Choosing the right electrical wiring guide for HVAC and electrical trades work starts with one question: where do you spend most of your day? A residential service technician needs different examples than a commercial crew or an industrial maintenance electrician. The four MindTap Course List textbooks here split along those same lines. Listed prices run from $39.00 for the Illustrated Guide to the National Electrical Code 2020 to $81.99 for Electrical Wiring Commercial, but the larger difference is the building type each title leads with.
Quick take
If most of your jobs are residential wiring projects, the residential text gives you the familiar Mullin and Simmons approach in a good-condition paperback. For commercial wiring work, the commercial title is the fuller reference. For industrial wiring settings, the industrial title is the dedicated choice. And when you need a code-focused reference that applies across all three settings, the illustrated code guide is the one to keep on the truck.
Listed price comparison
Here is how the four titles line up by listed price:
| Product | Listed Price | Relative Price |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Wiring Commercial | $81.99 | |
| Electrical Wiring Industrial | $78.98 | |
| Electrical Wiring Residential | $60.32 | |
| Illustrated Guide to the National Electrical Code 2020 | $39.00 |
Decision matrix
The table below compares the main points of the four books.
| Decision point | Commercial | Industrial | Residential | Code Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building type | Commercial | Industrial | Residential | Residential, commercial, and industrial |
| Condition | Brand New | Brand New | Good | Very Good |
| Format | Trade Paperback | Trade Paperback | Trade Paperback | Trade Paperback |
| Feature | Revised | Revised | Revised | Revised |
Product notes
Electrical Wiring Commercial (MindTap Course List)
Ray Mullin and Phil Simmons wrote this revised commercial wiring text, and it shows up in Brand New condition. The trade paperback runs 640 pages, which gives it room for the kind of detail commercial projects expect. If your work involves commercial wiring, this title matches that setting directly. The catch is scope: a commercial focus is not the first place to turn for residential or industrial wiring topics. Keep it as your main text when commercial is the job at hand.
Electrical Wiring Industrial (MindTap Course List)
Stephen Herman's industrial wiring title is also listed as Brand New and carries a January 2020 publication date. The revised trade paperback format mirrors the other books, but the focus shifts to industrial wiring settings. If your day often involves HVAC equipment in an industrial setting, this title aligns with that work. The flip side is a narrower building type: if you never leave residential wiring, an industrial text is not where you will find the residential examples you need. It is a primary text for an industrial role rather than a quick code reference.
Electrical Wiring Residential (MindTap Course List) - Paperback - GOOD
The residential title by Ray Mullin and Phil Simmons is the only one in the group marked Good rather than Brand New or Very Good. That condition is the trade-off for a familiar residential text that leads with single-family wiring topics. If your work is mostly residential, this is the most direct match because the other three lead with commercial, industrial, or code-wide topics. The Good grade is the limitation: you are choosing a practical paperback that may show wear, though the content itself remains the same. For a residential electrician who wants the building-type match, this title splits the difference.
MindTap Course List Ser.: Illustrated Guide to the National Electrical Code 2020
Charles R. Miller's illustrated code guide is a revised, 512-page trade paperback marked Very Good. Instead of organizing around one building type, it walks through the National Electrical Code rules that apply across residential, commercial, and industrial work. For an HVAC or electrical trades worker who needs to double-check code rules on different job sites, this title earns its place as a reference you can keep beside the other three. The limit: it is a code guide, not a full installation how-to. You would still pair it with a building-specific text when you are ready to move from code reference to a specific wiring project.
Final recommendation by use case
Choose Electrical Wiring Commercial when your schedule is full of commercial wiring projects; the revised trade paperback has the page count to cover the subject. Choose Electrical Wiring Industrial if your work involves industrial wiring settings. Choose Electrical Wiring Residential when the job is single-family wiring. Choose Illustrated Guide to the National Electrical Code 2020 when you want a code-based companion for all three settings.
