All Electrical Services are provided by electricians licensed in the county where you reside, and EMF/EMR Testing and Mitigation Consulting Services are provided by nationally certified Building Biology® Institute of America Professional Electromagnetic Radiation Specialists (EMRS.) If you hire anyone else to test the electromagnetic fields in your home other than an EMRS or Michael Neuert, of the EMF Center in California, then best of luck.
An EMRS conducts a series or panel of non-invasive testing, performs a certified analysis of the data, then presents an informed consultation to the client including the next recommended steps to mitigate any actionable findings. Some of these solutions may then involve an electrician.
A licensed electrician will then do the electrical work required to correct any electrical errors or necessary upgrades uncovered by the EMRS uncovered by non-invasive EMF/EMR testing and visual inspections. (Non-invasive means that we do not remove electrical panel covers, junction box covers, or outlet receptacle cover plates.)
Persons engaged in either of these professions undergo extensive training, coursework, and must successfully pass written exams.
It takes someone about 4-5 years to become a licensed electrician.
It takes 3-4 years to become a certified EMRS. Both electricians and EMRS should carry General Liability Insurance to enter your property and you the consumer have a right to request to see visual proof of this insurance.
Just like any other profession, there are various levels of talent and expertise within a certain range of each and every EMRS. Some are excellent and some are just getting started on their own. But, like all professions, at least you know that the baseline is professional competence. At Elexana LLC, we would like to think that we have some of the best in the field.
EMF/EMR Testing and Mitigation Consulting Services should only be offered by a trained and certified EMRS or someone under their supervision.
An EMRS receives extensive training from EMRS-electrical engineers, EMRS-electricians, and other experienced certified EMRS at the Building Biology® Institute of America. She or he must pass several exams and a final project before receiving an accredited certification.
There are no services that an EMRS provides homeowners that have not been taught at the BBI and sufficiently learned. Punctuated is the distinction between EMF/EMR testing and mitigation consulting services and electrical services to every student.
In short, an EMRS surveys electromagnetic fields seeking out sources for EMR emissions and consults with you, your engineers, electricians, and contractors when there is an electromagnetic interference issue requiring a specific mitigation plan, operation, or application.
It is your locally licensed electrician who will do the actual electrical work to implement any necessary corrections and install any electrical filters, switches, ground rods, etc. Unless an EMRS is also a licensed electrician, an EMRS does not perform electrical services.
From our experience, most electricians fail to identify and correct wiring errors if left on their own without guidance or direction. One can wire a renovation or new chandelier where the lights will turn on, but in the process may also violate several NEC requirements that produce harmful magnetic field emissions and pose a potential fire risk. Many electricians mistakenly think that the fix for a wiring error is in grounding and bonding circuits properly. Hiring an EMRS, in this circumstance, to work in concert with your electrician is often helpful. The EMRS can guide how to identify the circuits where there are parallel returns. This training is just one learned protocol that separates the professional EMRS from the typical New York TriState EMF expert or inspector.
Another non-invasive test an EMRS conducts is measuring stray current and voltage on your water service, coaxial cables, and gas lines. Home inspectors and electricians do not check these utilities for stray current, which can cause potential health and safety issues.
A third test that an EMRS could conduct that is non-invasive that a home inspector for electrician does not provide to measure the impedance on the system ground. If there is a ground loop or exceedingly high impedance, this will cause the electric fields inside the home to be stronger than if the system ground were functioning with a proper impedance. Shunting the electric fields to the earth ground is essential. Furthermore, a flawed system ground poses a potential shock and fire hazard.
Most electricians are not aware that many common wiring errors can produce elevated magnetic field radiation and pose a fire hazard. After all, according to the NFPA, 48% of all home fires are electrical.
Induced magnetic fields from specific wiring errors can adversely affect sensitive electronic equipment and cause ill-health after prolonged exposure. If relatively low AC magnetic fields comparable to the US standards, which are virtually non-existent, did not cause interference, all AC magnetic shielding companies would be out of work. It would take me much less time to consult on the best placement for Magnetic Resonance Imagers (MRI), Ultrasound Imagers, Electron Microscopes and Scanners, and other scientific and medical equipment. Determining pacemaker compatibility would be a breeze.
A fourth non-invasive test that an EMRS conducts that no electrician or home inspector offers is to test the levels of harmonic line noise and airborne interference coupled to indoor electric fields, often called "dirty electricity." There are several techniques to assess these frequencies, but again, all tests are non-invasive.
A fifth non-invasive test that an EMRS conducts that an electrician does not is a radio frequency scan. Strong radiofrequency radiation levels can cause electronics to malfunction and ill-health with prolonged exposure, according to the scientists of the Bio-initiative, Physicians for Safer Technology, and the scientists of The Environmental Health Trust.
Finally, an EMRS is a consultant who can offer their educated and experienced opinion on best practices for EMF/EMR/EMI mitigation. This knowledge and expertise are beyond the training scope that a home inspector or an electrician receives. The electrician or licensed electrical contractor works to mitigate the non-ionic radiation produced by wiring errors, unshielded electrical cables, poorly grounded homes, and installing all electrical equipment, EMR remediation equipment, etc.
So, yes, although all tests that an EMRS conducts are non-invasive, they do require training and certification. Unfortunately, there is no license issued in any country or court for EMF/EMR testing. We certainly wish there were. Requiring a license would ensure that the consumer receives a baseline of competency.