Electrician to smart home installer
An electrician already meets 36% of what the smart home installer role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.5/ 100
1 How much of what a smart home installer is expected to do is already part of an electrician’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the smart home installer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A smart home installer role treats 10 of its required skills as things an electrician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- building systems monitoring technology
- electrical wiring plans
- electricity
- electronics
- follow health and safety procedures in construction
- inspect electrical supplies
What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A smart home installer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an electrician background worth leading with.
- already held install smart devices constructing
- already held install electric switches working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held building systems monitoring technology engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held artificial lighting systems engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held inspect electrical supplies constructing
- already held install electrical and electronic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 11 carried skills, including the 10 the smart home installer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn domotic systems required
- still to learn electrical household appliances products required
- still to learn smart grids systems required
- still to learn building automation required
- still to learn mechanical systems required
- still to learn sensors required
- still to learn solar products required
- optional, not held electronic locks optional
- still to learn advise customers on smart homes technology required
- still to learn install lighting required
- still to learn maintain customer service required
- still to learn alarm systems required
- still to learn types of alarm systems required
- still to learn cameras required
- still to learn provide door security required
- still to learn Internet of Things required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a smart home installer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advise customers on smart homes technology practise this
- 02 alarm systems study this
- 03 types of alarm systems study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held building systems monitoring technology knowledge
- already held electrical wiring plans knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- already held inspect electrical supplies skill
- already held install electric switches skill
- already held install electrical and electronic equipment skill
- already held install smart devices skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held artificial lighting systems knowledge
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn assess integrated domotics systems required
- still to learn install electrical household appliances required
- optional, not held install plumbing systems optional
- optional, not held program home alarm systems optional
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held electronic locks optional
- optional, not held program home alarm systems optional
- optional, not held install plumbing systems optional
44 held skills the smart home installer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role answer requests for quotation skill
- not needed by the target role assemble electrical components skill
- not needed by the target role assemble electronic units skill
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role bind wire skill
- not needed by the target role calculate needs for construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role control systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role cut wall chases skill
- not needed by the target role electrical testing methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical wire accessories knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical wiring diagrams knowledge
- not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy performance of buildings knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role install circuit breakers skill
- not needed by the target role install electricity sockets skill
- not needed by the target role install lightning protection system skill
- not needed by the target role keep records of work progress skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electrical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role measure electrical characteristics skill
- not needed by the target role order construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role process incoming construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role program firmware skill
- not needed by the target role provide power connection from bus bars skill
- not needed by the target role react to events in time-critical environments skill
- not needed by the target role repair wiring skill
- not needed by the target role replace defect components skill
- not needed by the target role resolve equipment malfunctions skill
- not needed by the target role solar panel mounting systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role solder electronics skill
- not needed by the target role splice cable skill
- not needed by the target role strip wire skill
- not needed by the target role test electrical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
- not needed by the target role use diagnostic tools for electronic repairs skill
- not needed by the target role use measurement instruments skill
- not needed by the target role use precision tools skill
- not needed by the target role use safety equipment in construction skill
- not needed by the target role use sander skill
4 further entries not listed here
12 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn alarm systems required
- still to learn types of alarm systems required
- still to learn Internet of Things required
- still to learn domotic systems required
- still to learn electrical household appliances products required
- still to learn smart grids systems required
- still to learn building automation required
- still to learn cameras required
- still to learn mechanical systems required
- still to learn sensors required
- still to learn solar products required
- optional, not held electronic locks optional
Other moves recorded from electrician
- domestic electrician 75% covered · adjacent
- electrical supervisor 58% covered · moderate
- security alarm technician 47% covered · substantial
- electrical mechanic 46% covered · substantial
- avionics technician 37% covered · substantial
- rolling stock electrician 37% covered · substantial
- electric meter technician 35% covered · substantial
- marine electrician 34% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can an electrician become a smart home installer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An electrician already covers 36% of what a smart home installer is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 10 of which the smart home installer role treats as required.
What skills does an electrician need to become a smart home installer?
17 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is advise customers on smart homes technology.
How hard is the move from electrician to smart home installer?
Its learning distance is 68.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.