To put it in simple terms, a residential electrician is an electrician whose specialty is working in a residential space such as a single-family or multi-family home, apartments, or condos.
They can do all your basic services such as installing or improving wiring, adding lights, replacing old switches, etc., and they only work with smaller electrical systems of usually no more than 240 volts of electricity.
What kind of work does a residential electrician do?
Depending on your situation, a residential electrician can do a lot of things. If you’re building a new home, it’s the electrician who will come in and create all your electric work. They are oftentimes hired by the building company and they’ll come in and do the following things:
- wire your outlets and switches
- install your main power system for your entire house
- Put in recess lighting
If you’re buying a new construction home, you won’t need to worry about hiring a contractor, and you definitely won’t have to worry about any electrical issues for your first couple of years. Building companies hire the best professionals who you can trust will do the job right.
If in a couple of years you notice you need more outlets, more switches or you want to switch out your chandelier, call for a residential electrician!
If you’re already in a house or buying, a residential electrician can help you with a wide variety of electric function services in your home such as:
- adding in recess lighting,
- switching out lighting fixtures
- Want new outlets and switches put in
- Need help hiding your TV cord
- Want dimmer switches
No matter what home electrical project you want to do, a residential electrician is the one for the job! Don’t try to do this work yourself – there’s nothing worse than having electrical issues in your home, so we recommend to always hire the experts!
How much do residential electricians charge per hour?
So, you’re noticing you need more outlets throughout your house, and you want to change out that old lighting fixture over your dining room table. You thought about doing it yourself, but after watching some YouTube videos, you figured out you can’t do it yourself.
Call a residential electrician! No matter where you live, there are thousands of residential electricians in your area – all you need to do is a little Google searching.
You don’t want just any electrician, you’ll want to do your research or ask around for a reliable, trustworthy one. But with that comes a price tag – like all things homeowners deal with.
Because electricians go through a lot of training and learning, they deserve to be fairly paid for their service. On average, a residential electrician can charge anywhere from $50 - $100 per hour.
Prices will vary from person to person depending on their years of experience, what type of license they have, and what the job entails. This number includes just their cost for labor – it doesn’t include what it will cost for parts.
What factors into the price of a residential electrician?
When it comes to them determining their rate, they do it on a project basis. The easier and quicker the job is, the cheaper it’ll be. The harder and longer the job is, the more expensive it’ll be. These are the things that will be factored into your price:
- Travel
Your electrician will factor in the amount of time traveled and the cost of gas for the trip to your home, as well as to supply stores.
- Supplies
Depending on your project, your electrician may need to purchase some supplies. They usually purchase the supplies for you, and factor that cost into your bill.
- Accessibility
The ease of your project can play a major role in the total cost of the electrician. If your project is easy like switching out a light fixture, your cost will be relatively low. If you’re adding in new recess lighting, it’s going to cost you more because they have to do a lot more such as go into your crawl space, cut holes, and run wire. Not to mention, they’d have to purchase the lighting units and wires – adding to your total cost.
- Experience level
When it comes to electrician licenses, there are 3 levels: apprentice, journeyman, and master. Depending on who you hire and their experience level, your price will vary. Obviously, the more experience they have, the higher their rate is.
When it comes to hiring a residential electrician, we always recommend getting quotes from multiple different people. It’s always smart to have multiple electricians come over and give you a summary of what they think needs to be done, and give you an estimated cost.
Once you get all the estimates, compare pricing, license grade, supplies needed, and ask around about them to see what other people think of their services. Remember, it’s your hard-earned money and you deserve to get the best service possible!
Conclusion
Residential electricians are going to be your best friends when it comes to being a homeowner. Whether you’re working with a new build or buying an older home, you will always need a good electrician! Our favorite way to find a reliable and trustworthy electrician is through word-of-mouth.
If you’re on the hunt for a good electrician, ask your friends and family for recommendations.
It’s almost important to note that pricing can vary a lot in this field – you could be doing the same work your neighbor did, but your project could cost more depending on how easy they can access your electrical work, what supplies they need, and so many other factors.
When it comes to your home, you want to keep it in the best shape possible. Take your time when hiring a residential electrician and make sure you trust them. They go through a lot of training and they know everything there is to know when it comes to your electrical work in a single or multi-family home, apartments, or condos.
