Shortcuts: Market Updates | Product Updates | Price Increases | Labor Updates | Wire Handling Basics

Stay current with critical electrical market trends and project drivers in Crescent Electric’s The Power Line - February 2026.

Thank you for your continued trust and partnership as we move through 2026. We’re optimistic about the opportunities ahead and look forward to supporting your success.

This edition delivers timely insights into ongoing demand signals from residential construction, supplier price movements, product disruptions, and labor dynamics affecting contractors and distributors in 2026. With actionable data on housing starts, supply chain pressures, and workforce challenges, this report helps industry professionals plan with confidence and stay ahead of market shifts.

Several market indicators continue to support a steady outlook for 2026.

• Construction activity remains consistent across key segments, with ongoing strength in public-sector, healthcare, and light industrial projects. Residential construction and remodeling also continue as homeowners invest in electrical upgrades, energy efficiency, and capacity to support modern technology.
• Supplier pricing actions and product availability remain important considerations. Select manufacturer adjustments reinforce the value of early planning, clear specifications, and proactive coordination to help minimize risk and avoid project delays.
• Labor availability continues to influence project schedules and bidding strategies. Workforce constraints, evolving code requirements, and changing product standards add complexity, making efficiency and dependable supply partners more important than ever.

This month’s edition also highlights an important safety topic relevant to many jobsites and warehouses: wire handling. Handling wire spools, whether during delivery, staging, or installation, presents real physical and operational risks when not approached carefully. Awareness of proper handling, clear work areas, appropriate equipment use, and thoughtful coordination can help reduce strain, prevent injuries, and support safer, more efficient work environments.

Our focus is to help you stay ahead with reliable products, market insight, and practical support. From planning through execution, our teams are here to help you manage costs, increase saftey and keep projects moving.

As the year progresses, we encourage you to connect with your local branch or Crescent representative. Let’s discuss upcoming projects, market conditions, and how we can support your goals in 2026.

Market Updates

• Forecasted 2026 Housing Starts

*Sources- Housing Start Forecast: Forisk Consulting Housing Outlook; Construction trade cost allocations: National Association of Home Builders 

Stop by to see, or call, your local Crescent representative for all your residential electrical needs. We have the people, resources, solutions, and products to help you be successful. 

• Supplier Disruption

The lighting segment observed notable turbulence in early 2026 centered on Cree Lighting’s operational and financial challenges. Reports indicate that Cree Lighting extended workforce furloughs multiple times into January 2026, as leadership navigated ongoing negotiations with financial and strategic partners. 

The combination of furloughs, inventory ambiguities, and legal actions underscores a difficult period for one of the lighting industry’s familiar brands. While the full implications remain unfolding, the situation highlights key risks for contractors.

If you have been negatively impacted by these recent challenges, reach out to your local Crescent representative and let us help you find an alternative solution from one of our Preferred Supplier Partners so you can get your job done on time and on budget. 

• February 2026 Price Increases

Labor Updates

• Labor Shortages and Productivity Pressure

A persistent shortage of skilled electrical labor continues to be a defining challenge for contractors and the broader construction ecosystem in 2026. With demand driven predominantly by data centers, manufacturing facilities, and specialized electrification projects, the competition for electricians, technicians, and craft labor is intensifying. For electrical work associated with high-growth sectors, including mission-critical facilities, sourcing qualified personnel remains a top constraint on job scheduling and execution.

Recent reporting indicates that the U.S. data-center power and infrastructure sector alone may require hundreds of thousands of additional skilled workers by the early 2030s to build and maintain capacity, on top of existing construction labor demand.  

Our pre-fab solutions, kitting, staging and storing, project management, and other productivity and labor saving solutions can be a valuable part of your job planning. Productivity and labor savings are directly tied to project profitability, and we’ve partnered with leading suppliers to identify practical solutions that help reduce labor pressure and increase jobsite efficiency. Hear from several of them on unique solutions for this critical issue here. Reach out to your local Crescent representative and let us show you how we can help increase your productivity, keep your costs in line, and deliver your project on time and on budget. 

Safety Spotlight: Wire Handling Basics

As projects ramp up and crews face increasing pressure from labor constraints and tight schedules, jobsite safety remains just as critical as cost and availability. Proper wire handling plays a key role in protecting workers, reducing strain and injuries, and keeping work moving efficiently across jobsites and warehouses.

To support safer operations, the Crescent Electric team put together an outline of potential wire handling hazards and important safety measures to keep in mind when handling wire spools. We encourage you to take a few minutes to review these tips and share them with your team as part of your ongoing safety conversations.

Learn More Here