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Budgeting Electrician Costs for Common Residential Fixes

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Whether your house needs electrical wiring or the power has gone out unexpectedly, electrician bills can add up. Most homeowners, however, are unsure how much average costs they should be paying for common electrical work. This makes it harder to know how much to budget for these occasional home fixes. This guide will show you typical costs for common electrician residential work, helping you to plan and determine if you are being billed a fair fee.

Around the nation, the average cost of electrician work across all categories of home fixes is around $300. Actual costs per job vary from under $100 to well over $6000. Certain jobs, such as house wiring, will depend on the size of the house.

Electrician Hourly Rates by Contractor Experience Level

Hourly rates for electrician contractors will vary based on the contractor's experience level. More experienced electricians who have been in the business for a long time will cost the most since their services will be in high demand with everyone from businesses to homeowners.

Here are the hourly rates you can expect to pay for hourly engagements:

Apprentice Electrician - These are electricians at the beginning of their careers. They cost the least to hire, at around $40 per hour.
Journeyman - Electricians with 5 or more years of experience can handle complex jobs but, at approximately $55 per hour, cost less than the lifelong career electricians.
Master Electrician - These are electricians who have overseen and conducted electrical work on buildings of every kind, from small houses to large office towers. Their rates range from $100 per hour and up.

Smart Home Installation

Smart home systems are some of the most costly electrical features to install. A smart home system can be quite complex, requiring the integration of various home gadgets into a smart system. Vendors like Google and Amazon sell various smart home systems such as Google Home and Amazon Echo.

An electrician can install your chosen smart home system to handle automation for items such as lights, media devices, TVs, security cameras, garage, and others. Basic smart home systems cost around $400 in electrician costs. More comprehensive, customized, system installation will cost around $2000.

House Wiring Costs

House wiring involves putting in the core electrical wiring that connects every room and gadget in your house to the electrical mains. Around the nation, electricians charge an average of $600 for this task, with some going over that.

The cheapest electrical expert is not always the best for the job, especially for something as critical as your house wiring. Any missteps at this task will set you back down the line in the form of faults and other mishaps that will cost you extra fees to address.

Cost of Installing a Generator

Electrical generators give you a source of power independent of the electrical grid. Whether you live in a remote area with no grid connection or need a backup power source for when storms knock out grid power, generators offer great reliability. You won't be stuck waiting for the utility servicemen to repair the wires in your area if a storm knocks out some electrical installations. Installing a generator, however, is a highly complex job that requires the attention of expert level electricians. Expect to pay, on average, $500-$3000, for this key task.

Fan Installation Costs

The installation of fans is among the simpler tasks you can do yourself. Following a DIY guide or manufacturer instructions, you can put the fans in yourself and wire them. However, getting an electrician to do the job for you is much more convenient, and costs just $200 on average.

Cost of Installing Lightning Protection

Lightning protection keeps your entire house safe from the electrical shock of lightning strikes. This is important work for the well-being of you and your family, and something you should ensure has been installed on your house before you ever move in. According to national statistics, about 1 out of every 200 houses is struck by lightning each year. For an average of $1000 for lightning protection installation, you can ensure the safety of your household.

Cost of Installing a Switch

Electrical switches are very important since they are the basic controls typically used by home users to interact with the house electrical system. Though their functionality is straightforward and, with a little training, you could probably install them yourself, incorrect installation of a switch can be deadly.

The wires have to be connected correctly, otherwise the connection can result in faults, fires, or electrocution. Getting a professional to do the job is always the best option. With switches, the cost is quite low, averaging around $140 per engagement.