What short cuts does the cheapest electrician take? The true cost of a cheap job.
You need electrical work done in your home, first and foremost you do not attempt to do it yourself. Risk of electrocution and fire are dangers of unsafe electrical work so ALWAYS employ the services of a properly licensed and insured electrician. But what else do you need to check before they start work on your home.
Firstly - Check their licence.
The worker completing the work should hold an electrical workers licence and the contacting entity (either a company or a sole trader) should carry an Electrical Contractors Licence, this number should be displayed on any advertising. Check that they have these. You can check online to show the licence is current, any restrictions and if they have had any disciplinary actions on them. If they don’t have a contractors licence they wont be insured if something goes wrong and your home insurance is then unlikely to cover you. Remember that unlicensed electrical work is illegal! The cheap electrician may be doing your work, with his bosses materials and without their knowledge, thereby potentially uninsured despite being licensed and competent to do the work.
Materials.
What materials are they going to be using? We have seen work completed by local electricians who have used materials that have been removed from previous jobs! Are they using enough materials? Our Australian Standards state that cable shall be secured, is your electrician throwing cables loosely through your roof space causing a hazard to the next person to do some work, or are they neatly clipping the cable to the timber trusses. The cheap electrician will not have factored the cost of doing the job right in order to win your business.
Workmanship.
Are they going to take the time to ensure the work they do on your house is done to the best of their ability and skill set. The saying “It looks good from my house” pretty much sums up the attitude of many tradespeople out there. We want to ensure that you are happy with the work we have done, happy customers are more likely to recommend us too! We treat your home with the same respect as we treat ours. It’s the biggest investment most people have, don’t ruin it by having shoddy workmanship on display.
Testing and Certificates. Before any part of an electrical system is energised (powered up) it should be tested to ensure it has been installed correctly. Confirming the cable isn’t damaged, the protective conductor is adequate, the devices are working as they should and no mistakes have been made installing the electrical accessories - to name just a few! The electrician should then be providing you with a certificate detailing the works that have been completed and maybe also a schedule of test results. Again, the cheap electrician will likely just energise the new work, see if it turns on and demand their money!
Finally - Warranty
What happens if something goes wrong? Will that electrician still be around to fix up your issue? The solar industry is awash with stories of cheap systems being sold and when they fail, the original company has disappeared and risen from the ashes as a new one with no accountability for their previous responsibilities.
So, whilst there are many great electricians out there ready to help you spend your hard earned, take some time to choose wisely. Check out their reviews and look at the photos on their website and social media pages. Great tradies love showing off what they have done and ones with stock images should be questioned why they don’t show their own work?