Short answer
An electrical bill comes down to finding the problem, the parts and labor to fix it, or, for bigger jobs like panel upgrades, EV chargers and rewiring, the size of the job, the distances involved, and what's already in the house. Ask for prices before work starts, and get bigger jobs quoted with everything included.
Sky High Electric's prices
Ask what the service call costs when you call. Fair pricing is the topic customers mention most in our Google reviews. For what drives the price of electrical work, see what electrical work costs.
Nights and weekends: we're open 24 hours. Ask about after-hours rates when you call.
The service call
A service call covers the trip and the time to find out what's wrong. Finding an electrical fault is real work: testing circuits, tracing where a wire runs, checking connections at the panel and at the device. Two things are worth asking any electrician before they come out: what the service call costs, and what happens to that cost if you go ahead with the repair.
What drives a repair price
- How long the fault takes to find. A bad outlet is quick. An intermittent fault in a buried line or behind plaster takes longer.
- The part. An outlet, switch or breaker is a small part. A meter base or a length of underground cable is not.
- Access. An open basement ceiling is easy. A finished basement, a crawlspace, or a wall that has to be opened adds time.
- What else turns up. Scorched connections or old wiring that isn't safe to leave as it is.
What drives a panel or service upgrade price
- The new service size. Most upgrades go to 200 amps.
- What comes with the panel. The meter base, mast, weatherhead and service cable may need replacing too.
- Moving versus replacing in place. Relocating a panel means extending every circuit to it.
- Circuits. How many need reconnecting, and whether any need correcting along the way.
- Utility coordination. The utility or REMC disconnects and reconnects the service.
- Permits and inspection where your city or county requires them.
EV chargers, barns and rewiring
These are priced per job. For an EV charger, it's the distance from the panel to the garage, the charger's amperage, and whether the panel has room. For barns and outbuildings, it's the distance, whether the feeder goes underground, and what the building needs inside. For rewiring, it's the size of the house, the walls, and access.
What can change a price after the work starts
This is the part that makes the rest of a price believable, so here it is plainly:
- Hidden damage. Scorched wiring, rodent damage or a failed splice buried in a wall.
- Old work done wrong. Circuits that were extended or patched in ways that aren't safe to reconnect as they are.
- A second fault. Fixing the first problem reveals another one on the same circuit.
When something like that comes up, you should hear about it, and the new price, before the extra work is done.
Common questions
How much does an electrician's service call cost?
It varies by company. Ask before anyone comes out, and ask what the service call covers: usually the trip and the time to find the problem, with the repair priced once the cause is known.
What makes a panel upgrade cost more or less?
The size of the new service (for example 100 to 200 amps), whether the meter base, mast or service cable also need replacing, how far the panel is moving, how many circuits need to be reconnected or corrected, utility coordination for the disconnect and reconnect, and permits and inspection where required.
Why can't I get an exact price over the phone for rewiring?
Because it depends on what's inside the walls. The age of the wiring, how many circuits there are, plaster versus drywall, and access from the attic or basement all change the work. A walkthrough turns a guess into a real quote.
Can a price change after the work starts?
Sometimes. Opening a wall or a panel can turn up damaged wiring, a second fault, or work that was done wrong years ago. When that happens you should hear about it, and the new price, before the extra work is done.