Specialising in full electrical installations on residential developments, Powerfix Electrical boasts the experience, expertise and enthusiasm to deliver a full array of projects large and small – from multi-unit developments to one-off jobs for domestic homeowners. Building Ireland travelled to Clane in County Kildare and sat down with co-owner Seamus Cash to find out more about this industry-leading family business.
Powerfix Electrical was established as a limited company in 2018 by Seamus Cash – who has worked in the electrical industry for more than a quarter of a century – in conjunction with his wife Sharon.
Over the past five years, under the Powerfix banner, Seamus has expanded upon his exceptional track record for electrical installation, upgrade and maintenance excellence by delivering a series of high-quality top-to-bottom installations on numerous residential developments across counties Dublin, Kildare, Laois and Wicklow.
Invariably providing outstanding workmanship that is professional, efficient, safe, certified and incredibly tidy – complemented by a level of customer service that is second to none – Powerfix Electrical has become the electrical contractor of choice for a who’s who of main contractors, consistently winning repeat contracts from Kelby Developments, Durkan New Homes, ClearyDoyle, Formation Homes, Fern Lane, Brifin Homes, KO Developments and Derrin Resi amongst many others.
The reason why Powerfix Electrical benefits from such a steady volume of repeat business from prestigious clients is clear: their reputation for excellence precedes them. “It all comes down to the quality of the workmanship and reliability,” Seamus concurs. “The same clients are coming back to us time and time again because they know they can depend on us to carry out the work on time and to the very highest standards.
“We pride ourselves on providing an excellent service and that’s why they call me every time they are starting a new site. They know from past experience that the quality and reliability will be there. Customers deserve excellent service and dependability, and they know they can trust us to come in and do a good job every time.”
Including the proprietors, Powerfix Electrical currently generates direct employment for a team of 15 and the business is still very much in a phase of expansion: “There’s strong demand for our services at the moment and we are still growing. Unlike with a lot of other contractors, where lads seem to come and go, our staff tend to stick with us. With the systems we have in place, they are happy out. We provide them with company vans, the best power tools, flexible holidays and bonuses – they are well looked after and that results in loyalty and continuity. They’re all experienced lads who are with me long-term, we bring through our own apprentices, and we’ll be adding to the team sooner rather than later.”
Reflecting on the genesis of Powerfix and going out on his own with a recession still in full swing, the Kildare electrical contractor notes: “I started out as a sole trader – as Seamus Cash Electrical – in 2010, in the midst of a recession, and we set up the limited company five years ago. Starting out in a recession, you fought hard to get your contacts back then and that stands to you going forward.
“I left school aged 15 and joined T O’Reilly Electrical Wholesalers. That was 26 years ago. I spent a few years there and they offered me the position of store manager but I decided to go off and start my apprenticeship instead and I qualified at 22. I was made redundant in 2008, six months after we built our house, and I felt the best option at that stage was to go out on my own.”
Even though the Celtic Tiger had gasped its last breath and the Irish economy was on the ropes, this proved to be an inspired decision and, a decade and a half later, Powerfix Electrical continues to go from strength to strength.
“Residential housing is our main gig,” Seamus continues. “We’d do complete installs on between 200 and 250 houses per year in housing developments in counties Laois, Kildare, Dublin and Wicklow. On top of that, we also take on a number of one-off private new builds and extensions – maybe 15 to 20 of those per year. While residential is our bread and butter, we take on some light commercial work as well – hotel extensions, office blocks, etc. We can deliver any type of project and I have enough manpower to be very flexible.
“Because we have separate crews we can work on different jobs at the same time. I have a number of crews for first fixing and for second fixing and then another crew for testing and commissioning. We have a busy order book ahead of us going well into next year and even beyond. Some of these housing schemes could have two or three years’ work in them. Magee Barracks in Kildare town, which we are doing for Formation Homes, for example, is 400 units, so that’ll keep us busy for a while.”
Looking to the future, Seamus is understandably upbeat and believes further growth is on the cards for Powerfix Electrical: “I think we will have more men and more vans on the road in the coming years. Next year, I’m also going to look closely at installing solar PV panels and car chargers in houses. We already do a lot of the groundwork for other contractors to some in and complete these installations and I think that’s a potential growth area for us.
“I could set up two more crews and we could complete that work ourselves. And I know main contactors would prefer to deal with one contractor rather than two. As electricians, we’re already certified to do it, so it would be a question of getting the right training and all the necessary software. It’s something I intend to look at. Renewable energy is going to be here for the long term. Even if construction slows down, renewables won’t stop.”
Powerfix Electrical is RECI-registered and Seamus has nothing but the highest respect for the role the electrical contracting industry’s self-regulating body plays in keeping its members safe and up to speed. “I have a great relationship with RECI,” he concludes. “They come out once or twice a year and give us a talk and go through their inspection and I’m always happy to see them coming. We always welcome that inspection because it gives you the peace of mind that you are doing everything as you should be. In electrical contracting, there can be no other way.”
Powerfix Electrical,
Prosperous Road,
Clane,,
County Kildare.
Tel: 045 838539
Mobile: 085 1676189
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, November 2023, Vol 9 No 11
