Electricians typically charge a per-hour rate on top of a flat service fee, with the service fee often covering the first 30 minutes of work.
The average service fee is around $70 to $140 with an hourly rate of between $70 and $90 per hour.
Factors that determine how much an electrician costs include the project size and complexity, materials used location and time of day or night.Some electricians may choose to advertise hourly rates ranging from $80 to $180 per hour including a service fee. Here’s some regular hourly price rates
Electrical Job | Estimated price |
|---|---|
Install LED lighting | $60 to $75 per point |
Install smoke alarm | $150 |
Replace light switch | $95 |
Repair damaged cable | $120 |
Repair meter box | $250 |
You may choose to negotiate a flat rate for the daily work period but the best way to carve out a daily rate for an electrician is to request a total project estimate that includes both project cost, duration and labour cost. With this you'll be able to divide the project into sections, deduce how long your project will take and divide the total labour cost by day. This allows you to pay by day rather than per hour. Some companies may already have a daily rate for large projects. Some factors that affect the daily rate include:
Number of workers
Working hours in a day
Duration of project
Accessibility of worksite
Complexity of project
The call out fee typically starts from $50 and can increase to $100 and it is usually added to the labour cost.
A call out fee covers the general expenses an electrician has when going to your worksite, inspecting and making a quote. It may also be regarded as compensation for skills and experience rendered.
For simple electrical jobs that can be completed quickly or right away the electrician may charge you just the call out fee.
As much as you may be tempted into verbal agreement, you should try getting a written declaration of the call out fee from your electrician so as to avoid disputes down the line.
When writing a project estimate, there are a few things a customer expect to see. An estimate should include a clear breakdown of costs such as labour and materials and a total price including GST.