How Much Does it Cost to Install a Power Point?*

The minimum you will pay for an electrician’s time is their call out fee. A call out fee can range anywhere between $40 to $100, with the average fee being about $75. Usually based on their hourly rate, they charge a set call out fee to compensate for travel time. The good news is that the call out fee usually covers the electrician’s first hour of work and if it is an easy installation, $75 might cover the total cost of the power point installation.

$75 may be a reasonable price to pay, but an electrician’s call out fees can add up if you need a series of small jobs done over time. Rather than have them do the minimum and install a single power point, it’s better to plan ahead and find other jobs for the electrician to do while they are at your home.

Let’s say your electrician charges $80 per hour and an $80 call out fee. In most cases, installing a single power point will take them less than an hour, but you will still be charged for a full hour of their time. Can you use another power point somewhere else in your home? Electrician’s usually charge in quarter hour increments, so if it takes only an hour and a quarter to install two power points, the cost of each one comes down to only $50, plus the cost of the power point.

Is there anything else you’ve been putting off because it seems too expensive? The day you need to have your power point installed is a good day to have it taken care of. A new light fitting, for example, costs about the same as a power point, but if you have it installed at the same time, you’ll save money. If you don’t have a safety switch, it’s not something you want to put off until tomorrow. Electricians usually charge between $265 and $365 to install safety switches. To ensure you pay something closer to the lower end of the scale, have that safety switch installed at the same time you have your power point installed.

Before you get quotes, make a list of all the jobs an electrician can do for you and get quotes for them all. If all the quotes are too high, you can always eliminate the jobs that are not important or not really needed. If you can save $50 or $60 simply by having two power points installed instead of one, imagine how much you will save if you have everything done at once. You’ll thank yourself, too, when you finally have a designated power point at your desk or on your dresser to recharge your phone.