,470/480 volt utility transformer to provide power for the Eagles Nest elevator, pumps, and mechanical equipment. The 1858 Restaurant required all new power, fire alarm, specialty lighting and controls.

There is some fairly technical information in those project descriptions, and some of it may not mean that much to you. The point of all this is that Berwick has the capabilities to tackle jobs of just about any size and complexity. And while we still insist on providing “hometown” service and value, we also work diligently to stay on top of the latest innovations in the industry—something our certifications and qualifications confirm. 

Our founder, J. Douglas Berwick, may have started out as a small business owner back in 1921, but as the region’s needs for commercial electrical service grew, his company stayed at the forefront. No matter what your electrical needs may be, you can trust the service, knowledge, and expertise of the “hometown kids.”

You're busy and so is your business, and you can't afford to shut your doors for longer than absolutely necessary. For many businesses the weekends are the slow time, making Saturday and Sunday the perfect days to have a commercial electrical contractor come in to do the work. Unfortunately, contracting can often be a weekday job, and finding a good contractor to come in on the weekends can be something like looking for buried treasure. Finding a contractor who works weekends doesn't just benefit you by allowing you to choose your days to shut down. There are other benefits, as well.

Easy to Work With

A contractor who is willing to come in on what some people consider a normal day off is someone who presents himself as willing to compromise. He's able to meet you halfway when it comes to business matters instead of setting rigid rules for the way he's willing to work. He'll be more open to creative ideas and alternate choices when it comes to the planning stage of your project, and may be more innovative in his design ideas. A contractor with an open mind about weekend work may be more likely to have an open mind about other parts of his business.

Priorities

Most people who insist on having weekends off keep that time separate for leisure activities. Having hobbies and activities outside of work makes you a well-rounded person, but a contractor who's willing to rearrange his fun time to accommodate clients is one who puts a great deal of importance on the goodwill of those clients. If he's willing to treat you as a priority in his schedule, it's likely that he'll take care when doing work on your business. Extended working hours may cost a little more, but it shows that he's sensitive to your business needs and puts them above his own, if need be.

Convenience

When he gets the job done faster, your business is closed for fewer days. If he's willing to work weekends for your convenience, he may also be open to working a crew at night for a premium, if getting the job done more quickly is your priority. You'll save money in the long run when you're up and running days earlier, so it's worth exploring the subject with your contractor.

Creativity

Contractors who are set in their ways don't like to work outside the box. They work set hours, do certain kinds of work, and never take a chance at doing anything new. While you'll get very solid workmanship out of this company, you'll have a hard time getting him to innovate or get creative when it comes to figuring alternate ways of doing parts of your project. If you're looking for rooms with combined usage or simply a renovation with the latest green technology, a contractor who's open to working alternate hours will probably be open to alternate ideas. There's no guarantee, but the signs are in your favor that you'll end up with a more satisfying work relationship with a contractor who's willing to break some of the unwritten rules of his craft.

Hiring a commercial electrical contractor can be a stressful situation. Doing your due diligence and checking for recommendations from local businesses can reduce the tension in the situation, but you're still hiring someone to do hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of work on your business. Give yourself an extra bit of security by doing a background check on the potential contractors by contacting your local Better Business Bureau (its free!). Finding out if they're financially stable might help seal the deal in a number of different ways.

Honesty

If a contractor has a history of paying his bills on time and not running up a lot of debt, he's usually an honest business person. It’s contractors that renege on their promises and don't do the work that end up getting sued, causing them financial worries from bad settlements. If someone is upfront with their financial dealings, he's usually honest with his clients in the rest of his business life.

Credit

Contractors need credit in order to get tools and supplies to do the work they do. It's crucial that your commercial contractor has good credit with a number of different vendors or you may be stuck with long delays while he finds the money to pay cash at the: 

• Home improvement store
• Online parts supplier
• Electrical supply shop
• Local tool shops 

Be aware that if your contractor fails to pay his vendors, electricians or their subcontractors, you may be faced with liens placed against your property - potentially forcing you pay them in addition to what you already paid the contractor. Another important consideration is that the contractor is properly insured to protect you from a possible law suit if a worker is injured on your project.

Trustworthiness

A contractor who pays his bills and doesn't have financial judgments against him is one you're more likely to be able to trust. He sticks with his word, and does the job he was hired to do. Even more than reviews from random past clients, this may be the one factor that's the most important when it comes to trusting a contractor with your business. You want the work done quickly and efficiently so you can get open again, and finding someone you trust to do this is the first step in getting the job done.

It's very easy for energy dollars to fly out of your business if you haven't insulated your building correctly. You can keep your windows and doors closed, adjust your thermostat to the most efficient level, and even buy energy efficient appliances, but the greatest power loss you'll have is heating and air conditioning leaking through insulation cracks in the building. Beef up your R factor to keep in more of the air you've already heated or cooled, and you'll see a big difference in your monthly power bill.

How Insulation Saves Money

Your HVAC system heats or cools the air inside your building, depending on the season, to a comfortable level for a workplace. Every time the air temperature inside rises or lowers, the system will go on until the air temperature has been stabilized again. The better your insulation and air sealing in the building, the longer your air will stay the same temperature. If you've got cold air leaking in around your windows or heat baking the upper floors of the building, your system will have to work that much harder to get the air inside back to a comfortable lever. And every time it has to do that, it costs you more money.

How to Find Air Sealing Leaks

Temperature changes can occur any time the weather outside is extreme, but windy days are the worst. Fortunately, they're the best days for finding out exactly where the leaks are happening in your building. Light a stick of smoky incense and walk around inside the building. Hold the stick near the edges of your windows, around the doorjamb, near the ceiling, and near any spot where wiring or ductwork comes through the wall from the outside. Every place that has an air leak will make the delicate smoke from the incense stick waver or blow around. Each of these spots is a place where you need to add insulation or improve your air sealing methods.

Most Common Air Leak Spots

Air leaks happen most often when two materials are joined on an outside wall. When windows are installed, doors are put into place, or ducts are fitted, a tiny amount of space might be left where air can transfer from the outdoors inside. Some of the most common are: 

• Doors and windows that need caulking and weather-stripping on the outside edges
• Breaks in walls where ducts or electric wiring have gone through
• Around electrical outlets and switch plates
• Single pane windows
• Exhaust fans 

For most leaks, simple weather-stripping or foam sealant will do the job. Check with your electrical contractor for more elaborate jobs.

If you've got a working fireplace, you may be leaking a large amount of air through a damaged flue. Fireplaces are already great consumers of electrical power, because they're impossible to seal airtight, but damage to the flue pipe can mean even more heat or air conditioning lost through the roof. 

If you lease commercial property to another business, liability for electrical safety may be the last thing on your mind. You’ve got plenty of other issues to deal with, including heating, air conditioning, lighting, and general maintenance. And while you surely care about the safety of your building’s occupants—it’s something that’s easy to take for granted . . . until something happens. 

Then you can have a serious problem on your hands. If someone is injured on the job because of faulty electrical work you could be facing huge consequences—especially in today’s litigious environment. 

It’s not just lawsuits for personal injury you have to worry about either. If a business isn’t able to perform properly because of an inadequate or unsafe electrical system, you could be on the hook for loss of income as well. So how do you limit your liability—and ensure the safety of your tenants? Here are a few simple steps you can take. 

• Perform Regular Inspections: A qualified electrician can test your system for potential overloading, improper wiring, faulty connections, possible hazards, and code violations. Your electrician can then summarize anything that needs to be addressed and provide you with an accurate estimate of what repairs or fixes will cost.   

• Install Emergency Lighting: It’s easy to assume that emergency lighting is in place, but you should make sure you have a back-up plan for safe evacuation of tenants if your building’s electric service fails —for whatever reason. Emergency lighting should automatically kick in even during power outages and provide tenants with safe egress. Again, this is something your electrician can set up for you and test on a regular basis. 

• Perform Simple Safety Checks Yourself: Sometimes you really don’t need an electrician to perform some safety checks. A good commercial electrical company can bring you up to speed on simple checks you can perform yourself to ensure your safety. 

• Set Up Smoke Detectors: Smoke detectors are an inexpensive way to add another layer of safety. And many newer detectors also check for the presence of CO2 as well. Of course they only “detect” when they’re working properly. So even if you have smoke detectors installed make sure they’re tested regularly and powered. 

If you’re taking over a new building, or if you’re just not sure about the status of the electrical system in an existing building, it just may make sense to have a certified electrician evaluate your building. It only takes a little time and money to limit a great deal of liability.

Berwick Electric doesn’t just work in the Colorado Springs area; we live here as well. Since 1921 we’ve called Colorado Springs home. For us, this is more than just a place where we park our trucks and sleep at night. And while we’ve been helping provide electrical power to help this city grow, we’ve always believed in empowering our community to grow in other areas. 

We believe we have a corporate social responsibility. That’s why we’re involved in the Colorado Springs community in ways that go far beyond providing excellent, efficient electrical service. And we bring the same commitment and effort to those endeavors as we do to any electrical project we work on. That’s why it was so special to be awarded the Outstanding Corporate Philanthropic Program Award in 2012. 

We were nominated by Special Kids Special Families because of work we did with them in relocating and renovating their facility. Here’s what their Executive Director, Lind Ellegard had to say: 

Doug Berwick, Jim Peterson, and the employees at BEC designed and created our adult day program space around the needs of the adults with disabilities that we serve. We could not ask for a better facility. 

Our commitment to enhancing the community doesn’t stop there. Berwick Electric is also a supporter of a number of other great community organizations, including: 

• Pikes Peak Area Crime Stoppers
• The YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region
• Defenders of Freedom Veterans Recognition Ride
• Colorado Springs Therapeutic Riding Center
• James D. Berwick Scholarship (through The YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region) 

You can click here to read more about how Berwick is involved with these wonderful community organizations (and perhaps get involved yourself!). We consider it a privilege and a responsibility to be involved in the community we call home. We think it’s essential to not only provide electrical power for the commercial and residential needs of the Colorado Springs community, but to empower the citizens of the community as well. And we’re grateful to our clients, whose support enables us to do just that.

Whether you own the building your business operates from —or lease space to another business—you may not be thinking about it, but you’re responsible for providing efficient and safe electrical service for the occupants. What happens if you or your tenants overload the electrical system? And how does that even happen? 

Essentially, you can overload your system when you run more amperage across an electrical circuit or outlet than it can handle. Here’s an example: say an electrical outlet in your commercial building is designed to safely carry 50 amps of current and it is protected by a 50-amp circuit breaker. If you connect an electrical appliance requiring 60 amps of current to the outlet, the breaker may allow the outlet to deliver 60 amps to the appliance—but the wire and breaker will start to heat up, and that can lead to an electrical fire. The same thing can happen if you connect multiple devices through that same circuit. 

Some pieces of equipment require higher amounts of energy, and too often businesses simply aren’t aware of how much energy their devices are pulling. To ensure optimum performance—and safety—you really want to be sure that your system is designed to handle the load you put on it, and equipment that consumes high amounts of energy should be on dedicated outlets. 

Your system can be also be overloaded by loose or corroded wires and connections. That can be caused by exposure to moisture or a bad splice—things you might not even be aware of. You can end up constantly tripping the breakers, damaging equipment—or worse. 

So how do you avoid the problem? If you’re finishing out space that you’re going to lease, have a reputable electrical contractor review your energy requirements. Talk about what kind of equipment (and how much equipment) you anticipate using. Then you can look at your building’s electrical system and see if it’s designed to handle that load. Will it take a little bit of time? Yes. Will it cost you something? Sure, but less than you might think and it’s nothing compared to the cost (financially and otherwise) of overloading your system. A little bit of time and money up front can really pay off in productivity and safety down the road.

Electrical problems in your business can cost you money, both in production down time and in actual repair bills. Your building doesn't have to be older to have serious problems - some newer businesses have their share of electrical troubles. It all depends on the wiring in your building and the machinery you use it for.

Power Outages

Power outages, or blackouts, are times when there is no power at all running to your business. Outages can last minutes, hours, or even days. Sudden loss of power can affect computer databases, POS systems and other devices with memories, and can even physically damage these systems. The best way to insure against damage from power outages is to install an alternate energy source such as a backup generator. A generator will instantly turn on the second the power shuts off, avoiding the problems caused by an outage. An uninterruptible power supply, also uninterruptible power source, UPS or battery/flywheel backup, is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source, typically mains power, fails. A UPS differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system or standby generator in that it will provide near-instantaneous protection from input power interruptions, by supplying energy stored in batteries, supercapacitors, or flywheels. The on-battery runtime of most uninterruptible power sources is relatively short (only a few minutes) but sufficient to start a standby power source or properly shut down the protected equipment.

A UPS is typically used to protect hardware such as computers, data centers, telecommunication equipment or other electrical equipment where an unexpected power disruption could cause injuries, fatalities, serious business disruption or data loss. UPS units range in size from units designed to protect a single computer without a video monitor (around 200 volt-ampere rating) to large units powering entire data centers or buildings. The world's largest UPS, the 46-megawatt Battery Electric Storage System (BESS), in Fairbanks, Alaska, powers the entire city and nearby rural communities during outages.

Surges and Sags (Spikes and Dips) 

These conditions take place when momentary overvoltage or undervoltage occurs in the electrical system. Typical causes for these problems are the utility company switching supply sources, lightning, energizing and deenergizing large loads within the facilities and major electrical faults. 

Power conditioners, surge protection, lighting protection, proper circuitry and controls are some options to correct these conditions. Berwick Electric has qualified technicians and experience to perform an assessment of the electrical systems and make proper recommendations to minimize exposure of these elements on your electrical system. 

Safety Problems

Electric problems aren't only a danger to your equipment; bad wiring and other troubles can be dangerous to your employees as well. Small problems that are easy to ignore can quickly become troubles that can seriously injure someone. These basic problems include:

• Damaged outlets or the wiring behind them
• Worn cords or plugs connected to kitchen cooking equipment
• Faulty wiring, either in walls or in commercial cooking equipment
• Improperly used or damaged extension cords
• Outlets or equipment that gives shocks when used or plugged in 

You might think that electrical storms and power outages cause significant electrical problems, but most troubles can be traced back to the wiring and equipment in the business itself. So get your systems checked regularly and you’ll avoid the inconvenience of being without power.

Colorado’s Broadmoor Hotel and Berwick Electric have had a long-standing history of working together for almost a century. It makes perfect sense, therefore, that when the hotel was ready to start a new and very ambitious project, Berwick Electric was part of the plan.

New Project Challenges

This new project, known as the Broadmoor’s Wilderness Adventure Fishing Camp, presented some major commercial electrical challenges. For starters, the project site is located on the Tarryall River and surrounded by a 120,000-acre wilderness area, making access difficult and the installation of electrical wiring a challenge.

The first step? Making sure the camp had the correct capacity electrical service feeding to the property’s buildings so that the new structures – which include sleeping cabins, a maintenance building, laundry facilities and a commercial kitchen, among others – had enough power.

Another addition included an irrigation pump and stream feature pump that also required electrical power. Plus, anything that was added, needed to maintain the rustic look and feel that helped the camp “blend” with its natural surroundings.

Facing Challenges

One of the major troubles connected to the camp's project was to ensure that the electrical systems running through the old and new buildings were all up to code. Because some of the existing buildings were old and needed lots of repairs, electrical work needed to address not only new installations, but also systems that had been neglected and abandoned for years.

In addition, all the new work that needed to be done couldn't affect the original rustic look of the place – meaning our contractors had to become almost designers, working to hide electrical wires and systems under clever “natural” disguises.

Another challenge? The remote location of the camp, which meant Berwick Electric had to coordinate:

• crew transportation (a particularly demanding experience during the winter months),
• electrical inspections, and
• the maintenance of the buildings and the utility system while the project was under construction.

The Results Speak for Themselves

After many months of hard work, the Broadmoor’s Wilderness Adventure Fishing Camp is finally ready to welcome visitors. While those arriving at the camp won't be admiring the electrical work, one thing is for certain: without a proper, well-functioning system behind it, guests just couldn't enjoy the experience fully.

In fact, Berwick Electric is proud of the fact that camp guests won't even notice their work. It means everything's running smoothly and without a glitch – something the company is very proud to offer to all our customers, regardless of the project scope.

Photo credit: http://www.broadmoor.com/wilderness-experience/

If you’re planning to build a new commercial property—or looking to expand or upgrade an existing property, your electrical system may not be the first thing on your mind. But electrical systems are a key element of every new construction or renovation project. Businesses rely on reliable and robust electrical systems to get business done. That’s why Berwick Electric Co. works closely with owners and general contractors to design and install high quality, cost effective electrical systems. 

Here’s a bit of what a quality electrical company brings to the table. 

Design-Build / Design-Assist Expertise

By partnering with the owners, designers, engineers, and the construction team during the pre-construction phase, a professional electrical company contributes unique expertise in planning and cost estimating to develop “best-value” solutions to meet each customer’s exact specifications. Design-build and design-assist are excellent ways to expedite the overall construction process and deliver projects that meet critical electrical standards within the owner’s budget and schedule. To discover more about design-build and design-assist, click here.

Sustainability / Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

A great electrical contractor should offer extensive experience in sustainability projects, including government projects that receive SPiRiT and LEED certification.  That should include an in-house LEED Accredited Professional to provide oversight for your sustainability projects. 

Schedule Performance

A good electrical contractor—who is involved in planning from the beginning—should ensure the delivery of high quality service on schedule. You don’t want building or renovation held up because the general contractor and the electrical contractor weren’t on the same page. A good electrical contractor expedites through proper scoping, a well-trained and efficient staff, and critical path schedules that allow for flexibility and positive working relationships with the design and construction teams. 

To ensure control of the quality of your overall project, your electrical contractor needs to clearly delineate the responsibilities, procedures, processes and resources with his part of the project, so that expectations are met—or exceeded.  Much of that comes from hiring and retaining qualified individuals and making sure that they are properly trained and adhere to the highest standards. 

First and foremost, we understand that the project isn’t about us. “It’s about working together as part of a team—as part of a bigger process—to deliver an overall solution that’s best for the end customer.”James D. Shirley, formerProject Director for Gerald H. Phipps, Inc. had this to say about working with us on Columbine Hall at CU Colorado Springs. 

Berwick Electric's unique capabilities are in all aspects of electrical sub-contracting. They have strong pre-construction capabilities, excellent power quality people, strong field supervision and technically competent journeymen. Their quality control is second to none. They do it right and do it right the first time. 

If you’re looking to build or renovate a significant commercial property, make sure your electrical contractor understands what’s involved in being part of a team and a process that will deliver the quality and value you expect.