4 Reasons You Should Hire a Licensed Electrician

Would you let your car mechanic fill your tooth cavity? Would you let your dentist install new plumbing for your renovated bathroom? Would you let your plumber do your taxes? The answers to these questions are quite obvious.

 

licensed electrician

Licensed Electrician – Mike!

 

How about this one: Would you hire an unlicensed electrician to rewire your home? While the obvious answer is NO, there are still those few people that do hire unlicensed electricians to “save on costs”. This is the BIGGEST mistake someone can make when hiring an electrician to do electrical work in their home or business. Not only does it NOT save on costs, but it isn’t safe! When needing any type of electrical work done, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HIRE A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN! Here is why:

  1. Education, Training, Experience, and Testing

A licensed electrician is required to go through extensive training and testing to become certified with the state to be granted with a license. In some cases like PA, an electrician becomes licensed through cities and municipalities. Regardless if through the state or a city/township, a licensed electrician knows the state codes and safety protocol for electrical work, which means your electrical work will be done with an assurance of quality.

 

This also means that a licensed electrician is trained for a certain number of hours, which provides them with the experience and education needed to perform the work correctly and efficiently. Being licensed also means continuing education. Continuing education for any professional is very important, especially for an electrician. Codes and regulations change over the years, and learning these things through continuing education keeps your home up to code for passing inspections and safety.

  1. Licensed Electricians are Insured

A licensed electrician in the state of Pennsylvania is required to carry liability insurance. When you hire a licensed electrician, they are responsible for personal injury or property damage due to any type of negligence. When you hire an unlicensed electrician, they may not be insured. In this case, if an unlicensed electrician damages your property because of faulty wiring, or someone gets hurt due to negligence, you (the homeowner or business owner) would be responsible for medical bills or costly home repairs. Bottom line: a licensed electrician is required to have insurance, while an unlicensed electrician is not. Would you take that risk when hiring someone who isn’t licensed?

  1. Licensed Electricians Save You Money

Hiring a licensed electrician for your home or business will save you money. Few people might beg to differ, and believe that because they aren’t licensed, they charge less. While this may sometimes be true, think about it this way. The unlicensed electrician may have less experience in the field, and may do the work as he sees fit (not up to code standards or regulations). Because of this, the electrical work may be done incorrectly, inefficiently, and can cost you in repairs. This is especially true when something needs to pass inspection, and the unlicensed electrician you hired months ago didn’t wire something correctly. So you end up paying for an amateur electrician do his work, and then a licensed electrician to fix his work. This smells like a lot of money! Don’t waste your hard earned cash hiring someone who isn’t fit for the job. A licensed electrician is fit for the job, and will get the work done right the first time.

  1. Licensed Electricians Think Safety First

A licensed electrician always has you and your home’s safety in mind. This means you won’t find anything rigged up to work semi-properly that could damage wiring, cause fires, or cause injury. Proper safety protocol is ensured with a licensed electrician the moment he or she steps on your front porch. Knowing the correct procedures to do electrical work with precision and safety in mind will keep your mind at ease. Don’t trust someone who isn’t licensed to wire your home, or install those needed GFCI outlets. Improper grounding is one of many things we see that amateur electricians love to try and get away with. Improper grounding is a safety hazard that can cause potentially fatal electric shock, as well as damage to your appliances. Again, trust someone who is licensed that knows what they are doing!

 

Conclusion

 

Would you want someone who has the training, experience, and knowledge doing your electrical work, or someone who has less experience, training, and knowledge doing your electrical work? A license is like an award. When you put in that hard work, are tested, and then apply what you learned, you earn an award (license). This award (license) shows what you are capable of, giving a homeowner confidence that he or she is fit for the job. Makes you wonder what the guy without the license is really capable of, doesn’t it? Trust a licensed electrician for accuracy, safety, and money savings. In the end, you could be shelling out thousands for a mistake an amateur made that causes electrical damage to your home or appliances.