Bob meets Barry Driscoll, the electrician who is wiring a third-floor sub panel. The panel feeds air handlers, bedrooms, bathrooms and an entertainment area. At the time the house was built in 1892, gas, not electricity, was used for lighting. It wasn't until the 1920s that electricity was used in the house. City of Cambridge electrical inspector looks at the sub panel for adequate size and proper location.

Bob joins electrician Jose Rodriguez as he installs wiring in metal framing at the storm-ready house. Rodriguez uses plastic boxes with plastic flanges to house the wiring. Rodriguez also attaches a protective nail plate over the wiring where it crosses the furring strips. The wires are then tied to the studs and run down to the box where they are connected.

In this segment Bob meets Eddie Fisher, the master electrician on the Brooklyn project's infrastructure team. The team of five electricians from AC/DC Electric is rewiring the building from basement to roof deck. Fisher's team is pre-wiring the building for telephones, computer and cable TV. New York City building codes often require the use of materials and techniques not often seen in residential construction. Codes enacted in the summer of 2003 in New York City require a separate power line from the main electrical box to each GFI (Ground Fault Interrupt) circuit. Also required by code in this building is the use of BX, or metal-shielded, cable. BX is a rigid, flexible metal conduit with a wire bundle, consisting of individually insulated conductors covered by a flexible spiral-wound layer of metal. BX will typically last longer than vinyl-clad cable and may prevent some inadvertent damage in the future.

Bob and the electrician, Greg, go over the plastic-sheathed electrical wiring and how to protect and make this installation look good.

…still has an old-fashioned dial thermostat that you manually adjust, according to the National Electrical Manufacturer's Association…
…childproofing measure. Look for overloaded circuits and power cords and adjust as necessary. Frayed cords should be replaced as should any…

…Determine and set up the saw and blade best for the material. Carefully measure and mark the cutting distance, angle and depth. Adjust the saw controls to precisely match those measurements. Check that every element of the saw and workpiece are secured. Think…

…among the architect, builder and homebuyer can result in a floor plan that places challenges on the manufacturer, who can only adjust their factory building methods so much to stay profitable. To overcome these obstacles, the mostly constructed modules leave…

…wasting behavior. Monitoring devices provide real-time data on energy consumption and give homeowners the opportunity to adjust it. Scott Pigg, senior project manager with the Energy Center of Wisconsin, says it s hard to save electricity when the only…