Business	9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2012
Business [Abstract]
Description of the Business	Description of the Business Integrated Electrical Services, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is a leading national provider of electrical infrastructure services to the communications, residential, commercial and industrial industries. Originally established as IES in 1997, we provide services from 61 locations serving the continental United States as of June 30, 2012. Our operations are organized into three business segments, based upon the nature of our products and services: Communications – Nationwide provider of products and services for mission critical infrastructure, such as data centers, of large corporations. Residential – Regional provider of electrical installation services for single-family housing and multi-family apartment complexes. Commercial & Industrial – Provider of electrical design, construction, and maintenance services to the commercial and industrial markets in various regional markets and nationwide in certain areas of expertise, such as the power infrastructure market. Sale of Non-Strategic Manufacturing Facility On November 30, 2010, a subsidiary of the Company sold substantially all the assets and certain liabilities of a non-strategic manufacturing facility engaged in manufacturing and selling fabricated metal buildings housing electrical equipment, such as switchgears, motor starters and control systems, to Siemens Energy, Inc. As part of this transaction, Siemens Energy, Inc. also acquired the real property upon which the fabrication facilities are located from a subsidiary of the Company. The transaction was completed on December 10, 2010 for a purchase price of $10,086 at which time we recognized a gain of $6,763. Sale of Non-Core Electrical Distribution Facility On February 28, 2011, Key Electrical Supply, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, sold substantially all the assets and certain liabilities of a non-core electrical distribution facility engaged in distributing wiring, lighting, electrical distribution, power control and generators for residential and commercial applications to Elliot Electric Supply, Inc. for a purchase price of $6,676. The loss on this transaction was immaterial. Controlling Shareholder At June 30, 2012, Tontine Capital Partners, L.P. and its affiliates (collectively, “Tontine”), was the controlling shareholder of the Company's common stock. Accordingly, Tontine has the ability to exercise significant control of our affairs, including the election of directors and any action requiring the approval of shareholders, including the approval of any potential merger or sale of all or substantially all assets or divisions of the Company, or the Company itself. In its most recent Schedule 13D, Tontine stated that it has no current plans to make any material change in the Company's business or corporate structure. For a more complete discussion on our relationship with Tontine, please refer to Note 2 “Controlling Shareholder” in the notes to these Consolidated Financial Statements. Related Party Transaction On March 29, 2012, we entered into a sublease agreement with Tontine Associates, LLC, an affiliate of our controlling shareholder, for corporate office space in Greenwich, Connecticut. The lease extends from April 1, 2012 through March 31, 2014, with monthly payments due in the amount of $6. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies These unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect, in the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position as of, and the results of operations for, the periods presented. All adjustments are considered to be normal and recurring unless otherwise described herein. Interim period results are not necessarily indicative of results of operations or cash flows for the full year. During interim periods, we follow the same accounting policies disclosed in our annual report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011. Please refer to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our annual report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011, when reviewing our interim financial results set forth herein. Revenue Recognition As of June 30, 2012, the Company had recognized revenue totaling $1,098 associated with one contract claim. We recognize revenue associated with unapproved change orders and claims to the extent that related costs have been incurred, recovery is probable and the value can be reliably estimated. Fair Value of Financial Instruments Our financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, notes receivable, investments, accounts payable, a line of credit, a note payable issued to finance an insurance policy, and a $10,000 senior subordinated loan agreement (the “Tontine Term Loan”). We believe that the carrying value of financial instruments, with the exception of the Tontine Term Loan and our cost method investment in EnerTech Capital Partners II L.P. (“EnerTech”), in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets approximates their fair value due to their short-term nature. We estimate that the fair value of the Tontine Term Loan (Level 3) is $10,359 calculated using a market approach based upon Level 3 inputs, including an estimated interest rate reflecting current market conditions at June 30, 2012. For additional information, please refer to Note 4, “Debt – The Tontine Term Loan” of this report. We estimate that the fair value of our investment in EnerTech (Level 3) is $983 at June 30, 2012. For additional information, please refer to Note 8, “Securities and Equity Investments – Investment in EnerTech-Capital Partners II L.P.. Asset Impairment During the nine months ended June 30, 2011 the Company ceased use of certain internally-developed software. As a result, the software had a fair value of zero. The net charge of $3,551 was recorded separately in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations as a component of loss from operations. Use of Estimates and Assumptions The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires the use of estimates and assumptions by management in determining the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosures of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates are primarily used in our revenue recognition of construction in progress, fair value assumptions in analyzing goodwill, investments, long-lived asset impairments and adjustments, allowance for doubtful accounts receivable, stock-based compensation, reserves for legal matters, assumptions regarding estimated costs to exit certain divisions, realizability of deferred tax assets, and self-insured claims liabilities and related reserves. Cash and Cash Equivalents We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. We use restricted cash to collateralize our letters of credit. Seasonality and Quarterly Fluctuations Results of operations from our Residential construction segment are seasonal, depending on weather trends, with typically higher revenues generated during spring and summer and lower revenues during fall and winter. The Communications and Commercial & Industrial segments of our business are less subject to seasonal trends, as work in these segments generally is performed inside structures protected from the weather. Our service and maintenance business is generally not affected by seasonality. In addition, the construction industry has historically been highly cyclical. Our volume of business may be adversely affected by declines in construction projects resulting from adverse regional or national economic conditions. Quarterly results may also be materially affected by the timing of new construction projects. Accordingly, operating results for any fiscal period are not necessarily indicative of results that may be achieved for any subsequent fiscal period. Subsequent Events None

Business

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2012

Integrated Electrical Services, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is a leading national provider of electrical infrastructure services to the communications, residential, commercial and industrial industries. Originally established as IES in 1997, we provide services from 61 locations serving the continental United States as of June 30, 2012. Our operations are organized into three business segments, based upon the nature of our products and services:

Communications – Nationwide provider of products and services for mission critical infrastructure, such as data centers, of large corporations.
Residential – Regional provider of electrical installation services for single-family housing and multi-family apartment complexes.
Commercial & Industrial – Provider of electrical design, construction, and maintenance services to the commercial and industrial markets in various regional markets and nationwide in certain areas of expertise, such as the power infrastructure market.

Sale of Non-Strategic Manufacturing Facility

On November 30, 2010, a subsidiary of the Company sold substantially all the assets and certain liabilities of a non-strategic manufacturing facility engaged in manufacturing and selling fabricated metal buildings housing electrical equipment, such as switchgears, motor starters and control systems, to Siemens Energy, Inc. As part of this transaction, Siemens Energy, Inc. also acquired the real property upon which the fabrication facilities are located from a subsidiary of the Company. The transaction was completed on December 10, 2010 for a purchase price of $10,086 at which time we recognized a gain of $6,763.

Sale of Non-Core Electrical Distribution Facility

On February 28, 2011, Key Electrical Supply, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, sold substantially all the assets and certain liabilities of a non-core electrical distribution facility engaged in distributing wiring, lighting, electrical distribution, power control and generators for residential and commercial applications to Elliot Electric Supply, Inc. for a purchase price of $6,676. The loss on this transaction was immaterial.

Controlling Shareholder

At June 30, 2012, Tontine Capital Partners, L.P. and its affiliates (collectively, “Tontine”), was the controlling shareholder of the Company's common stock. Accordingly, Tontine has the ability to exercise significant control of our affairs, including the election of directors and any action requiring the approval of shareholders, including the approval of any potential merger or sale of all or substantially all assets or divisions of the Company, or the Company itself. In its most recent Schedule 13D, Tontine stated that it has no current plans to make any material change in the Company's business or corporate structure. For a more complete discussion on our relationship with Tontine, please refer to Note 2 “Controlling Shareholder” in the notes to these Consolidated Financial Statements.

Related Party Transaction

On March 29, 2012, we entered into a sublease agreement with Tontine Associates, LLC, an affiliate of our controlling shareholder, for corporate office space in Greenwich, Connecticut. The lease extends from April 1, 2012 through March 31, 2014, with monthly payments due in the amount of $6.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

These unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect, in the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position as of, and the results of operations for, the periods presented. All adjustments are considered to be normal and recurring unless otherwise described herein. Interim period results are not necessarily indicative of results of operations or cash flows for the full year. During interim periods, we follow the same accounting policies disclosed in our annual report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011. Please refer to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our annual report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011, when reviewing our interim financial results set forth herein.

Revenue Recognition

As of June 30, 2012, the Company had recognized revenue totaling $1,098 associated with one contract claim. We recognize revenue associated with unapproved change orders and claims to the extent that related costs have been incurred, recovery is probable and the value can be reliably estimated.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Our financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, notes receivable, investments, accounts payable, a line of credit, a note payable issued to finance an insurance policy, and a $10,000 senior subordinated loan agreement (the “Tontine Term Loan”). We believe that the carrying value of financial instruments, with the exception of the Tontine Term Loan and our cost method investment in EnerTech Capital Partners II L.P. (“EnerTech”), in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets approximates their fair value due to their short-term nature. We estimate that the fair value of the Tontine Term Loan (Level 3) is $10,359 calculated using a market approach based upon Level 3 inputs, including an estimated interest rate reflecting current market conditions at June 30, 2012. For additional information, please refer to Note 4, “Debt – The Tontine Term Loan” of this report.

We estimate that the fair value of our investment in EnerTech (Level 3) is $983 at June 30, 2012. For additional information, please refer to Note 8, “Securities and Equity Investments – Investment in EnerTech-Capital Partners II L.P..

Asset Impairment

During the nine months ended June 30, 2011 the Company ceased use of certain internally-developed software. As a result, the software had a fair value of zero. The net charge of $3,551 was recorded separately in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations as a component of loss from operations.

Use of Estimates and Assumptions

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires the use of estimates and assumptions by management in determining the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosures of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates are primarily used in our revenue recognition of construction in progress, fair value assumptions in analyzing goodwill, investments, long-lived asset impairments and adjustments, allowance for doubtful accounts receivable, stock-based compensation, reserves for legal matters, assumptions regarding estimated costs to exit certain divisions, realizability of deferred tax assets, and self-insured claims liabilities and related reserves.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. We use restricted cash to collateralize our letters of credit.

Seasonality and Quarterly Fluctuations

Results of operations from our Residential construction segment are seasonal, depending on weather trends, with typically higher revenues generated during spring and summer and lower revenues during fall and winter. The Communications and Commercial & Industrial segments of our business are less subject to seasonal trends, as work in these segments generally is performed inside structures protected from the weather. Our service and maintenance business is generally not affected by seasonality. In addition, the construction industry has historically been highly cyclical. Our volume of business may be adversely affected by declines in construction projects resulting from adverse regional or national economic conditions. Quarterly results may also be materially affected by the timing of new construction projects. Accordingly, operating results for any fiscal period are not necessarily indicative of results that may be achieved for any subsequent fiscal period.

Subsequent Events

None