Whether it is a residential or commercial building, electricians ensure the structure stays illuminated with their technical skills in working with varied electrical systems. But do you know an electric job is not just about lighting a bulb? It is a lot more than that.
There are different types of electrical jobs and each needs a professional specialized in it. So understanding electricians’ roles in different duties will help you choose the right individual for your home or office.
Below, we’ll discuss ten different types of electricians and their key responsibilities.
What Are The Different Types of Electricians?
1. Residential Electricians
Average Salary: $62,468 yearly
These professionals are the most common electricians in the construction field. They perform electrical jobs in residential buildings, such as homes, apartments, penthouses, and condos.
Responsibilities
- Installing, maintaining, and repairing electrical systems
- Troubleshooting electrical issues
- Installing lighting fixtures, outlets, switches, and circuit breakers
- Upgrading outdated electrical systems
- Installing home appliances and security systems
2. Commercial Electricians
Average Salary: $47,037 per year
Residential and commercial electricians almost do a similar job. The only difference is the location; commercial ones perform electrical work in commercial buildings, such as offices, hotels, restaurants, warehouses, and malls.
Responsibilities
- Installing office appliances and security systems
- Repairing and maintaining electrical panels
- Operating power and hand tools, such as wire cutters, saws, ladders, and screwdrivers
- Installing commercial recessed lighting and fixtures
3. Industrial Electricians
Average Salary: $70,897 per year
An industrial electrician is responsible for performing electrical work in large-scale projects across industrial facilities like factories, power plants, manufacturing spaces, and warehouses.
Responsibilities
- Working with large machinery and computer systems
- Installing and repairing electrical components
- Conducting electronic inspections to ensure safety
- Troubleshooting and fixing electrical components
- Ensuring the industrial machinery are operating smoothly
4. Maintenance Electricians
Average Salary: $63,591 per year
Maintenance electricians perform similar duties to industrial electrical professionals. They are responsible for installing, maintaining, and monitoring electrical systems operating in factories and plants.
Responsibilities
- Installing, maintaining, and monitoring electrical systems
- Conducting routine inspections to ensure safety
- Maintain and repair electrical wiring and fixtures
- Perform preventative maintenance inspections
- Inspecting electrical systems and components
5. Construction Electricians
Average Salary: $60,030 per year
Construction electrical professionals are hired to perform electrical work in new construction projects. These professionals are typically hired by general contractors to do their job.
Responsibilities
- Repairing and replacing wiring
- Performing circuit breaker corrective maintenance
- Testing electrical components
- Diagnosing and troubleshooting faulty wiring
- Installing lighting systems and safety systems
- Managing and mentoring apprentice electricians
6. Automotive Electricians
Average Salary: $78,945 per year
These are the professionals, who specializes in installing and maintaining electrical systems in motor vehicles. They mostly rely on computer-based repair tools to complete a project.
Responsibilities
- Installing and maintaining electrical components in motor vehicles
- Servicing electrical automotive parts
- Operating electrical diagnostic equipment
- Dismantling and removing electrical components
- Replacing electronic parts
7. Marine Electricians
Average Salary: $59,661 per year
Marine electrical professionals are the rarest electricians in the industry. They specializes in performing the electrical job on marine vessels, such as boats, ships, yachts, submarines and other marine vehicles.
Responsibilities
- Installing, maintaining, and repairing electrical systems on marine vessels
- Working on navigation lights, communication equipment, and other electrical components
- Troubleshooting electrical wiring, fixtures, generators, motors, batteries, and other components
- Reading and interpreting blueprints and manuals to plan and execute electrical projects
- Using various tools, instruments, and devices to measure, cut, strip, solder, and crimp
8. Renewable Energy Electricians
Average Salary: $74,370 per year
These electrical professionals care about the environment. They are responsible for performing renewable energy electrical works, such as solar panels, wind turbines, and hydroelectric generators.
Responsibilities
- Installing and maintaining solar panels on the roof of a building
- Lifting heavy materials and climbing ladders
- Cutting, fitting, and connecting multiple panels
- Using heavy machinery
- Reading blueprints and manuals to place panels correctly
9. Low-Voltage Electricians
Average Salary: $35,000 per year
A low-voltage electrician is an electrical tradesperson who works with electrical systems that use lower voltage levels. These systems include telephone systems, broadband internet, alarm systems, video surveillance, fiber optic networks, smart electronics, and home entertainment systems.
Responsibilities
- Setting up low-voltage devices, as mentioned above
- Wiring the devices accurately
- Repairing multifunctional devices or broken wiring
- Explaining the process of controlling devices to customers
10. High-Voltage Electricians
Average Salary: $85,000 per year
HIgh-Voltage electricians are highly-trained electrical professionals, who are responsible for installing, testing, repairing and maintaining high-voltage electrical systems. These systems are generally defined as being above 1000 volts.
These professionals work in power plants, switch yards, small control rooms, and enclosed spaces.
Responsibilities
- Repairing power cables, transformers, insulators, switches, and panels
- Installing and connecting transformers
- Troubleshooting distribution circuits and generating equipment
- Maintaining and repairing traffic signals and controllers
- Conducting regular inspections of the condition of transformers, switches, capacitor equipment, and cables
- Using and maintaining hand and power tools
Wrapping Up
There are ten types of electricians, each specializing in their respective electrical work. Whether it’s lighting up homes, maintaining commercial infrastructure, or ensuring industrial machinery operates smoothly, these electrical professionals play a crucial role in modern society.
