E-House Fabrication and Integration
E-House Fabrication and Integration
Built in our shop, wired and tested by our team, and ready to set on your site.
- Built from scratch or from a shipping container
- UL 508A and 698A panels inside
- Wired, programmed, and tested before it ships
- Set and started up by DSI crews
Your electrical gear needs a safe place to live
Well pads, plants, and lift stations are hard on equipment. Sun, dust, snow, and heat wear down drives and controls that sit outside.
You could buy outdoor-rated gear for every site, but that costs more. You could build a shelter in the field, but that takes time, crews, and extra trips. Or you could hire one company for the building, another for the wiring, and a third for the controls. Then you spend your days keeping them all on the same page.
An E-House gives you a simpler path.
What is an E-House?
An E-House is a small, prefabricated building that holds your electrical and control equipment. You may also hear it called a power distribution center (PDC), a control building, or an MCC building.
Inside, your gear stays clean, dry, and cool. Because the building handles the weather, you can often use indoor-rated (NEMA 1) equipment, which costs less than outdoor-rated gear. The building is built and wired in a shop, then shipped to your site. Your crew sets it in place and hooks it up.
“They can purchase cheaper equipment and store it inside a building to keep it out of the weather.”
Chris Rice, Fabrication Division Manager, DSI
One building. One team. One phone number.
Most E-House projects pull in a building fabricator, a panel shop, an electrical contractor, a controls integrator, and a field crew. Every handoff is a chance for delays and scope creep. At DSI, all five work for the same company.
The building
We design the building in 3D CAD and build the base, walls, roof, doors, stairs, and landings in our fabrication shop.
The panels
Our UL-certified panel shop builds the control panels that go inside, including UL 508A and UL 698A panels.
The wiring
Our electricians install and wire MCCs, VFDs, power distribution, lighting, and receptacles.
The controls
We program PLCs, HMIs, and SCADA so the building is ready to talk to your system on day one.
The setup
Our crews set the building, make the field connections, and help with startup.
When one team owns the whole job, nobody points at someone else. If something needs fixing, you call us.
Built around your equipment
Every E-House starts with what needs to go inside it. We size the building, the rooms, and the cooling to fit your gear and your site.
Building options
- Custom buildings built from scratch
- Shipping container (Conex) conversions, cut to the length you need
- Skid-mounted steel bases for easy setting
- One room, or separate rooms to keep people away from live gear
- Removable roofs when height limits shipping
- Stairs, landings, and handrails
- HVAC sized to the heat your equipment puts off
- Finished interiors with lighting and fire extinguishers
What goes inside
- Motor control centers (MCCs)
- Variable frequency drives (VFDs) and drive packages
- PLC and control panels from our UL panel shop
- SCADA and communications equipment
- Power distribution panels
- Lighting, receptacles, and HVAC controls
How an E-House comes together
More of the work happens in our shop, where it is safer and easier to control. Less of it happens on your site.
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Plan the layout
We start with your equipment list. We lay out the building in 3D CAD, plan for heat, clearances, and service access, and send drawings for your approval.
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Build the structure
Our fabrication team cuts, welds, and builds the base, walls, and roof. Every part is planned ahead, so the first build and the fiftieth match.
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Install and wire
Panels come from our UL panel shop. Our electricians mount the equipment, pull wire, and label everything so field crews can read it.
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Program and test
Our automation team loads PLC and HMI programs. We power up and check the wiring and I/O before the building leaves the shop.
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Ship and set
We plan the haul, including oversize permits and pilot cars when needed. Then the building is set on your site.
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Start up and support
Our field crews make the final connections and help with startup. After that, we are still a phone call away.
Planned in 3D before we build
This 15′ x 50′ pump building has an internal crane system and a separate electrical room. We model the building in 3D CAD first, so you can see the layout and approve it before we build.
When an E-House makes sense
An E-House is a big decision. Here is how to tell if it is the right fit, and when something smaller may serve you better.
A good fit when
- You have several pieces of electrical gear going on one site
- You want to protect equipment from weather, dust, and heat
- You plan to build the same setup on many sites
- You want less work and fewer surprises in the field
- You plan to run the site for years
Things to think through
- Wide buildings, some up to 14 feet, may need oversize permits and pilot cars. That adds to shipping cost.
- An E-House is a long-term investment. Many are six-figure projects, so they pay off best on sites you plan to keep.
- For a few panels, a panel rack or skid with a roof may be a better fit. We build those too.
If an E-House is not the right call for your site, we will tell you.
E-Houses for the work you do
Oil & Gas
Well pads, production facilities, salt water disposal sites, and pump stations in the Bakken, the Permian, and beyond. Panels inside can be built for hazardous locations.
Industrial Processing & Manufacturing
Plant expansions, new process lines, and MCC rooms that need to go in fast without tearing up the plant floor.
Municipal Water & Wastewater
Lift stations, pump stations, and treatment plants that need a clean, safe home for controls and SCADA.
Backed by the standards your site needs
- UL 508A and UL 698ACertified panel shops in the Bakken and the Permian
- Rockwell AutomationSilver System Integrator
- ASME R StampNational Board certified repair
- 100% Employee-Owned25+ years in the field
E-House questions we hear often
What is an E-House?
An E-House is a prefabricated building that holds electrical and control equipment, like MCCs, VFDs, PLC panels, and SCADA gear. It keeps that equipment out of the weather. It is built and wired in a shop, then shipped to the site ready to set.
Is an E-House the same as a PDC or MCC building?
Mostly, yes. People use the terms in different ways. A power distribution center (PDC) usually means the building holds power distribution gear. An MCC building holds motor control centers. An E-House is the broad name for all of them. We build all three.
Why put equipment in an E-House instead of outdoors?
Equipment inside a building lasts longer and fails less. It is also often cheaper, because you can use indoor-rated (NEMA 1) enclosures instead of outdoor-rated ones. And because the building is wired in a shop, there is less work to do on site.
Can you turn a shipping container into an E-House?
Yes. For one customer, we took a 40-foot container, cut 10 feet out of it, rebuilt the end wall, and finished the inside. Our Midland team then installed the electrical, so the building was ready to set on site. We also build E-Houses from scratch when a container is not the right size.
We know what equipment goes in, but not what the building should look like. Can you help?
Yes. That is where most projects start. We take your equipment list and design the building around it. We plan the size, rooms, cooling, and access, then walk you through approval drawings before we build.
Does DSI build the panels and do the wiring too?
Yes. Our UL panel shop builds the panels. Our electricians install and wire the equipment. Our automation team programs the PLCs and SCADA. Our field crews set it and help with startup. One team handles the whole job.
How is an E-House shipped?
Most E-Houses sit on a steel skid base and ship on a flatbed trailer. Wide buildings may need oversize permits and pilot cars. When a building is too tall to ship, we can build it with a removable roof and install the roof when it arrives.
How much does an E-House cost?
It depends on the size, the equipment, and how far it ships. Many E-Houses are six-figure projects, so they are built to last for years. We give you a clear quote up front, and we work hard to keep the job on time and on budget.
Let’s talk about your E-House
Tell us what equipment needs a home. We will help you plan the rest and give you a straight answer on cost and timing.
Downloads
E-House Resources
Download our E-House capability sheet to share with your team. It covers what we build, the certifications behind it, and where we work.
