Сan you count how many electrical appliances you have in your house? Can you imagine your life without them? Unfortunately, sometimes they get out of date, and you have to choose: whether to go and buy a new refrigerator or lighting fixture or organize electrical repairs.
Most likely, a residential electrical repair will cost you less. Besides, it is a more environmentally friendly solution. But before calling an electrician, you’d better calculate repair costs. Maybe it isn’t worth it. Experts claim that if it costs 50 percent of a new electrical appliance or more, the most logical option is to replace it.
The Types of Electrical Repairs
You may face various problems with residential electricity:
- broken devices
- faulty wiring
- short circuit
- excessive load of the residential electrical network
- flickering light bulbs
- and so on.
It’s obvious that the complexity of the repair depends on its type. Usually, the more difficult the repair is, the more professional electrician you will need. The electrician prices list is not something standard: it varies depending on a master’s professionalism level. Thus, there are three electrician types:
- Apprentices – they cost about $40 – $50 per hour
- Journeymen – they ask $50 – $70 per hour
- Masters – they receive $100 – $120 per hour
And don’t forget about the call out fee. It usually ranges from $75 to $125.
Electrical Work Pricing: Whether to Pay for Time or Result?
Sometimes, the difficulty in calculations is that you do not know precisely how an electrician measures the amount of work. It can be the price per hour or point. You might not know how much time exactly it takes to fix all your issues, so it’s hard to navigate hourly rates. The easiest way to calculate your expenses by pricing electrical work per point.
Example: You decided to renew the interior design in your dining room by adding recessed lighting. According to costowl, the average price is $125 per light. You need to add five lights. The total cost will be approximately $625. Still, be aware that an electrician may charge an additional fee for his service.
Calculating Complicated Projects
Of course, it’s not always that simple. Some types of work are complicated or hard to count. However, if you make additional measurements, you can calculate approximately.
Example: The cost of some electrical works depends on floor space or length of wiring. Thus, if you need to renew your house wiring, you can calculate the wires' approximate distance. Then multiply this number by the price of electrical wiring – it’s about $6 – $8 per foot.
Some projects involve the work of several electricians, consumption of large quantities of materials, and an indefinite amount of time. In this case, it’s better to look for the cast of the whole project. Here are some approximate prices per project:
- Rewiring a 3-bedroom home: $2,500 – $6,000
- Installing a home generator: $6,000 – $11,000
- Smart home installation: $400 – $2,000
- Sprinkler System installation: $1,900 – $3,800.
If you are not able to calculate the cost of electrical repairs by yourself, you can consult with a professional. You should ask about how much does an electrician cost per hour and how much time it approximately takes to complete this type of work. The specialist or office manager can provide you with that information, and it will be much easier to calculate the total expenses on electrical repairs. You can ask him to make all the calculations, as well. Have you ever made a calculation before calling an electrician? Please share in the comments whether your calculation was precise or not.
