What Is an E House and When Does It Make Sense in Oil & Gas Operations?

An E-house in oil and gas can solve a problem many teams deal with every day. Equipment needs protection, but outdoor-rated gear is expensive. At the same time, reliability and safety cannot be compromised.

Chris Rice, Fabrication Division Manager at Design Solutions & Integration, works with these challenges every day. His team builds fabricated systems that support electrical and automation installs. That includes structures like E-houses that help operators protect equipment and simplify deployments.

Understanding when an E-house makes sense can help teams reduce cost, improve reliability, and avoid unnecessary field work.

Why Protecting Electrical Equipment Is More Complicated Than It Looks

Oil and gas sites are tough environments. Equipment sits outside, exposed to weather, heat, and changing conditions. Over time, that exposure can impact performance and reliability.

The common solution is to use outdoor-rated enclosures. These are built to handle harsh conditions. But they come at a higher cost, especially across multiple sites.

At the same time, field installations are not always simple. Crews often need to adjust equipment on-site. That adds time, increases labor, and creates more risk.

Chris Rice sees this challenge often. Instead of exposing equipment, teams can protect it inside a controlled structure.

As he explains, an E-house is “a building… designed to hold all of the electrical components.”

This approach changes how teams think about both protection and installation.

How an E House in Oil and Gas Actually Works

An e house in oil and gas gives teams a different way to protect equipment. Instead of buying outdoor-rated components, they place standard equipment inside a fabricated building.

This building shields equipment from weather and environmental exposure. It also allows teams to use more cost-effective enclosures.

Chris explains the benefit clearly. Teams can “purchase cheaper equipment and store it inside a building to keep it out of the weather.”

Most E-houses are built as skid-mounted structures. That means they are fabricated in a shop, then shipped to the field. Once they arrive, crews can set them in place and connect them quickly.

These buildings also manage heat. Electrical systems generate heat during operation. Many E-houses include cooling systems to keep temperatures under control.

In some cases, they include separate rooms. This helps improve safety by keeping people away from active electrical equipment.

Fabrication plays a critical role in this process. At DSI, fabrication teams work alongside electrical and automation groups from the start.

That coordination ensures the final structure fits the equipment, the layout, and the field conditions.

When an E House Makes Sense for Your Operation

E houses oil and gas teams use can improve both cost and long-term performance when applied in the right situations.

First, they help reduce equipment costs. Using standard enclosures instead of outdoor-rated ones lowers upfront investment.

Second, they improve reliability. Equipment stays protected from weather and environmental wear. That leads to fewer failures over time.

Third, they simplify installation. Fabricated systems arrive ready to be set in place. Crews spend less time adjusting and modifying equipment in the field.

There are also tradeoffs to consider. E-houses are large structures. Transport can become expensive, especially for long distances or oversized loads.

Chris points out that shipping can add cost. Large buildings may require special transport and planning.

Still, for many operations, the benefits outweigh the challenges. E-houses make the most sense when teams want to standardize builds, protect equipment, and reduce long-term risk.

Conclusion

An e house in oil and gas is more than just a building. It is a practical way to protect equipment, manage cost, and improve reliability in the field.

Chris Rice and the DSI fabrication team approach these builds as part of a complete system. By aligning fabrication with electrical and automation work, they help teams deploy solutions that fit from the start.

For operations working in harsh environments, E-houses offer a clear and effective path forward.

About the Guest

Chris Rice is the Fabrication Division Manager at Design Solutions & Integration. He has been with DSI since 2015 and leads fabrication operations focused on efficiency, consistency, and quality.

About the Company

Design Solutions and Integration (DSI) is a faith-based, 100% employee-owned company with over 25 years of experience serving the oil and gas industry. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, DSI operates six regional sites, offering automation, electrical, fabrication, and field services designed to help energy producers modernize safely and efficiently. Learn more at www.relyondsi.com.