Guide to Hiring an Electrician

Small business owners – from the restaurateur whose electricity has gone out, leaving behind thousands of dollars in spoiled food, to the IT guru whose power just surged, taking out his multiple computer set-up – know that having a prescreened electrician just a phone call away is vital to your business’s ability to avoid or survive power problems. In fact, having the right electrician at your disposal can mean the difference – literally – between life and death. Poor wiring or shoddy electrical work leads to fires, loss of businesses, and loss of lives. How can you avoid this? Be proactive in finding the right electrician BEFORE you need him. The top three things a small business owner should know about hiring an electrician are:
1. Find a certified, insured electrician.
2. Always, always check references.
3. Put everything in writing.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find licensed electricians from trade associations

Licensed electricians must follow all electrical codes, and only licensed electricians may obtain necessary permits. Check with your state to verify an electrician's license status.

I recommend: Check out the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents approximately 750,000 members, and where members must serve one of the longest apprenticeships in the industry. The National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC)’s mission is the development and standardization of training to educate the members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association; insuring and providing the electrical construction industry with the most highly trained and highly skilled workforce possible.

Go online to find prescreened professionals

Finding a prescreened electrician online is as easy as heading over to ServiceMagic or another referral site. Service Magic, a highly regarded company that has paired more than 6 MILLION homeowners with pros since 1999, is an organization that independently and objectively evaluates tens of thousands of contractors in the United States. (Keep in mind that just because some of these sites refer to homeowners, they work for small businesses, too.)

I recommend: First stop: ServiceMagic, where you can be matched to a prescreened electrician for free. This invaluable site offers limitless resources, including tips for drawing up Contractor Agreement Forms (contracts are a MUST when dealing with laborers!) and sample contracts. Or, check out the Better Business Bureau (BBB) member, ConstructionDeal.com’s Online Electrician Referral Service, where, if you answer a few simple questions, you’ll receive free bids – plus references! – from interested electricians.

Make sure they're insured

However you find your electrician candidates - whether you've gotten recommendations from friends, or gone online, make sure the people you're considering have current, valid insurance, and offer warranties on their work and products. All electricians must have liability insurance.

I recommend: Check out NeedContractor, a free contractor referral service that provides verified U.S. insured and licensed contractors quotes for residential projects, including home offices; ask these contractors if they handle work for small businesses located outside your home, too. Simply choose your state, and within 48 hours, they promise to have up to four estimates from prescreened electricians.

Pre-screen your professionals

It's always important to pre-screen your employees or contractors, but in this case: it's a step you cannot bypass. Always check references, and ask about such things as the quality of the work, whether the jobs were completed on time and within the original budget, and the electrician's work ethic and dependability.

I recommend: Don’t skip the Better Business Bureau (BBB) when screening your potential electricians – just enter the person’s name (or the business name) to find out if any problems have been reported, and if so, if those problems were resolved by the company. The Federal Trade Commission offers an excellent fact sheet about hiring contractors (though this page is designed for home improvement, it works just as well for your small biz projects). Check out Our Family Place for a great interview and evaluation checklist for potential contractors.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Contract requirements vary by state, but even if they are not required in your state, you should always insist on a written contract.
• Comply with regulations: Make sure the electrician follows local building codes and regulations, or you'll be stuck paying fines and repairing the mistakes.
• Keep down costs: Consider picking out your own lighting and other electrical fixtures.
• Bundle mini, non-urgent electrical jobs together before you call out the electrician so the hourly fee is kept to an efficient minimum.
• Getting the permit: A permit is necessary for most work over $300, so check local guidelines.
• Never, ever pay before the work is complete.
• Ask your electrician about getting a back-up generator for emergencies.

The official source of Hiring an Electrician is the Electrical Switches page at Business.com