how much to charge electrical?

Question

starting out self employed dont want to over charge . is there anywhere online you can get a rough guide to what to charge or how do other people go about this

Answer 1

Work out your repayments on all your overheads, van, tools, insurance, premises for week month year and then reduce it to a 40 hour week. Double that figure and you got your charge out rate for 40 hours. Divide by 40 and you should have a workable hourly rate to compare with other rates you know about

Answer 2

Good question with some good answers so far. Shop rates for a qualified electricians range from $45-$85 / hr. But realize that you are not an established electrician and may not have a shop license per say.
My advice is to offer your service at half the going rate in your area. Think of it as on the job training because you will earn while you learn. If you do good work for 1/2 the price, word will spread like wildfire. Word of mouth will pay off big time. You wont have the overhead of the shops to deal with so you can do alright. (ie. a yellow page ad can cost up to $300 a month)
After you become more established, then you can adjust your rates accordingly.

Best of luck to you in your new adventure.

Answer 3

first three answers all good

As a check, work out what do want to pay yourself per hour. Then you have to multiply it by something.

Design office stuff, with software and computers but no other tools or expensive trades-type insurance, can at the absolute basic get by on a multiplier of 2.

That's REALLY tight though. And you have more costs - tools, specialist insurance (you stand more chance of killing yourself and others than the drawing office people), van (which can get burgled), regular exams to renew your tickets, etc etc etc. If your multiplier is about 3 or 4 you're probably doing yourself justice. More than that and you're starting to look pricey.

Answer 4

I'm not sure about a site per se but angieslist.com would tell you what your competitor's charge.

Possibly post what county or city and state you are in so we can post rates we have been charged.

Best of luck to you in your new business!

Answer 5

i a sparks you charge what it take to live if you dont you go under so a min £17.50 up to £30 a hour or more depends where you are and cost of living and materials.

Answer 6

I do know to install a light swicth is about 50.00, and outlet 50.00. wire a house I don't know, I do know electricians make about 70.00 an hour. you can charge time and the cost of materials.

Answer 7

call 5 electrical contractors, and then get an average....just starting out, charge a little below that average until you build your clientel......good luck....