Why Neutral and Ground Bond Only Once Neutral and ground get bonded together at the main service panel, and nowhere else. Leave the bonding screw in at a subpanel and everything still seems to work. The lights come on and the appliances run. So why does the… Continue reading “Why Neutral and Ground Bond Only Once”
What Is a Transformer, and Why Does It Only Work With AC? Transformers were one of the late-1800s developments that made our alternating current (AC) power system possible, and you’ll still find them at nearly every stage of the grid today. A step-up transformer at a generating plant raises the voltage to… Continue reading “What Is a Transformer, and Why Does It Only Work With AC?”
Learn How Power Gets from the Meter to the Main in the New “Residential Wiring: Service Entrance Cables” Course Every circuit in a home starts with the service entrance conductors. These wires run from the utility meter to the main breaker, carry the entire dwelling load, and stay live even with the main switched off. HeatSpring’s new course with… Continue reading “Learn How Power Gets from the Meter to the Main in the New “Residential Wiring: Service Entrance Cables” Course”
Safety Pro – A New Badge for Jobsite Safety Fundamentals We just added a new badge to the Pro library: Safety Pro. It’s a bundle of four courses that each address a distinct and common jobsite hazard — material handling, falls, electrical work, and heavy equipment operation. It’s a broadly… Continue reading “Safety Pro – A New Badge for Jobsite Safety Fundamentals”
Going From Electrician to Quality Leader: Julie Stiglish’s Path Into QA/QC Julie Stiglish’s path into quality and safety leadership didn’t start in a classroom or a compliance office. It started in the heat of a Las Vegas summer, wiring up casinos as a journeyman electrician, learning what it actually feels like… Continue reading “Going From Electrician to Quality Leader: Julie Stiglish’s Path Into QA/QC”
Undefined Terms Can Have Real Consequences: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the NEC Code-Making Process There are words in the National Electrical Code that practitioners use every day without a second thought. “Backfeed” is one of them. What emerged during a Code-Making Panel 4 meeting in the 2026 NEC revision cycle is that even the… Continue reading “Undefined Terms Can Have Real Consequences: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the NEC Code-Making Process”
Why Article 130 on Energy Management Systems Just Moved to the Front of the NEC Not every significant change in the 2026 NEC is about new requirements or revised language. Sometimes the signal is in where an article ends up in the code book. Article 750 on energy management systems spent years tucked toward the… Continue reading “Why Article 130 on Energy Management Systems Just Moved to the Front of the NEC”
What Is a Power Control System (PCS) and Why Does It Matter for Solar and Storage Installers? Power control systems are showing up more and more in solar, storage, and electrical infrastructure, but some practitioners haven’t encountered the term yet. Brian Mehalic breaks down what a PCS actually is and why it’s worth understanding now. Essentially, a… Continue reading “What Is a Power Control System (PCS) and Why Does It Matter for Solar and Storage Installers?”
The 2029 NEC Is Going to Look Very Different. Here’s What’s Coming. The 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC) revision cycle has come and gone, but the work of the code-making panels never really stops. The 2029 cycle is already well underway, public inputs have been submitted, and task groups are working through… Continue reading “The 2029 NEC Is Going to Look Very Different. Here’s What’s Coming.”
Three 2026 NEC Changes That Might Surprise Experienced Solar Installers and Designers Every three years, a new edition of the National Electrical Code drops, and with it comes a set of changes that practitioners need to get up to speed on before they show up in the field. The 2026 version is… Continue reading “Three 2026 NEC Changes That Might Surprise Experienced Solar Installers and Designers”
What 30 Years in the Electrical Trade Taught Jason Brozen About Keeping Workers Safe In March 2026, HeatSpring’s Brian Hayden sat down with Jason Brozen at the NABCEP Conference in Milwaukee for a conversation on the Suncast Media stage. Jason is the Safety and Technical Training Manager at Tyndale, a master electrician with 30… Continue reading “What 30 Years in the Electrical Trade Taught Jason Brozen About Keeping Workers Safe “
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?”