5 Common Electrical Projects and Their Costs

It is important to know that when an electrical issue arises in your home, as much as you would like to DIY, we highly recommend that you hire a pro. A licensed electrician is equipped with the knowledge and equipment to safely perform any electrical work within your home. Hiring a pro will ensure that your home and family are in safe hands. While it may be an extra couple bucks to have a pro complete the work, it is worth it. Read on to learn more about 5 common electrical projects and their costs.

Unlike other home improvement projects, electrical jobs usually involve a call-out fee, as well as a charge for the work performed and parts needed to complete the job. It is common for electricians to charge hourly, however, depending on the job there may be a flat rate fee. A lot of the cost is dependent on the type of work, as well as the location.

Repairing or Replacing an Outlet or Switch

Repairing or replacing an outlet or switch is an easy job for a licensed electrician. Such work will only take a pro a couple of minutes to complete, that’s for one switch or outlet. You can expect to pay anywhere from $100-$150 for this job. Depending on what the issue is, try to have the pro correct all problems during their visit, such as replacing more than one outlet or switch. This way you won’t have to call them back in a week and pay the call-out fee again.

Grounding an Outlet

If you have an older home you may need to update your outlets from 2-slot to 3-slot. The third prong allows for an additional wire and path for electrical currents to flow, minimizing any short circuits. These outlets are great for powering larger electronics such as TVs and computers. You can expect to pay anywhere from $100-$150 for grounding an outlet. If you are replacing one outlet, you are most likely replacing all, so expect the cost to reflect that.

Replacing Standard Outlet with a GFCI

Ground fault circuit interrupters, most commonly known as GFCIs, are very popular in homes today. This fast acting circuit breaker is designed to shut off electrical power within 1/40th of a second to prevent you from receiving any electrical shocks from the device plugged in. It is popular to replace your standard outlets with GFCIs to protect yourself and your family from any accidents. On average this job can cost $120-$150.

Installing a New Outlet or Switch

In older homes, or newly renovated rooms, you may need to add outlets to accommodate the equipment or devices in that room. This job requires creating a hole in the wall and fishing the new cable through to a power source. The cost of this job can vary depending on where the new outlet is going, how much cable is needed, and how many new outlets are required. You can look to pay anywhere from $150-$200 for this task.

Replacing a Circuit Breaker

Circuit breakers are very critical in keeping your home safe. Circuit breakers act to cut off the power if there is too much electricity running through. These breakers help to prevent electrical fires from happening. Over time a breaker may wear out, or no longer function. It is important to replace these breakers to ensure they are working properly. As the breakers are located on the main electrical panel themselves, it’s best to hire a pro to complete this job. You can expect to pay around $150-$200 to replace the switch.

Below are the average costs of Electricians services across different cities in Canada:

*Costs based on 12850 verified Canadian homeowner reviews as of March 2022

The cost of hiring an electrician may seem expensive, however, these tasks are ones that you want to be done by a licensed pro. Attempting DIY to save money could result in serious consequences, leaving you, your family, and your home at risk. Click here to browse through cost details of different electrical projects. Now that you are familiar with these common electrical projects and costs, get connected with a pro today.

Article updated June 2022.