Estimating electrical work
Prices for electrical work, what drives the cost and how to structure the estimate, for remodeling contractors bidding the work.
Electrical scope hides in remodels. A kitchen or bath brings new circuits, GFCI and AFCI protection and lighting, and an older house may need a panel upgrade before any of it. Price the service, the circuits and the devices as separate lines.
No contract. No setup fees. Cancel anytime.
Service panel upgrade prices
Q4 2026 pricing. National figures are the median of 50 metro areas. Ranges are rounded to the nearest $50, or $100 from $5,000 up.
200 amp
$2,200 to $2,550
1 piece
Labor and materials
For a typical job, nationally. Labor rates move more from place to place than materials do.
How the estimate is structured
The cost categories an estimate for this work breaks into:
- Electrical
What drives the cost
Panel and service capacity
New circuits for a kitchen, an addition or a car charger can push an old panel past what it can carry. A service panel upgrade is often the largest electrical line in a remodel.
Access
Running wire in open walls during a gut is quick. Fishing it through finished walls and ceilings takes longer and may mean patching and paint.
Code upgrades
Opening walls can bring work up to current code: GFCI and AFCI protection, tamper-resistant outlets, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Check what your jurisdiction requires.
Fixtures and devices
Count the fixtures, fans, outlets and switches, and the grade of each. Ceiling fans and hanging fixtures vary widely by model.
Existing wiring
Ungrounded outlets, loose splices and exposed wiring turn up in older houses. Price each fix as its own line so the client sees it.
Permits and inspection
Panel upgrades and new circuits usually need a permit and an inspection. Include the fee and the time.
Building the estimate
The lines in an electrical estimate
- The service panel and any new breakers
- New circuits and wiring runs
- Outlets and switches, including GFCI, AFCI and tamper-resistant devices
- Light fixtures and ceiling fans
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Repairs to existing wiring
- Patching where walls are opened
- Permit and inspection
Bidding electrical inside a remodel
If you're the remodeler carrying the electrical scope, price it by circuit and device even if a sub does the work, then drop in the sub's quote when it arrives. If you're the electrician, the same structure makes a sub bid easy for the general contractor to read.
Electrical templates in Clear Estimates
Templates cover a new 200 amp service panel, added breakers, AFCI breakers, GFCI, tamper-resistant and new outlets, switch relocation, light fixture and ceiling fan replacement, hard-wired and battery smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and fixes for loose, exposed or ungrounded wiring.
Local pricing
Prices for electrical work in each metro area, against the national median.
- New York, NYPrices run 19% above the national median.
- Chicago, ILPrices run 24% above the national median.
- Atlanta, GAPrices run 2% below the national median.
- Washington, DCPrices run 1% above the national median.
- Dallas, TXPrices run 9% below the national median.
- Boston, MAPrices run 17% above the national median.
- Minneapolis, MNPrices run 11% above the national median.
- Detroit, MIPrices run 4% above the national median.
- Seattle, WAPrices run 16% above the national median.
- Pittsburgh, PAPrices run 2% above the national median.
- Los Angeles, CAPrices run 9% above the national median.
- Philadelphia, PAPrices run 11% above the national median.
- Denver, COPrices run 2% below the national median.
- Baltimore, MDPrices run about the national median.
- Miami, FLPrices run 9% below the national median.
- Charlotte, NCPrices run 9% below the national median.
- St. Louis, MOPrices run 3% above the national median.
- Houston, TXPrices run 13% below the national median.
- San Francisco, CAPrices run 24% above the national median.
- Tampa, FLPrices run 13% below the national median.
- Phoenix, AZPrices run 3% below the national median.
- Orlando, FLPrices run 11% below the national median.
- Cincinnati, OHPrices run 4% below the national median.
- Cleveland, OHPrices run 3% below the national median.
- Kansas City, MOPrices run 2% above the national median.
- Columbus, OHPrices run 6% below the national median.
- Indianapolis, INPrices run 6% below the national median.
- Raleigh, NCPrices run 10% below the national median.
- Virginia Beach, VAPrices run 9% below the national median.
- Riverside, CAPrices run 5% above the national median.
- San Diego, CAPrices run 6% above the national median.
- Portland, ORPrices run 6% above the national median.
- San Jose, CAPrices run 21% above the national median.
- San Antonio, TXPrices run 15% below the national median.
- Grand Rapids, MIPrices run 5% below the national median.
- Jacksonville, FLPrices run 12% below the national median.
- New Orleans, LAPrices run 12% below the national median.
- Albany, NYPrices run 1% above the national median.
- Richmond, VAPrices run 9% below the national median.
- Las Vegas, NVPrices run 2% above the national median.
- Providence, RIPrices run 4% above the national median.
- Memphis, TNPrices run 11% below the national median.
- Rochester, NYPrices run 2% above the national median.
- Greenville, SCPrices run 10% below the national median.
- Bridgeport, CTPrices run 10% above the national median.
- Worcester, MAPrices run 10% above the national median.
- Syracuse, NYPrices run 1% below the national median.
- Sacramento, CAPrices run 8% above the national median.
- Nashville, TNPrices run 12% below the national median.
- Milwaukee, WIPrices run 4% above the national median.
Questions
What should an electrical estimate include?
The panel and breakers, new circuits and wiring, outlets and switches, fixtures and fans, detectors, repairs to existing wiring, patching, and the permit. Give each its own line.
When does a remodel need a panel upgrade?
When the new load, such as an induction range, a heat pump, a car charger or an addition, is more than the existing service can carry, or when the panel is outdated or unsafe. A load calculation tells you. Price the upgrade as its own line so the client sees why.
Can I use Clear Estimates as an electrical sub?
Yes. Whether you bid to the client directly or send a sub bid to a general contractor, an estimate itemized by circuit and device reads the same way.
Can I add my own electrical items?
Yes. Add any line item with your own cost, and save your own templates for jobs you do often.
Estimate electrical work with prices for your area
No contract. No setup fees. Cancel anytime.