Prefabs provide on-site, off-site and other hidden advantages. For instance, faster installation at the job site reduces the project duration. Prefabs have the potential of cutting the installation time by almost a half. In addition, the project will require fewer workers in the field resulting in a big reduction in labor costs and improved profitability.

There’s also a significant savings on labor, which can be very expensive and in short supply. The prefabrication process is considered more of a manufacturing function so the contractor is able to achieve success with fewer workers. The workshop can make use of semi-skilled workers and apprentices, unlike a construction site where an electrician is required to perform the installation.

Fewer materials and less activity at a job site mean that the project is completed faster with a reduced opportunity for accidents and delays. In addition, by delivering all the individual components to the workshop for assembly, the level of material handling is narrowed. This equates to an easy-to-manage supply chain. Fewer materials reduce clutter, waste disposal, and the need for extra storage space.

The workshop provides the best environment for producing the assembly fast without the interruptions that might be found at a construction job site. Further, the production of prefabs is not affected as much by delays from other trades, bad weather, and other construction project hold-ups.

Electricians spend less time working at dangerous heights and precarious positions, hence reducing safety risks. Prefabs allow contractors to reduce the need for as many licensed electricians on the job site. This can result in greater productivity and profitability.

Increased competition and high labor costs have caused declining profits for many electrical contractors. However, with the use of prefabs, profitability can be improved by reducing the labor and time spent at the construction site. Additionally, fabricating electrical assemblies in a workshop makes it easier to stay on budget and hit your project timelines.

The chandelier used to mark your arrival. Clad in crystal, it met you in the foyer of a well-appointed home, then dazzled you from a power position over the dining room table.

Rarely did you find a chandelier in a starter home. To see them illuminating any room other than one used for entry or dining, more unusual still.

My, how times have changed!

Today chandeliers rate as a brilliant idea just about anywhere — from modest homes to magnificent mansions, contemporary digs to traditional houses. They dangle decorously in almost every room of the house.

Credit our bigger-is-better building boom. Taller ceilings and increased volume in today’s homes means chandeliers are less likely to crowd a room.

“Nine-and-10-foot ceilings almost demand something hanging to fill the space,” says Joe Rey-Barreau, educational consultant for the American Lighting Association (ALA) and assistant professor of interior design at the University of Kentucky. The ALA is a non-profit organization of leading manufacturers, retail lighting showrooms and sales representatives in the U.S. and Canada dedicated to expanding public knowledge about lighting.

Colorful chandeliers create drama in the kitchen. Mini ones provide elegance to powder rooms. Even walk-in closets go upscale when lit with a small chandelier.

“Beyond laundry rooms and garages, any room is an open target for hanging a chandelier,” adds Rey-Barreau. “More commonly, kitchens and bathrooms have become the popular locations for chandeliers.”

Chandeliers add twinkle to a boudier. “People are treating their bedroom suites as more luxurious personal spaces with elaborate bathroom areas, so it is not unreasonable to consider chandeliers there, either,” says Dan Blitzer, Director of Education for the ALA..