Best Tips & Tricks for 2025
You walk into your office on a Monday morning, only to find that your lights are out, machines are down, and production has halted. The culprit? A failure in the electrical system that someone could have prevented.
Electrical preventive maintenance (EPM) is crucial for maintaining the reliability of facilities. It helps businesses run smoothly, keeps people safe, and prevents costly downtime. With the 2023 edition of NFPA 70B, Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance, new rules are now in place. Creating and keeping a plan is not just a good idea; it is now a requirement for compliance.
In this blog, we will explain what electrical preventive maintenance is. We will discuss why it is important and where it is used. You will also find practical tips to help you create a compliant program in 2025 and beyond.
What Is Electrical Preventive Maintenance?
Electrical preventive maintenance (EPM) is a systematic approach to keeping electrical systems and equipment in good working order. It involves inspection, testing, cleaning, servicing, and record-keeping designed to identify problems before they become costly failures.
Until recently, NFPA 70B offered EPM as a set of recommendations. However, with the 2023 update, those recommendations became mandatory requirements for many industrial and commercial facilities. That means facility managers across various industries must have an electrical maintenance program in place to remain compliant.
At its core, preventive maintenance is about keeping your facility safe, reliable, and efficient while minimizing risk and unplanned downtime.
Why Is Electrical Maintenance Necessary?
If you’ve ever had an unexpected outage, you know the damage it can cause. From halted production lines to lost data and safety risks, downtime is more than an inconvenience; it’s a threat to your business.
Here’s why preventive electrical maintenance is essential:
- Safety – Electrical hazards are one of the leading causes of workplace fires. The NFPA reports that nearly 30,000 electrical fires occur annually in the U.S., resulting in over $1 billion in damage. Preventive maintenance directly reduces this risk.
- Reliability – Well-maintained systems are less likely to fail during peak operations, ensuring that businesses, schools, and hospitals run smoothly.
- Cost Savings – Proactive maintenance costs a fraction of what reactive repairs, OSHA fines, or extended downtime might cost.
- Compliance – Adhering to NFPA 70B, OSHA, and NEC standards ensures facilities meet required safety codes and avoid regulatory penalties.
Where Is Electrical Maintenance Performed?
Electrical preventive maintenance isn’t just for one type of facility. It’s applied wherever electrical systems power critical operations:
Industrial Facilities
Manufacturing plants, warehouses, and distribution centers rely on uptime to meet production goals.
Healthcare Facilities
Hospitals, clinics, and labs can’t afford downtime in life-critical systems.
Commercial Properties
Office parks, retail centers, and multi-tenant complexes require reliability for business continuity.
Educational Campuses
Schools and universities rely on reliable, efficient electrical systems for their daily operations.
Steps in Electrical Preventive Maintenance Plans
A strong EPM plan isn’t guesswork; it’s a structured approach. NFPA 70B outlines key steps every facility should take:
Audit and Plan Your Needs
Begin by surveying your facility’s electrical systems. Identify critical equipment, evaluate conditions, and prioritize high-risk areas.
Maintain Electrical Equipment
Perform inspections, testing, cleaning, lubrication, and system checks to ensure optimal performance. Inspections keep equipment running as designed.
Record and Evaluate
Documentation is crucial for compliance and for tracking improvements over time. Records also help predict future issues.
Set Maintenance Frequency
NFPA 70B uses a “condition of maintenance” scale. This scale helps decide how often to inspect equipment. It ranges from excellent (Condition 1) to poor (Condition 3).
What Does Electrical Maintenance Include?
Every EPM plan will look a little different based on the facility, but here are common tasks you can expect:
- Visual Inspections – Identifying wear, overheating, or loose connections.
- Infrared Thermography – Detecting hotspots before they cause failure.
- Load Testing – Ensuring systems can handle operating demands.
- Power Factor Correction – Improving efficiency and reducing utility costs.
- Panel Cleaning & Torque Checks – Preventing dust buildup and loose wiring.
- Emergency System Testing – Generators, UPS systems, and transfer switches.
How to Create an Electrical Preventive Maintenance Schedule
One of the most important elements of an EPM program is a consistent schedule. Skipping inspections is often where things go wrong.
Tips for building your schedule:
- Base it on NFPA 70B guidance. Frequency depends on the condition of the equipment, usage, and environment.
- Include multiple checkpoints, such as monthly visual inspections, quarterly testing, and annual full-service reviews.
- Keep it realistic. Balance comprehensive coverage with budget and operational constraints.
- Rely on qualified personnel. Only trained electricians with knowledge of NFPA 70B should perform this work.
Preventive maintenance isn’t something to tackle alone; it requires expertise, consistency, and knowledge of compliance codes.
Why Work With Tutor Electrical in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex?
Tutor Electrical Service is a trusted partner for industrial and commercial facilities across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
Here’s why facility managers choose us:
- Local Expertise – Decades serving Dallas-Fort Worth industries.
- Compliance-Driven – Aligned with NFPA, NEC, and OSHA standards.
- Safety First – Protecting Your People and Your Equipment.
- Proven Reliability – Our core values, including “Own the Work” and “Stay Sharp,” enable us to deliver reliable results consistently.
Tutor Electrical provides solutions for design-build projects and preventive maintenance programs. These solutions help keep your facility safe, compliant, and efficient.
Electrical preventive maintenance is not just a compliance task. It is a smart investment in your facility’s safety, productivity, and lifespan. With NFPA 70B now setting the standard, the time to act is now.
Don’t wait for an outage to reveal vulnerabilities. Work with Tutor Electrical to create and manage an EPM plan. This plan will help keep your operations running smoothly in 2025 and beyond.
