Get Recommendations from Family & Friends

The first thing you should do when you find that you need an electrician is to ask friends and family for some recommendations. You want to choose someone who has actually done a job similar to your needs for someone you know.

Check That the Electrician is Certified

This requirement varies by state and location. You want someone who is certified general journey level or specialty electrician. They have to have the right education and experience as well as pass exams to be a certified electrician. 

License, Insurance & Registration 

Before you even bother interviewing someone check to see if they are licensed, insured, and registered with the right authority required by electricians. If they’re not insured with enough liability insurance and something goes wrong, you may be left to pick up the tab.

Ask for Written Detailed Estimates 

Always ask your electrician for a very detailed estimate in writing. Ensure that they not only put what is covered but what is not covered in their estimate so that there is no confusion about what you are being billed for.

Know How is Billing Done

Is billing done hourly and if so how much? Is it done by job, if so how much? How much is charged if surprises come up and will they warn you if surprises have come up? Understand all that you can about how you will be billed.

Ask for a Written Contract

Always get a written contract that spells out exactly what the electrician is going to do, for how much, and includes all the payment details including ways to pay. If the contract spells everything out to the letter about what will and won’t’ be done, and what is your responsibility compared to the electricians responsibility there will be less problems and confusion.

Pay With Credit Card

If you pay your electrician with a credit card and you find something missing in the quality of the work or that the work is not finished to your contract and to your satisfaction paying by credit can give you a little additional coverage. You can dispute the charge while making sure the work is completed.

When you seek to hire an electrician, whether for a small job or a large job, it is important to follow this checklist to avoid problems down the road. You want to keep the value of your biggest investment and you can’t do that if you take shortcuts.

Every to-do list will look different, but if you are remodeling a house here are some ideas for you to use for your to-do list.

Evaluate Current Wiring

If your current wiring was done many years ago it is likely not up to code for today’s requirements. Ask your electrician to evaluate your wiring and make suggestions on how to make it better. Safety regulations from just 20 years ago are very different from what they are today. This one act could save your entire family.

Check Old Outlets

If your outlets are as old as your wiring you probably need new ones. The plugs become stretched out over time and can be damaged leading to a fire hazard. Plus many old outlets aren’t GFCI outlets which are a lot safer. (ground fault circuit interrupter)

Remove or Add Phone Jacks

Do you still use a landline? Many people don’t, so if you don’t you can have the landline jacks removed, giving your wall a cleaner look or adding another outlet instead. If you do still use landlines perhaps a better version that works better is available today.

Install Different Types of Lighting

Perhaps you want a dimmer switch, or you want lights that turn on and off if someone enters the room to save on energy bills. Maybe you want overhead lighting in your office or under a cabinet in the kitchen so you can see well.

Save Energy with Programmable Thermostats

Since you’re remodeling, why not upgrade your thermostat so that it’s programmable. If your thermostat automatically sets itself appropriately for daytime and nighttime you can save quite a large percentage on your utility bills.

Install Exterior Outlets

Do you like to use electrical equipment for yard work such as electric hedge trimmers or an electric chainsaw because they are more powerful than the battery operated kind? Then ask your electrician to install convenient exterior outlets for you.

Other Items

Go through your home with a pad and pen to ensure that you don’t leave anything off of your remodel for your electrician. Go in each room and observe what needs to be changed or added. Do you want a new overhead lighting fixture, what about a ceiling fan? Write it all down so you can remember when you create your electricians to do list.

Your list is going to look different from this list because it depends on whether you are doing a remodel, a new build, or something else entirely. Regardless, it’s a good idea to write everything down so that you and your electrician don’t forget anything. You’ll save both time and money with an electrician to do list.

Describe the Project

You need to know exactly what work needs to be done before you embark on your search for an electrician. Each electrician or contractor specializes in different types of work, so you want to be sure to contact the right people so that you don’t waste your time or theirs if they don’t even do your type of work. Even if you don’t understand the details that go into the work you need done, you can describe it in general.

Ask Friends & Family for Recommendations

Once you know what type of project you need done, now ask your friends and family for recommendations. Try to gather five to eight different recommendations so that you can compare them. It helps if the recommendations are from people who have actually used the electrician in question and if the project is similar in nature to yours.

Research the Recommendations

Now that you have several recommendations, take the time to research the companies or individuals in question. During your research you might find other names to add to your list. Check their backgrounds ensuring they are not involved in any lawsuits or other issues. Plus you want to be sure they are actually certified and licensed electricians. Many people wrongly call themselves electricians when they are not.

Interview the Recommendations

Now you can call the recommendations and describe your job to ask if they would be interested in bidding on the project. Ask for a written and detailed free quote from each electrician. As you get the bids, also ask each electrician some thought out questions in advance about their licensure, certification, experience and payment policy.

Compare the Results

Now that you’ve got the bids, and you’ve interviewed each candidate, compare the results. Don’t always choose the lowest bid. Choose the candidate who answered your questions accurately, and who most impresses you regarding their work ethic. Choose the person most willing to work with you in the way you want.

Create a Contract

Most of the time the electrician will create a contract, make sure that it has everything in it you’ve discussed along with a detailed description of the job. It should define what the electrician will do, and won’t do, and how much it will cost. It should also describe contingencies such as weather issues or issues outside of your control or their control, and issues within their control and how they’ll handle that if they get off schedule. You can ask for things to be added to the contract so that you’re satisfied with it before you sign.

Pay Your Deposit

Typically you’ll need to pay up to 50 percent of the estimated cost to get your project started. After that, you’ll receive bills on an agreed upon schedule that is spelled out in the contract. Ensure that the last payment is not due until you’ve had a chance to evaluate whether the project is completed and successful or not.

One final note is to always keep track and keep tabs on your electrician. If it’s a big job you want to find out exactly what is done and what needs to be done periodically. One way to compare is to ask for itemized billing so that you can check that you’re only being billed for parts of the job that are actually finished.