Albert, How Much Does It Cost to Hire an Electrician
Are you moving into a new home? Is your wiring in need of repair? Or maybe you just need an upgrade; probably because the house is hold and and the old wiring is not up to standard.
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You don’t want to jump into it and discover halfway in that you actually can’t afford it, and so you definitely need to plan and calculate how much is needed for the entire job. Different electricians would charge different amounts based on your electrician’s qualification, the kind of work, how long it takes to get it done; and many other criteria.
It’s difficult to give a definite price for electrical work because of the different criteria that determine prices. For example, a master electrician (one that has completed his or her education and is now a master, with years of experience) would charge more for the same job than a journeyman electrician (one that has completed the first phase of education and can now work on his or her own); who would also charge more than an apprentice electrician that is still studying and just starting out on his or her electrical career.
On an average, electricians usually charge between $50 to $100 per hour to install or repair light fixtures, outlets, switches or fans.For an electrician to visit your home and complete electrical repairs, you might need to spend between $162 and $522.
With large electrical jobs like installing wiring or changing electrical panels, one should expect to spend between $2,000 and $6,000.
● Electrical Wiring
On the average, electrical wiring costs about $6 to $8 per linear foot. For structured wiring (basically wiring that has to do with communication and transferring signals; audio, video, data, telephone, television, home automation or security signals), you’ll probably need to add $2 per foot. Low voltage wiring installations cost about $0.40 to $0.63 per linear foot.
● Fixing An Outlet
To replace an interior electrical outlet, one should budget about $220 to $150 and $200 to $275 for an exterior receptacle.
● Installing Fans
A ceiling fan costs about $50 to $300, while an attic fan ranges from $50 to $509. Installing either of the two costs from $100 to $300.
● Replacing or Upgrading an Electrical Panel
Replacing an electrical panel costs between $850 and $2500, and most houses need the 200 amp panel, but bigger houses need 400 amps and in that case, installation would cost $2,000 to $4,000. It’s better not to try to ‘manage’ a breaker box that is too small because it could result in tripped breakers, overheating and even fire. At the end of the day, you discover that you have to spend more money on these issues, so it’s definitely better to send that extra money to get the job done properly.
● Installing Smart Home Devices
For a central hub that you program yourself, as little as $100 is sufficient. Automating an entire 3bedroom house would require between $600 to $1,800 for basic home automation while a hardwired system costs $4,000 or more
● Urgent Repairs
Calling an electrician in for emergency jobs attract extra fees. The increase in price could be about 1.5 times the hourly rate. Emergency jobs include rewiring or tapering anything that is sparking to prevent fire outbreak or poorly connected wiring to or from your electrical panel that has caused black out.
How to Cut Down Electrical Costs
It is useful to know how to reduce the money you pay your electrician without necessarily causing a reduction in the quality of services you get. This can be done in various ways:
● Combine Repairs
Calling an electrician many times to fix one outlet or a single switch is not the best idea, as you will have to pay a trip charge and sometimes a service call fee. To reduce cost, it’s better to go through your home and note all electrical problems then let the electrician fix them at once. You spend more money at a go, but save up in the long run
● Call for Quotes.
It could also help to call different electricians to get quotations, and then going for the cheapest. Note that all the electricians should be in the same qualification level to ensure fair comparison.
● Purchase Fixtures Yourself
If you leave everything in your electrician’s hands and allow him to buy appliances to be fixed, there is a high chance of him selling it to you at an additional cost, so it’s sometimes better to just do it yourself.
● Eliminate Middle-men
Hiring an electrician through a booking agency though saves stress and is safer would cost more than when you contact the electrician yourself, as they would also add charges for their services.
● Hire Licensed Electricians
It sounds like the exact opposite of what you’re aiming for, but is actually an efficient way of saving cost. Hiring a non-lisensed electrician could be hazardous and even lead to you having to spend more money than you would have if you’d just gone for a licensed one. Imagine having to call in electricians time and again to fix glitches that could have been avoided in the first place by simply hiring a well qualified and licensed electrician.
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