When something goes wrong with your home electrical system, you need to hire an expert who can provide a safe and efficient solution. But how do you choose the right residential electrician? Here are six handy tips to help you choose the right one.

Ask Your Network

If you’re not sure where to start looking for a residential electrician, ask your network. Reaching out to friends, family, and colleagues is a great way to find a quality electrician. If they’ve had a good experience with a company, they’ll be more than happy to recommend them to you. It also can help you narrow the field of candidates down to those who already have a track record of customer satisfaction.

Check Insurance and Licensing

No matter if you find an electrician through word of mouth or internet searching, you need to make sure they’re licensed and insured. It is crucial to ensure the electrician you choose has all the necessary licensing before hiring them.

A licensed electrician indicates that they have the necessary training to undertake the residential electrical assignments while following set guidelines and standards. An insured electrician means you’ll be protected from unnecessary costs and stress should something go wrong. If you want to protect your home and electrical system, don’t ignore this important tip.

Assess their Services

Before you hire a residential electrician, you should ask yourself: “Can they do what I need them to do?” It might sound silly but check their services to see if they can handle your project. For example, you may need someone experienced in working on new wiring. Or maybe you want to remodel your home and upgrade to smart home technology. Whatever the case, make sure the electrician can provide the services.

Make Sure They Have Experience

Experience is key when it comes to electrical work. It can be risky to hire an inexperienced electrician to do work in your home. An electrician who’s been in business for a while will have more experience and capabilities to face challenges like short circuits, electrical surges, non-maintenance, and more.

So make sure the electrician has sufficient experience. Ask the electrician how long they’ve been in business and what kind of projects they’ve worked on. Ask them if they have types of projects they specialize in. Also, listen carefully to how they answer your questions. If they explain things in plain language so you can understand, that’s a good indication they know what they’re doing.

Read their Reviews and Ratings

As we mentioned with asking your network above, talking to people you know is a great way to evaluate a service provider. But with the internet, reviews and ratings are always at our fingertips. If your friends and family members have no recommendations or you just want to read up more about an electrician, online reviews are a great way to do so. A competent residential electrician will have several former clients who can attest to the work done. Some businesses will make your job easier and post reviews and ratings on their website, but often times just searching the business name and looking up Google reviews will do the trick.

Consider their Communication Skills

This may seem not that important, but it can make a big difference. There’s nothing worse than choosing an electrician who is rude, dishonest, or won’t return any of your calls or emails after you’ve hired them. If during your initial conversation with an electrician you feel they might not be easy to work with, you may want to find someone more suitable for your residential electrical needs. Quality does come first, but a considerate electrician who communicates well about the needed services and how long the work will take is a huge advantage you don’t want to overlook.

Talk to Our Experienced Team

Of course, if you’re in Tennessee, you could just hire Speck Family Electric for your residential electrical needs! Our experienced team takes pride in performing reliable services and getting each job done safely and efficiently. To us, anything less than 100% satisfaction is unacceptable. We’re always here to help our beloved Tennessee homeowners. We service those in Sparta, Chattanooga, Cookeville, Crossville, Gallatin, Lebanon, McMinnville, Mount Juliet, Murfreesboro, and Smithville.