Electrician

We use electricity for almost everything we do in the house. So the electricity in your home must work properly. Is your electricity not working properly, or do you want to install electricity in your home? In this article, you can read more about the different work of electricians, what to do in case of power cuts, how to prevent short circuits and find tips on choosing an electrician.

What does an electrician cost?

Are you going to hire an electrician for your project but don’t know what to expect regarding costs? The costs for an electrician vary, as there are different jobs you need to hire an electrician for. Check out a handy price chart below showing the hourly rate of electricians.

What does an electrician do?

An electrician is used for all electrical work in and around your home. Because it is dangerous to work with electricity, it is always wise to hire a good electrician. Below is a handy overview of the various tasks that electricians perform.

Connecting Electricity

One of the most important tasks of an electrician or electrical fitter is the installation of electricity. Contractors, therefore, work closely with installation companies to make your project run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Certified electricians are well aware of the rules surrounding the installation of electricity. It is, therefore, important to choose a certified electrician.

Connecting sockets

Are you missing a few sockets in your living room and going crazy with extension cords? Electricians lay sockets but also move and replace them for you. So you can quickly reconnect your electricity and no longer suffer from outdated or insufficient sockets.

Replace your meter box.

Are you having a new kitchen installed with many appliances, or is your meter box simply too old? Then it’s time to replace the meter box. An installation company has the experts and skills to replace your meter box and expand the number of groups. Don’t want to replace your entire meter box but only part of it? Electricians will also do this for you.

Connecting or replacing a residual current device

The residual current device in your meter cupboard protects your installations against leakage current. Leakage current refers to the leakage of voltage or electricity. If the electrician notices a leakage current, it disconnects the voltage…. RCDs are mandatory in your meter box. In principle, replacing or connecting an earth leakage switch is something you may do yourself, but this is strongly advised against. A licensed electrician is trained to do this and will therefore connect an RCD competently and properly.

Connecting lighting

Have you always dreamt of a ceiling with recessed spotlights? An electrician is an expert at installing lighting. By doing this by a good, licensed electrician, you will reduce the risk of short circuits and overloads and enjoy your well-laid lighting.

What should you do in case of a power failure?

What should you do if the power suddenly goes out? First, looking at your meter box to see if all the fuses are still on is a good idea.

Do you see that a fuse is out, and do you know which device caused the short circuit?

• Unplug this appliance and slide the fuse back up.

Do you not know which appliance caused the short circuit?

• Unplug all the appliances in the group
• Slide your fuse back up
• Plug the appliances’ plugs in 1 by 1 and keep an eye on when the fuse pops out again.

If you don’t know how to fix the power cut in your home, call an electrician. Is it out of office hours? Some installation companies will send an electrician to you urgently, even outside office hours.

Is the power outage not due to your fuse box, and do you see that the street lights are also out? Then report the power cut to the National Gas and Electricity Fault Number.

How do I prevent short circuits?

Cort circuits occur in every household at least once in a while. It is annoying and often quite preventable. How? Read some tips below:

Check your electric cables

By regularly checking the electric cables of your appliances, you reduce the risk of short circuits. Do you see damage to the insulation layer? Then have the electric cable repaired or get a new appliance. If you bought a second-hand lamp or other electrical appliance, checking the wiring for any damage is extra important.

Roll out extension cords properly.

Do you use extension cords? Then make sure you unroll them properly. Failure to do so can cause a fault (short circuit) in the circuit.

Keep your electrical appliances dust-free

Equipment such as hair dryers, clothes dryers and toasters are very susceptible to dust. It is, therefore, especially important to keep these appliances dust-free in order to prevent short circuits.

Remove plugs properly

Do you ever pull on the cable of your phone charger to unplug it? This damages the cable and can cause a short circuit. Ensure you hold the plug and not the cable when unplugging it.

Tips for choosing an electrician

Do you need an electrician for your project, and are you looking for a good specialist? Then you probably know that there are many different installation companies and independent electricians. How do you choose the right electrician? Read some handy tips below to help you in your search.

Choose a licensed electrician.

Whether you choose a sole trader or a larger installation company, it is always important that you deal with a licensed and certified electrician. As you read at the beginning of this article, an unrecognised electrician is considerably cheaper, but ‘cheap is expensive’. An unauthorised, cheap electrician does not have the qualifications to work as an electrician, which entails the necessary (safety) risks. Insurance will not pay out if an accident happens or a fire breaks out due to the work of an unauthorised electrician.

Watch quality marks

As with many industries, there are also quality marks to watch out for in the electrical industry. One of the quality marks is UNETO-VNI. This organisation guarantees the training, quality, safety and reliability of electricians. Do you have a dispute with your electrician, and is he or she affiliated with UNETO-VNI? You may be able to resolve your dispute via the disputes committee that belongs to this organisation.

Pay attention to the specialisation of an installation company.

Are you looking for an installation company for a specific project? If so, when picking an electrician, ensure he or she has the knowledge and skills to do so. For example, not all electricians specialise in installing home automation. Home automation allows you to make your home even more comfortable, for example, a self-learning presence simulation or a movie mode where you close your curtains and dim the lights at the touch of a button. SmartHomes is a network involving many installation companies specialising in home automation.

Compare quotes

Installation companies and electricians charge different prices for different projects. For example, an electrician in the area does not charge a call-out fee but does charge a higher total price. That is why it is smart to ask for several quotations and compare them. That way, you can quickly see the differences between specialists and which specialist suits you best.