Commitments And Contingencies (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2012
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Accrued Insurance	$ 4,107
Reserve for construction defect liabilities	629
Estimated cost of completion of bonded project	59,889
Outstanding amount to collateralize our obligations	999
Outstanding letters of credit was to collateralize vendors	200
Accrued Liability Related To Legal Settlements	1,725	0
Outstanding letters of credit that were utilized as collateral	6,852
Ward Transformer Site [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Site Contingency, Number of Other Potentially Responsible Parties, commenced clean up work	4
Loss Contingency, Number of Defendants	50
TekWorks [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Number of Defendants	8
Surety [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Settlement agreement with regard to collateral held by a surety	2,000
Loss Contingency, Settlement Agreement, Consideration	2,200
Receipt of payments	175
Outstanding receivable balance	0
Loss Contingency, Settlement Agreement, Date	2012-08-07
Total settlement to be paid in monthly installments	2,200
Loss Contingency, Settlement Agreement, Terms	On April 17, 2013, the Company filed the necessary documents to domesticate the agreed judgment against Mr. Scarborough and IBCS in Virginia. This filing results in a lien on Mr. Scarborough’s real property and opens the door to pursue Mr. Scarborough’s personal assets and any assets held by the surety. The extent of recovery, if any, cannot be determined. However, the possibility of a partial or full recovery exists as IES aggressively pursues the collection of the collateral. Any recovery in subsequent periods will be recorded as other income.
ValuationAllowancesAndReservesChargedToCostAndExpense	$ 1,725