NECA This Week

NTW 8/24: AI Data Prep, New ELECTRI Tools & Safety Institute

Aug 24, 2026

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Industry News

Renewable-Powered Heat Systems Studied for Industrial Heat Demand

Renewable-powered heat systems could supply up to a third of U.S. industrial heat demand by 2035, according to an April 2026 study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

Bedrock Robotics deploys fully autonomous excavators on jobsites

The company said its retrofit tech, which digs without an operator, is now active on infrastructure projects for firms such as Sundt Construction and Zachry Construction.

NECA News

New Course Guides Spotlight NECA Education's Top Hits

NECA Education just released two new Greatest Hits Course Guides, rounding up the courses that got the most registrations, requests, and feedback from 2020-2025. One guide covers in-person and virtual classroom courses, the other covers online and on-demand training. Together they give chapters and contractors a quick way to see what's proven and get some quick descriptions on some of NECA's most popular courses. Contractors can find them in the Member Portal. To schedule an in-person or virtual course, reach out to the NECA Education team at [email protected].

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ELECTRI Releases New Tools

ELECTRI Int'l has released 3 new resources to help contractors strengthen day-to-day operations. Each comes in Word format so you can customize it easily! The HR Onboarding Checklist helps HR staff guide new hires through onboarding, with separate tracks for office and field roles. The Project Checklist gives project teams a living dashboard to track ownership, milestones and risk from preconstruction through closeout. And Job Descriptions for an Electrical Contracting Company offers adaptable templates for roles across preconstruction, engineering, safety, purchasing and more. Learn more by attending NECA's webinar on Sept. 22 to learn how you can best utilize these resources!

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The Missing Step Most ECs Skip Before Adopting AI

Join NECA for a webinar on building the data foundation that makes AI actually work for electrical contractors. Most firms adopt AI tools before getting their project data in order, and scattered drawings, specs, contracts, and field documents mean AI amplifies the mess instead of fixing it. This session walks through how leading EC firms are centralizing and governing project data today, what that unlocks for automation tomorrow, and how to get started without a full platform overhaul or a dedicated IT team. The webinar takes place Tuesday, August 25 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET.

NSPI 2026: Safety Leadership Starts Here

Safety professionals in the electrical contracting industry, current and up-and-coming alike, have a new opportunity to sharpen their skills at NECA's Safety Professionals Institute (NSPI). Taught by industry experts over three intensive days, the program covers the essential topics every safety leader needs to know to protect their workforce. Participants put that learning into practice with a capstone project built around their own company's safety needs. NSPI takes place October 20-22, 2026 in Washington, D.C.

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