What Does An Electrical Engineer Do?
What is an Electrical Engineer?
Electrical engineering is a role that specifically deals with electricity, electromagnetism and electronics. In addition to this, it covers power, control systems, telecommunications, and signal processing. It is a merging of the concepts of physics, mathematics and of course, electronics theory. An electrical engineer is usually the one who develops, designs, and manages simple electronic appliances and circuits.
They often work in industries such as transport networks, lighting, heating, ventilation, lift systems, renewable energy, power generation and distribution, manufacturing and construction.
Electrical engineers are competent to work on various projects, from designing household appliances to designing large-scale electrical systems and more.
Learn more about our electrical design and installation services or get in touch with us today.
The Difference Between Electricians and Electrical Engineers
Electricians maintain and install, wire and repair all electrical and power systems. This can be in your home, your business, at a factory or anywhere else that might have electrical systems set up. Their job is to install and maintain the wiring, as well as the equipment that electricity travels through in the property to ensure that it is working as expected and that people are safe from any electrical issues.
The primary task of electrical engineers is to design various power systems and equipment distributing energy. They can be involved with everything from designing a new product to determining how to revise a design plan for an existing product. They may also oversee the installation of products they design.
For an electrician to become an electrical engineer they must obtain a bachelor’s degree or something similar.
Job responsibilities of an electrician include:
- Wiring houses and buildings
- Connecting electrical systems to the power supply
- Inspecting existing wiring and electrical systems
- Locating electrical issues and conducting repairs
- Following blueprints and building codes when installing systems
- Operating power tools
An electrical engineer’s job duties may require:
- Analyzing electrical systems, products, components, and applications
- Designing and conducting research programs
- Applying knowledge of electricity and materials
- Confirming systems and components’ capabilities by designing testing methods and properties
- Providing engineering information by answering questions and requests
- Maintaining product and company reputation by complying with federal and state regulations
- Maintaining product database by writing computer programs and entering data
- Developing electrical products by studying customer requirements
- Researching and testing manufacturing and assembly methods and materials
- Developing manufacturing processes by designing and modifying equipment
- Assuring product quality by designing electrical testing methods
- Testing finished products and system capabilities
- Preparing product reports by collecting, analysing, and summarizing information and trends
Can electrical engineers work as electricians?
Electrical engineers and electricians both work with electricity. However, they both have different roles and educational background.
Electrical engineers study the design and manufacturing process of electrical control systems. Electrical engineers need a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. This includes topics like maths, engineering principles, digital systems and electric circuits. They will also hold enough practical experience and mentorship to ensure their expertise.
Electrical engineers work on a wide range of projects. Including the design of electrical systems for buildings, transportation networks, power distribution networks, manufacturing, and even renewable energy. These engineers may be part of a wider team that’s responsible for the design, testing, budgeting and project management.
Electricians, on the other hand, are a skilled trade, specialise in installation, maintenance, testing and repair of electric systems. The work of an electrician ranges from wiring residential homes to installing equipment in commercial facilities or factories. Electricians can specialise in certain areas, like machine repair and maintenance. To become an electrician, requires an apprenticeship or vocational training followed by exams to receive a licence.
Can electrical engineers become electricians?
If an electrical engineer decided they wanted to transition to an electrician, the first step would be getting additional training to get a hold of the right certification and licensing. This could be in the form of an apprenticeship. Just because electrical engineering requires a degree, doesn’t mean that you can jump into electrical installation and maintenance work.
Total Electricals Services
We offer a plethora of electrical services. As well as new electrical installations, we can also offer refurbishment and upgrading of existing electrical systems, including overcoming existing working environment constraints and systems compatibility. We can provide specialist advice and services with regards to replacing and upgrading older lighting systems with LED lighting and also obsolete switchgear and electrical distribution equipment.
We also specialise in Electrical Testing and Inspection Report creation. We carry out a full Electrical Installation Condition Report or EICR for short at regular intervals to ensure that all the lawful standards are kept up to date. Our inspectors are fully qualified, with many years of experience in domestic and commercial environments and will check all your existing electrical wiring as well as appliances that are connected to the installation to ensure that it’s safe for use.
If you would like to find out more information on the kind of work our engineers and electricians can carry out and the different types of projects we can assist with, please get in touch with us today on 02920 849259.