Energize Electric LLC

04/28/2026

The 5k for Catholic Charities IEC on Saturday was chilly but fun! Thank you to everyone who helped me surpass our match goal of $250!

04/02/2026

I get so many calls to fix things other people mess up, can’t solve, or never pulled a permit for and the homeowners got caught by the city (most of the time not realizing a permit was ever required or finding out a previous homeowner had it done without a permit/did it wrong).

Save yourself some time and make sure who you’re hiring to touch your electrical is an actual licensed electrician. Only electrical companies holding a Contractor’s license are legally able to be hired for electrical work in the state of Michigan.

You can check a licensure status and legitimacy of a company/contractor on the Licensing and Regulatory Affairs website, mi.gov/LARA. Simple repairs do not require a permit (swapping out a bad receptacle or light fixture) but any time you add wire, devices, or it’s discovered your wiring is questionable for safety a permit is required.

You can also check permit records on any home in the state at bsaonline.com. Search the municipality and look up records by address.

Homeowners can end up paying the price for a contractor or unlicensed person’s negligence with fines and insurance issues. Get it right from the start and make sure you’re hiring a qualified, competent person or company you can trust to not leave you in position where you’re paying extra for corrections.

03/28/2026

I recently came across a detached garage that had a bad outdoor GFCI (Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter) plug. In addition to the problems listed below, the possible energizing of the ground wires can cause nuisance trips on a GFCI, causing it to eventually fail.

🤔🤔🤔 Why is it imperative Neutral and Ground Wires are separated in a Subpanel? ⚡️⚡️⚡️ Time to get Nerdy with me 🤓🤓🤓

Separately grounding a subpanel in an outbuilding (keeping neutral and ground bars separate and unconnected) is crucial for safety and NEC code compliance. This prevents dangerous "objectionable current" from flowing through grounding conductors, metal pipes, or the building frame, which can create shock hazards and prevent circuit breakers from tripping during a fault.

Key reasons for keeping neutral and ground separated:

Safety and Shock Prevention: If the neutral and ground are bonded (connected) in a subpanel, any unbalanced load current will travel back to the main panel via the ground wire rather than the neutral wire. This causes the entire ground system—including metal cases of tools, metal pipes, and appliance chassis—to become electrified.

Preventing Parallel Paths: The National Electrical Code (NEC) dictates that a neutral-to-ground bond must only occur at the main service disconnect (such as your main panel or main service disconnect outside at the meter), not in downstream subpanels.

Proper Breaker Operation: Separating them ensures that a fault current has a direct, low-impedance path back to the main panel. This ensures the breaker trips instantaneously to prevent fire or injury.

Outbuilding Specifics: In a detached outbuilding, you are required to have a grounding electrode system (ground rods) connected to the subpanel, but this must be done while keeping the neutral bus isolated from the ground bus.

Check out the before and after photos below to get a visual:

03/19/2026

FYI: Our website is currently under construction. We are still taking appointments and very much still in business. Thank you for your patience while we have a new website built!

03/18/2026

Who doesn’t love a nice, tidy junction box? Did you know it is code to wire a building in a neat and workman-like manner? We make even the hidden elements look good!

03/11/2026

Old wiring making you nervous? We can help! We offer financing for most projects, some offers as low as 0% interest, and credit scores as low as 550. Call or text me today to schedule a free estimate 517-993-8287

02/19/2026

Energize Electric LLC is happy to announce Rachel will be running in the Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton, & Clinton Counties 14th Annual Run For Giving on Saturday, April 25. Our company would like to provide a donation match up to $250 for all donations to the organization, in addition to a $250 stand-alone donation, for a total of $750 with your help.

All donations will help ensure our most vulnerable neighbors receive access to critical basic necessities such as food, clothing, personal care and baby products. Thank you for your donations, please follow the link below to give today:

Thank you for raising funds for Catholic Charities IEC's Run For Giving 5K! Energize Electric LLC wants to match all funds donated by our community through our link, up to $250, in addition to our initial $250 donation. This will provide Catholic Charities with a total donation of $750! Help us....

02/18/2026

Well… I’m going to be taking a day or two off due to SEVERE back pain. Have been getting excruciating muscle spasms in my lower back for the past two days and am on muscle relaxers to try to calm down the inflammation and tightness. I have been chronically behind on estimates all year due to onboarding my husband and a new office manager in January, so I’m taking some time to catch up. Dennis is picking up the slack with any jobs we had planned over the next two days and I am anticipating this rest, medicine, and a massage will help. So this is mainly an FYI that we’re probably going to be unable to take emergency calls the rest of the week. Take care and God bless!

01/26/2026

Having to move an electrical panel during a service upgrade can be a huge expense, but there is a reason the National Electrical Code enforces clearances from things above and around your panel. One item not allowed within 3 feet of your panel is a water pipe. Service call today for a burst pipe that sprayed water into the panel. Water and electricity do not mix. Panel and circuit breakers were able to be dried out and reinstalled, and a fire and component failure was avoided.

01/22/2026

Listen to WITL Saturday Feb 14 and Sunday Feb 15 for our Military Tribute! We support our troops and thank them for their service!!