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ST. LOUIS — Nearly two dozen St. Louis low income families living with electric hazards and outdated electrical systems now have safer homes with upgraded electrical installations thanks to the Electrical Connection IBEW/NECA partnership. The partnership mobilized an IBEW/NECA team that donated services and materials to help Rebuilding Together St. Louis make improvements to 23 homes in North St. Louis and North St. Louis County. The work on April 30, 2016 was performed by 140 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local One electricians who teamed with 23 electrical contractor members of the St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).

This was the 13^th consecutive year that the Electrical Connection partnership volunteered in the annual Rebuilding Together home repair campaign. Since 2003, the IBEW/NECA partnership has supported Rebuilding Together by donating more than $800,000 in labor and materials to improve more than 450 homes for low-income, disabled and elderly St. Louisans.

“The Electrical Connection IBEW/NECA partnership is invaluable to our efforts to improve the lives of low income families in our region,” said Dave Ervin, executive director, Rebuilding Together St. Louis. “Some of the electrical conditions we find in these homes are just deplorable and extremely hazardous to anyone living there.”

Among the many issues that the Electrical Connection IBEW/NECA partnership repaired were ungrounded outlets, extension cords used for permanent wiring, a lack of ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) switches and outlets, overloaded panel boxes, open splices, fixtures with charred or burned wires and more.

“A lot of the issues we encounter seem to be just shoddy work performed by people who lack the skills needed to perform electrical work,” noted Frank Jacobs, business manager, IBEW Local 1. Douglas R. Martin, executive vice president of the St. Louis Chapter, NECA, concurred. “There’s a reason why Electrical Connection IBEW/NECA is a staunch supporter of the National Electrical Code, which is the standard for safe electrical installations that function properly. Always check credentials and leave electrical work to licensed professionals who follow the code,” said Martin.

The Electrical Connection offers the largest number of licensed commercial and residential electrical contractors and skilled electricians in the region.

Dave Roth, business representative and treasurer for IBEW Local One, orchestrated the volunteer initiative. Participating electrical contractors, who donated 23 service trucks and tools, included:

┬À American Electric and Data;	┬À J. Bathe Electric Co.;
┬À MR Bathe Electric;	┬À Bell Electrical Contractors;
┬À Branson Electric Co.;	┬À BRK Electrical Contractors LLC;
┬À Concept Electric Services LLC;	┬À Electric Limited;
┬À Fusion Electric	┬À Grasser Electric;
┬À Guarantee Electric Co.;	┬À Hanenkamp Electric;
┬À Jag Electric;	┬À Kaemmerlen Electric;
┬À Kaiser Electric;	┬À Kay Bee Electric
┬À Northwest Electric Co.;	┬À Pioneer Electric
┬À RJP Electric;	┬À Sachs Electric Co.;
┬À Sanderson Electric;	┬À Schaeffer Electric Co., Inc.; and
┬À Summit Electric

Members of the Electrical Connection provide safe and reliable electrical construction, maintenance, repair and replacement services across Missouri, the nation and the world. Find a contractor near you in the Electrical Connection contractor database.