An electrical system inspection shows you whether the power distribution in your building is in sound condition, where the hazards are and what needs attention before it causes an outage or a fire. We look at the equipment from the service entrance down to the branch circuits and give you a report ranked by risk.
Electrical faults rarely announce themselves. Loose connections heat up slowly, breakers age, panels get overloaded as tenants add equipment, and labelling drifts out of date after each renovation. An independent inspection catches these conditions while they are still cheap to correct.
What we look at
- Service entrance, main disconnects, metering and switchgear.
- Distribution panels and panelboards: condition, labelling, clearances, signs of overheating, corrosion or moisture.
- Transformers, motor control centres and disconnect switches.
- Wiring methods in accessible areas, including older systems such as aluminum branch wiring or knob-and-tube in older buildings.
- Grounding and bonding at the service and at major equipment.
- Emergency and standby power: generators, transfer switches, emergency lighting and exit signs.
- Infrared thermography of energized equipment, where conditions allow it to be done safely.
- Records: single-line drawings, arc flash labels and studies, maintenance and testing history.
Safety first. Opening energized equipment exposes people to shock and arc flash hazards. Any work on or near exposed energized parts is planned under CSA Z462 practices and done only by qualified electrical workers. Repairs must be done by a licensed electrical contractor, and some work requires a permit and inspection under your province's electrical safety program.
How it works
- We start with why. A purchase, insurance requirement, recurring trips, planned expansion or simply no recent look at the system: the reason sets the scope.
- Document review. We review single-line drawings, panel schedules and past test or thermography reports.
- Site inspection. We inspect electrical rooms and equipment, and arrange for covers to be removed by qualified personnel where the scope calls for it.
- Thermography and observations. Where included, we scan loaded equipment to find hot spots, then record each finding with location and photos.
- Report and review. You get a written report and a walkthrough of the findings, with clear next steps.
Getting the most from thermography
An infrared scan only finds problems that are carrying current at the time. A panel that is lightly loaded on the day can hide a poor connection that will run hot during a cold morning or a busy production shift. We ask when the building is at its normal working load and schedule the scan for then where we can.
Most equipment has to be opened for the camera to see the connections, because covers and dead fronts block the infrared view. Removing covers on energized equipment is done by a qualified electrical worker following your electrical safety procedures and the arc flash labels on the equipment. Where equipment has infrared viewing windows, the scan can often be done without opening it.
What to have ready
- Single-line drawings and panel schedules, even if they are out of date.
- Any arc flash study, previous thermography reports and maintenance test records.
- A list of recent problems: nuisance trips, flickering lights, warm panels, burning smells.
- Planned changes such as new tenants, EV chargers, kitchens or production equipment.
- Access to electrical rooms and a qualified person to remove covers where the scope includes it.
What you get
A report listing the electrical equipment we inspected, its condition and any deficiencies, sorted into urgent hazards, near-term repairs and longer-term upgrades. Thermographic findings include images and the equipment they relate to. Where repairs are needed, we describe the problem clearly enough for a licensed electrician to quote on it, and we can coordinate that work and verify it afterwards if you want us to.
The report also notes documentation gaps, such as missing or outdated panel schedules, single-line drawings that no longer match the building, or equipment without arc flash labels. These gaps matter because the people who maintain the system, and the emergency crews who may one day need to isolate it, rely on that information being right.
A typical case
Take a mid-sized commercial building whose owner wants to add several EV chargers in the parking area. Before anyone sizes the chargers, the owner needs to know whether the existing service and distribution can take the extra load and whether the equipment it will connect to is in good shape.
The inspection reviews the single-line drawing and panel schedules against what is actually installed, looks at the main switchgear and the panels nearest the parking area, and scans them under load. Findings in a case like this often include panels with no spare capacity left, schedules that no longer match the breakers, and one or two connections running warmer than their neighbours. The report separates the repairs that should happen regardless (the warm connections and missing labels) from the information the electrical engineer and licensed contractor need to design the charger installation. The new work then goes through the normal permit and inspection process.
Who it's for
- Facility managers who want a baseline before building a maintenance program.
- Owners and buyers doing due diligence on commercial, industrial or multi-unit buildings.
- Organizations adding significant load, such as EV chargers, server rooms or new production equipment.
- Safety managers who need to understand arc flash and electrical hazards on site.
- Insurers' clients who have been asked for evidence of electrical condition.
To learn more, read our guides on infrared thermography for electrical systems, switchgear and panel maintenance, arc flash basics and grounding and bonding.
Common questions
Is this the same as an electrical permit inspection?
No. Permit inspections are done by the authority having jurisdiction to check new work against the electrical code. Our inspection is an independent condition assessment of an existing system. If repairs need a permit, the licensed contractor doing them arranges it.
Do you need to shut off power?
Most of the inspection is visual and can be done with the building operating normally. Thermography needs equipment under load. If deeper testing calls for a shutdown, we plan it with you and your electrical contractor.
How often should electrical equipment be inspected?
It depends on the equipment, its age, its load and how critical it is. A baseline inspection followed by a maintenance plan set from its findings is a practical place to start.
Can you inspect our generator and transfer switch at the same time?
Yes. Emergency and standby power is part of the electrical system, so it is often included in the same scope. Load testing of the generator is arranged with your generator service contractor.