Sourcing plumbers and electricians can be a stressful experience as the one job often takes both tradesmen to complete and usually that can be a drawn out affair.
However, what if there was a company that offered both services and took out that hassle of waiting for one or the other. Well there is, as Monaghan based Allbrite Electrical & Mechanical Ltd whom were awarded “Trade professionals” and “Sustainable Excellence” awards of the year by no other than Duncan Stewart provide such an extensive range of services that they offer a solution for every eventuality in both the electrical and plumbing areas.
Established in 2002 by Alan Duffy, the business is headquartered in Broomfield, Castleblayney. An electrician by trade, Alan explained that providing services in both plumbing and heating were never his intention.
“It’s a bit of an unusual story as to how I got involved in plumbing. I always had a genuine interest in plumbing and heating systems and I use to get jobs doing it and the word kind of spread and people were aware that I was on my own and able to do both types of work,” said Alan.
“It got to the stage where I was getting almost as many plumbing jobs as I was electrical work. Then on one site, I took on a plumbing job to get the electrical work and I paid a plumber up front to do it, but he left and never did the work nor did I get the money back, so I ended up doing the job myself and from that day I on, I decided to offer plumbing and electrical services and employ my own plumbers.”
These days the company offers their customers a wide range of services in commercial, industrial, residential, agricultural and other areas such as churches, community buildings etc.
Allbrite Electrical & Mechanical Ltd is qualified and capable of undertaking any project – big or small. The knowledge and experience of the team enables them to give proper advice on all electrical and plumbing solutions. They will ensure that the best solution is found for any project in line with the requirements, regulations and budget.
“We would carry out work in many different sectors. Lately, we have worked on a lot of nursing homes and energy upgrades were we would be enhancing their heating systems and introducing energy saving methods to help save money.”
Allbrite provides their customers with energy saving lighting controls, energy saving heating controls, weather/load compensators, sequence controllers etc.
Fire alarms – installation, periodical testing and maintenance; Emergency lighting – installation, periodical testing and maintenance; Nurse call systems
Electrical control panels; General electrical contracting and maintenance; In-home Entertainment systems; Periodical inspection reports – RECI approved
Portable Appliance Testing (PAT); Maintenance, 24-hour emergency call-out to service contract customers
“We have diversified into many different areas over the years and this keeps us busy. During the recession, maintenance work kept us going and it is an area that is still going strong.”
At Allbrite Heating and Electrical Solutions we offer our customers a complete solution. All electrical and plumbing work is done by the qualified and certified engineers. Whatever is required, we have the perfect solution – from new installations to repairs, periodical preventative maintenance and emergency call outs.
The company mainly covers the Monaghan, Louth Meath, Dublin and Cavan regions and their client list is increasing all the time, and they have a huge amount of repeat custom thanks to the quality of work they provide.
The key to our success is that we deliver a high quality service and only use the best products available in the Irish market. And that is the reason why Allbrite Electrical & Mechanical Ltd is recognised in the region for their unrivalled service and quality. We are proud that our staff is highly qualified and client focused as well as professional and friendly. This is important as our clients always come first.
Allbrite is RECI approved and other accreditation includes OFTEC, RGI/Bord Gais, RECI, NSAI, Safe Electric, SEAI, while they are an official partner/dealer for Daikin/ Mitsubishi.
“To be on top of your game and give the best advice, it can only be done through constantly updating and upskilling yourself with the products and services that are out there. Each year there is average 4 weeks spent on training courses. You can never sit on your hands in this business”
As a fully qualified installer of traditional heating systems as well as innovative renewable energy systems for any residential, commercial or industrial project, the company has many years’ experience in this sector, while they also provide thermal imaging, which is a proven method to evaluate the thermal efficiency of buildings. Their audit will highlight where energy is wasted and how money can be saved on the customers’ heating bills.
Alan now employs a team of highly skilled plumbers and electricians with his workforce topping the 22 mark, some of these lads have been with him since almost the start.
“There would be lads here 10 to 15 years. I’ve one guy that’s here since he left school and served his time with me, but finding skill workers is a huge issue in the industry at the moment. It is virtually impossible to get them.
“Although there is a lot more work in the last two years, the rates haven’t really came up a lot and guys are staying away as they are making more money elsewhere.”
Insurance costs have also cut into the profit margins significantly as Alan revealed that the cost is escalating year on year.
“Two years ago, the cost of insurance doubled from the previous year and then last year it doubled again. Sure how are businesses meant to survive with the likes of that happening. Something needs to be done about that sooner rather than later.
“In general, I would be very pleased with the way that the business is going at the moment. We would be willing to expand but we need the workforce to do so and like I said it is very hard to get skilled workers as they are just not out there. It is very important to grow at a rate that does not compromise quality.
“We are placing a lot of focus on energy saving techniques. Heat pumps would be a speciality of ours. We were one of, if not the first company in the country to work on heat pumps and we deal with Mitsubishi and Daikin heat pumps all the time.”
Contact Details:
Allbrite Electrical & Mechanical Ltd
Tusker, Broomfield,
Castleblayney,
Co. Monaghan
A75EV62
042 976 1687
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, April/May 2018, Vol 4 No 4
Allbrite Electrical & Mechanical
