Frederickson Electric has been installing electric into homes and businesses in Port Townsend for 50 years, first by utilizing coal and other fossil fuels, and now with a push toward sustainable energy sources. That brings the company full circle in its evolution, according to its owner. 

Frederickson Electric was founded by Erik and Marnie Frederickson in 1974, but the Frederickson family name has been in the energy industry for more than 130 years.

Peter C. Frederickson opened P.C. Frederickson, a fuel and feed store in Oakland, California, in the 1890s in the midst of industrialization.

Today, Frederickson Electric is helmed by Hans Frederickson, his great-great-grandson. Hans purchased Frederickson Electric from his parents, Erik and Marnie, in 2012. 

Frederickson, who also turns 50 this year, grew up in the electrical trade. His first job as a teenager growing up in Port Townsend was working side-by-side with his father, learning the family business. Hans then left Washington to pursue his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and his master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University before rejoining the company in 2005.

After taking over the business in 2012, Frederickson has been expanding the company’s offerings, and focusing on providing electrical expertise needed to transition away from polluting fossil fuel. He explained that providing this service locally is his personal mission and passion.

“I want to be a catalyst for this change that’s going to bring about a sustainable economy, so that we’re in balance with nature. And to do that, we know that a key solution is to get our homes off of fossil fuels and to electrify everything,” he said. “By doing this, we can reduce our local emissions and all the impacts we can see coming from that, especially in a coastal town at sea level like Port Townsend.”

Frederickson Electric provides a variety of electrification solutions, from high efficiency electric heat pumps and electric vehicle charging, to planning electrical upgrades for the future.

Additionally, Frederickson introduced solar installation to the company in 2008 and since then, he has been very purposeful about making clean energy more accessible to the Olympic Peninsula.

Over the past 50 years, Frederickson Electric went from a one-person operation to one of the largest electrical contractors on the peninsula, employing 28 people.

“I’m excited about just figuring out how to make all these new technologies easier for people to bring into their lives. I’ve purposefully chosen to involve the business in a suite of electrical solutions,” said Frederickson.

“In my vision of the future, electricians and HVAC contractors are an integral part of turning the dream of a sustainable economy into reality.”

Krista Myers is one of the solar project managers for Cascadia Solar, a division of Frederickson Electric. She said that it’s inspiring to work for a company that is actively evolving, noting how driven Hans is to provide a comprehensive offering of electrical alternatives. 

“He recognizes the important role his great-great-grandfather played in bringing energy for heating and cooking to homes using the fuel of the time: coal,” she said. “In 2024, the world is much different. Luckily, we aren’t heating our homes with coal anymore.”

“Electric appliances are better for human health and the environment, and it can save folks money in the long run,” said Myers. “And, adding solar to homes and businesses allows us to power our day to day lives with local renewable energy.

She said she was proud to “work for a company that is making that happen.”

While sustainability is paramount for Hans, he cannot help but connect with his great-great grandfather’s business. In an early photo of Peter C. Frederickson’s feed and fuel store, the façade of the shop features a variety of quotes. One stands out especially to Hans and connects him to his ancestors.

“One of the things that it says here is ‘stored sunshine.’  The reason they say that about coal is that, in reality, fossil fuels are solar energy stored by plants that were buried in the ground for millions of years,” Frederickson said. “I’m in the direct solar energy business, so I just thought it was kind of cool. It struck a chord with me that my family previously made a good living in the coal business, and now we’re in the solar and electrification business.”

Myers said that Frederickson’s clean energy initiatives exemplify his character as an environmentalist. 

“Hans is taking a long view of the community. He sees this business as one of the pieces to the larger puzzle of electrifying our county, providing trusted expertise and quality work to our small part of our world,” said Myers.

Frederickson said that in the future, he hopes that clean electrical heating, cooking and transportation will no longer be seen as alternatives to fossil fuels, but default solutions. He said that whether it is a mix of currently available solutions or “some brilliant new technology,” he hopes that the work they are doing today normalizes into sustainable solutions for everyday life.