All homeowners will need to hire an electrician at some point, whether it is to perform a routine inspection, fix an outlet, or rewire the entire home.
Hiring an electrician can be daunting, with many different electricians on the market offering their services for a wide range of projects.
On average a licensed electrician charges $50-100 per hour, depending on the type of project, the pro’s level of expertise and geographic location. Most homeowners spend $200-575 to hire an electrician to complete minor electrical repairs in their home.
More complex electrical projects, such as upgrading the service panel or rewiring a house start at $1,200 and can go up to as much as $4,000 depending on the scope of work.
If you need electric work done, contact your local electricians for Free Service Estimates
Average Cost of Hiring an Electrician
Most homeowners pay between $150 and $550 for an electrician to visit their home
and perform minor electrical work like repairing or installing switches, lights, fans, or outlets.
Major electric work, such as replacing a service panel or electrical rewiring will be much more costly.
Large projects average between $2,000 and $6,000, but can cost much more depending on the scope of work.
| Average Electrician Cost | $150 – $550 |
|---|---|
| Maximum Electrician Cost | $2,000 – $6,000 + |
| Hourly Rate | $50 – $100 |
Electrician Cost Per Hour
Across the US, electricians cost between $50 and $110 per hour. The labor costs of
a licensed electrician vary depending on many factors, including your geographic location, season, and experience of the electrician.
More experienced electricians with advanced licensing will likely charge closer to $100+ per hour, whereas an apprentice electrician will have lower rates for simple projects of around $50 per hour.
Journeymen charge an average of $75-85 per hour, as their skill level is between a master electrician and apprentice.
If you hire a master electrician for two hours, do not expect the bill to be just $200.
There are other costs that will be included in the bill that you should account for when budgeting for a
project requiring an electrician.
First, you will likely have to pay the service call fee, which covers the time and fuel required for the electrician to travel to your home.
An apprentice fee will be lower than a master’s fee, but the average is approximately $75 per hour. Most no-show or no-call fees are billed as the service fee to pay for the time lost by the electrician to visit the site.
Consultations and inspections are generally also billed as a service fee.
You will also be charged for the cost of parts and supplies. The cost will vary widely depending on the project, but will not vary based on the skill level of the electrician.
The table below summarizes how much electricians charge per hour.
| Cost per Hour | Hourly Rate | Service Fee | Parts and Supplies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Electrician | $100 | $120 | $75 – $300 |
| Journeyman Electrician | $75 | $80 | $75 – $300 |
| Apprentice Electrician | $50 | $60 | $75 – $300 |
Factors That Affect The Cost Of Hiring An Electrician
There are many factors that come into play when determining the cost of hiring an electrician. It is important to consider how these costs will vary depending on your specific circumstances in order to get the most accurate estimate of how much your project will cost you.
Distance:
You will be charged more depending on how far the electrician has to travel in order to reach your home. The time required for travel as well as the fuel expenses will be factored into the cost.
For this reason, it is a good idea to try to hire an electrician as close to your home as
possible, all other factors considered.
Project Complexity:
More complex projects will invariably cost more than simple projects. An example of a simple project is installing a light fixture, a new outlet, or other small projects, whereas a complex project is something like rewiring a home or anything that requires opening up a wall.
Experience:
The experience level of the electrician you hire will impact the cost of their employment. There are three levels of experience for electricians:
-Apprentice
-Journeyman
-Master
Apprentices are still in their training and are best suited for employment on simple projects. A
Journeyman is an electrician with mid-level experience, and a Master electrician has the most
advanced licensing and extensive experience in the field.
Material Costs:
You will be required to pay for the cost of materials used in the project, including new outlets, light switches, fixtures, wiring, or anything else required for the completion of the project.
You will not have to pay for tools, as the electricians will already have the necessary tools in their possession.
Emergency Electrician Cost
Urgent or emergency repairs will cost more than a scheduled electrician visit. If you need an electrician to come during evenings, weekends, or holidays, anticipate paying a higher hourly rate of around $150 per hour.
Many electricians will also charge a call-out fee of around $75 per hour. Some electricians will charge a minimum flat fee for off-hour projects, ranging between $200 and $400 per hour.
Electrical Home Inspection Cost
Many homeowners will require a home inspection at some point in time, whether it is because they are concerned some of their electric wiring is out of date or they are performing a routine inspection before selling their home.
A home inspection costs between $200 and $400 on average. The cost will vary depending on whether it is a diagnostic check, a code-compliance check, or a home inspection.
Additionally, the square footage of your home will also impact the inspection cost. Homes with significantly higher square footages will cost more than smaller homes.
Cost Of Common Electrical Projects
There are many different services provided by electricians, and the cost will vary depending on the type of project you need completed.
While this guide can help you determine the average cost of hiring an electrician for a project, the best way to get an accurate estimate is to call several local electricians and ask for a quote for your project.
The table below outlines the average costs of different electrical projects commonly done
in the home.
| Project | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Wiring a new house | $1,500 – $4,000 |
| Rewiring a house | $1,700 – $8,000 |
| Replacing the circuit breaker | $150 – $200 |
| Installing a new switch or outlet | $150 – $200 |
| Fixing or replacing an electrical outlet or switch | $100 – $150 |
| Replacing a standard outlet with a GFCI | $100 – $250 |
| Replacing a two-prong outlet with a three-prong outlet | $100 – $300 |
| Adding a 220/240 volt outlet | $300 |
| Upgrading electrical service | $900 – $4,000 |
Cost of Wiring a New House
If you need to rewire a new home, the cost will be slightly less than if you needed to rewire a home. This also applies if you need to wire something just built such as an addition.
The cost of wiring a home will largely depend on its size, but you can expect to pay between $1,500 and $4,000 to wire a new house.
Cost of Rewiring a House
Rewiring a home is more expensive than wiring a new home, since the electrician will need to open up walls in order to get at the internal wiring.
If your home is old, rewiring may be necessary to ensure safety. Costs can vary widely when rewiring a home, as some projects require much more extensive labor than others.
Additionally, the size of your home will impact the cost of the project.
You can anticipate paying between $1,700 to $8,000 or more to rewire your home.
Cost Of Replacing the Circuit Breaker
Over time, your circuit breaker may wear down and require replacement. Replacing a bad
circuit breaker costs between $150 and $200.
Cost Of Installing a New Switch or Outlet
If you want a new switch our outlet installed, expect to pay between $150 to $200. For a skilled electrician, this is a simple project that will require only around thirty minutes to an hour
of work.
The electrician will need to make a small opening in the wall, attaching the new cable to the power source, installing a new outlet box, and making all the necessary connections between the parts.
Fixing or Replacing an Electrical Outlet or Switch
It takes very little time for an electrician to repair or replace an outlet or switch. The bulk of the cost will be the service fee, as even if the electrician spends under an hour in your home they will still need to account for the cost of transporting themselves.
To make the most out of their time, try to group together other repair projects with repairing or replacing outlets so you do not incur an unnecessarily high bill.
The average cost of replacing or repairing an outlet or switch is $100 – $150, but it will be cheaper if you group this project together with other projects.
Cost Of Replacing a Standard Outlet with a GFCI
Replacing a normal outlet with a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), the cost will be low if you have an existing outlet setup. For this project, expect to pay between $100 and $150.
If you need to run a cable and add a new outlet location, you can expect to pay more,
ranging between $200 and $250.
Cost To Replace a Two-Prong Outlet With a Three-Prong Outlet
If you have an older home and the outlets are two-pronged, you may want to exchange those for the more common three-pronged outlets. This is an easy, thirty-minute task for an electrician, as long as the circuit panel or fuse box is grounded.
As with repairing or replacing outlets and switches, the bulk of the cost will be in the service fee, so try to group several projects together.
Expect to pay between $100 and $150 for changing a two-prong outlet to a three-prong outlet. If your fuse box or circuit panel is not grounded, though, expect to pay between $200 and $300 for this project.
Cost of Adding a 220/240 Volt Outlet
You may need a 220/240 volt added in order to plug in an appliance like a clothes dryer. Adding a 220/240 outlet is about just as difficult as adding a standard outlet, but it may still cost more since the electrician may have to take additional steps.
For instance, they may need to reorganize the circuit breakers in the main panel, add a new circuit breaker, or run a conduit.
Expect to pay around $300 to add a new 220/240 outlet.
Cost Of Upgrading the Electrical Service
Older homes may not have the proper electrical service in place, so you will likely want an upgrade. While some decades ago homes had 60-amp services, nowadays the bare minimum is 100 amps, so if your electrical service is below that you will probably want to make the switch.
For average sized homes, you should install a 200-amp service, whereas large homes should be equipped with a 400-amp service.
Upgrading to a 100-amp service will cost you between $900 and $1,500, whereas updating to a 200-amp service will cost you $1,300 to $2,400.
If you update your home to a 400-amp service, expect to pay between $2,000 and $4,000.
Can I Do Electrical Work DIY?
Depending on the type of project, some electrical work is definitely doable DIY. Learning some basic electric skills will save you lots in the long run, as paying for an electrician can add up quickly.
Some projects you can definitely do DIY include adding or repairing an outlet or switch, replacing an outlet with a different type of outlet, and replacing the circuit breaker.
Other more extensive projects are best left up to the professionals, though, unless you have extensive experience.
Becoming an electrician requires extensive training and licensing, and all that work ensures they are trained properly to conduct potentially dangerous work.
Employing an electrician can give you security and peace of mind that the job will be done without any costly or dangerous mistakes.
Some projects that are not recommended to be done DIY include wiring a new house or rewiring a house, unless you are an electric professional yourself.
How To Reduce The Costs Of Hiring An Electrician
Hiring an electrician can be expensive. However, there are some ways you can cut down on the costs to help keep your project affordable for you.
First, it is important to get quotes from several electricians—a minimum of three. You should not be charged for a quote.
Doing this will help ensure you are being charged fairly for the project. When discussing the quote, be sure to take careful notes of what is included or not included in the quote, and learn about each company’s fees and policies.
Another way to reduce costs is to combine as many necessary electrical projects together as possible into one visit.
Since you will be paying for the cost of the electrician to travel to your home, you should be sure to make the most of their time.
If you need to get an outlet fixed, look around your home and determine other electrical issues that will need fixing, so you can reduce the cost per project by repairing them all at once.
You should never use a booking agency when hiring an electrician, as they will charge extra for the service. Call the electricians directly to set up an appointment.
Make sure to clear the area around the project, as you don’t want the electrician spending time (which they will charge you for) clearing a space.
Be sure to remove anything from the walls near where the electrician will be working and clear the vicinity.
How To Choose The Right Electrician
There may be several electricians in your area who all offer roughly similar rates for your project. How should you decide between them?
Here are some tips to help you narrow down your search:
● Read online reviews of each contractor and be sure to take seriously any negative reviews you encounter. A simple google search of the electrician’s name and “reviews” should bring up results.
If you do not find any reviews, this should also be a point of concern, as you want to be sure the electrician you hire has sufficient experience to complete your project.
If you are hiring an apprentice, though, they many not have reviews yet, which is fine as they are new to the field.
● Be sure that the electrician has insurance. An electrician should have a minimum of $500,000 insurance. You should ask for proof of insurance to ensure the information they
give you is accurate.
● Compare the warranties of the different electricians. Some will provide warranties on their labor, and others may also provide warranties on the parts themselves if purchased through the electrician.
Its important to discuss the terms of the warranty in detail with each electrician.
● Ask about the licensing of the electrician. Different projects may require different licensing, so do some research into the specific project you have and what licenses are required.
Its strongly advisable to hire an electrician with the proper training and certification for your project.
