What It’s Really Like to Write the NEC: Inside Code-Making Panel 4 with Solar Tech Collective Most people who work with the National Electrical Code (NEC) learn what it says. Very few people know why it says it. Rebekah Hren and Brian Mehalic of Solar Tech Collective are in that second group. Both serve as principal… Continue reading “What It’s Really Like to Write the NEC: Inside Code-Making Panel 4 with Solar Tech Collective”
New Course: Comprehensive 2026 NEC Requirements for Electrotech: PV, ESS, EVs, PCS, and More The team behind the new “Comprehensive 2026 NEC Requirements for Electrotech: PV, ESS, EVs, PCS, and More” course has spent years helping shape the National Electrical Code, not just applying it (although they do that plenty too). Solar Tech Collective’s… Continue reading “New Course: Comprehensive 2026 NEC Requirements for Electrotech: PV, ESS, EVs, PCS, and More”
New Free Course – Smart Investments: Certifications and Licenses That Pay Off Credentials cost time, money, and energy. Knowing which ones are actually worth it can make a real difference in your solar career. HeatSpring is excited to host a new free course from Solar for Women: Smart Investments: Certifications and Licenses… Continue reading “New Free Course – Smart Investments: Certifications and Licenses That Pay Off”
What It Takes to Succeed in the Trades – Welding Program Supervisor Rachel Henry Rachel Henry knows what it looks like to be a welding student, and what it looks like to teach one. She was a 4.0 student, award nominee, and self-described “absolute sponge” in welding school. Now, as Welding Program Supervisor at… Continue reading “What It Takes to Succeed in the Trades – Welding Program Supervisor Rachel Henry”
HeatSpring CORE: A Universal First-Year Curriculum for Construction Trades HeatSpring CORE is a safety-centered alternative to NCCER CORE. We’ve been thinking about this for a long time and it’s kind of a big deal. If your company uses or has considered NCCER curriculum in the past, give HeatSpring CORE… Continue reading “HeatSpring CORE: A Universal First-Year Curriculum for Construction Trades”
Why Do Electrical Panels Often Have More Loads Than Supply? Have you ever added up all the breakers in an electrical panel and realized the total capacity of all those breakers exceeds what the main service can actually supply? If you’re like most people, this raises the question: why would… Continue reading “Why Do Electrical Panels Often Have More Loads Than Supply?”
What Are the Components of a Main Service Panel? When you’re scoping a solar project, a battery system, or a whole-home electrification retrofit, one of the first considerations will be main service panel capacity. Panel capacity is affected by its components: the service conductors, meter, busbar rating, and main… Continue reading “What Are the Components of a Main Service Panel?”
EMS vs. PCS in the 2026 NEC: Understanding the Critical Differences Every three years, the National Electrical Code gets a chance to clarify anything that wasn’t quite right the last time around. Sometimes that means refining vague language. Other times it means introducing new terms to distinguish between concepts that were… Continue reading “EMS vs. PCS in the 2026 NEC: Understanding the Critical Differences”
Why Avoid Upsizing the Main Panel? When homeowners consider electrification upgrades – adding heat pumps, EV chargers, heat pump water heaters, other electric appliances, or solar and storage systems – they’re sometimes told they need a main panel upgrade. What many people don’t realize is that… Continue reading “Why Avoid Upsizing the Main Panel?”
How the NEC is Revised – A Look at the Public Input Process Ever wondered how the National Electrical Code gets updated every three years? The NEC revision process is open to everyone – electricians, solar installers, engineers, industry associations, and even individuals with ideas for improving electrical safety can all participate in… Continue reading “How the NEC is Revised – A Look at the Public Input Process”
New Course Announcement: Avoiding Main Panel Upgrades Home electrification is accelerating rapidly, but there’s a bottleneck that’s been frustrating homeowners and professionals alike: the dreaded main panel upgrade. If you’ve worked on the residential side, you know the story all too well. A homeowner wants to install… Continue reading “New Course Announcement: Avoiding Main Panel Upgrades”
New Course Alert: 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC®) Changes: PV, ESS, EVs, PCS, and More, The electrical landscape is evolving as clean energy adoption and electrification accelerate – and the 2026 National Electrical Code is adapting right alongside it. Every three years, the National Electrical Code undergoes comprehensive revisions to align with industry practices and… Continue reading “New Course Alert: 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC®) Changes: PV, ESS, EVs, PCS, and More,”
Electricians – HeatSpring and JADE Learning have your CEUs Covered Starting this week, electricians can get their CEUs on HeatSpring through a new partnership with JADE Learning. JADE is the leader in state-approved courses to renew your electrical license, so we worked out a deal to offer them on HeatSpring.… Continue reading “Electricians – HeatSpring and JADE Learning have your CEUs Covered”
When Electrical Apprenticeship Training Doesn’t Align With the Solar Jobsite What happens when the skills you learn in school don’t match the job you actually get? For many electricians entering the solar industry, this disconnect can be very real and very frustrating. That’s exactly what came up during a conversation… Continue reading “When Electrical Apprenticeship Training Doesn’t Align With the Solar Jobsite”
HeatSpring and Energize US Provide 4-Year Employer-Sponsored Electrical Apprenticeship Training We’re happy to announce a new partnership with Energize US to bring you all of the classroom training you need to run a 4-year electrical apprenticeship program. Energize US is a non-profit workforce organization known for engaging next generation tradespeople… Continue reading “HeatSpring and Energize US Provide 4-Year Employer-Sponsored Electrical Apprenticeship Training”
Let’s Grow Your Electrical Business How are you developing the people in your electrical contracting business? Are you hiring people? Training them? What’s working? What feels hard? A trained, competent electrician never runs out of work. Electricians have cool jobs, make good money, are valued… Continue reading “Let’s Grow Your Electrical Business”
“Blueprint to Leadership” – A New Course for Leaders in the Skilled Trades I’m really excited to announce a new free course from the Energize US team, “Blueprint to Leadership: In Renewable Energy & Life”. Energize US is a dynamic, mission-driven partner bringing positive energy into skilled trades careers. They have a powerful… Continue reading ““Blueprint to Leadership” – A New Course for Leaders in the Skilled Trades”