How many people do you know who have had bad experiences when hiring contractors to perform work in their homes? People who advertise on Craigslist and other places as contractors may not always be licensed contractors.

These ads are sometimes tempting because of low prices, but you could end up paying far more by choosing an unqualified or unlicensed contractor. You could be risking your family’s safety as well. It’s important to do your research before choosing any contractor, especially an electrical contractor.

In a recent conversation I had with Steve Bowerman of Bowerman Electric, he answered questions and gave some tips on finding a qualified company to do electrical work.

Q: What are the important questions a consumer should ask an electrical contractor before making the decision about which firm to work with?

A: The price of the job is the first thing you need to establish. You also need to know when they can do the job and when can they finish.

Q: Do people usually ask about your licensing and insurance?

A: Sometimes we have to have liability insurance and be bonded. We also have to have an up-to-date license with the city you’re working in. The contractor’s license number is required whenever you do any advertising. It’s something you should always look for. Not all contractors have up-to-date licenses and you can’t proceed with the job or get an inspection without it.

Q: What about building permits? Do you have to deal with them just like general contractors? Are there some projects that don’t need them or is it a good practice to always have permits?

A: You need a permit for everything except painting. Even if you are just changing out plugs, the city requires it. It has to do with city or county regulations— where you live is what determines it. Every county I’ve ever been in requires a permit. The only electrical work you don’t need a permit for is low voltage cable like Internet, TV, phones. That work is not hazardous — not a threat to the safety of your home.

Q: How do contractors guarantee their work? Is there a standard policy that most firms use?

A: I have a one-year guarantee on materials. My workmanship guarantee is 30 years — that is for my work personally or that of my employees. The reason for a short guarantee on materials is that for a home near the ocean, salt air affects products. Fixtures get corroded. Most contractors give a one-year guarantee on materials.

Q: If you have crews that you send out on assignments, how do you handle supervision of your crews?

A: I meet up with them in the morning and go over the job either on the site or at the shop. They have the experience and know what needs to be done. On some jobs, I work with them. I’m really lucky — I have workmen who are really top-notch. They think of everything. Sometimes I overlook things that they will bring to my attention.

At times they have called me on a job telling me the guy that worked on the job before us left the job unfinished. Once you’re on a job, you inherit the last guy’s work and the condition the home is in. Then sometimes you have to renegotiate the job cost. You have to tell the customer, “You have a bigger problem here.” Just like a carpenter who suddenly finds dry rot or termites.

Q: Are there any jobs you can recommend that people can safely do in their own homes?

A: I really stress to people that electrical work can be dangerous and you could lose everything. If you work on a pipe under your sink, you could spring a leak and that could be a big problem — but if you don’t know what you’re doing with electricity, you could burn your whole house down.

I’ve never heard a plumber say, “Oh, you can fix that faucet.” If I try to fix my faucet and screw it up, it will cost me twice as much. I’ll have to buy the faucet again and I’ll have to pay for the labor to put it in. … That is the reason people should do what they know. I can’t recommend anything electrically that they should do on their own.
http://www.arrowelectric.net/
]]> http://arrowelectric.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/dallaselectricians-2/feed/ 0 arrowelectric http://arrowelectric.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/dallas-electrical-contractors-2/ http://arrowelectric.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/dallas-electrical-contractors-2/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:55:31 +0000 arrowelectric http://arrowelectric.wordpress.com/?p=30 ]]> Let us Install These Recommended Items

Electrical Product Warranty:
Arrow Electric stands behind its transferable lifetime labor and product warranty on EATON/Cutler Hammer Panels, Breakers and Surge Protectors.  All other brand panels, breakers and surge protection products will be covered under our standard 3 year parts and labor warranty. All products installed by licensed, insured, drug tested Dallas electricians .

Residential Products & Services 

Safety & Security

• Surge Protection
• Motion Sensors
• Wiring Upgrades
• Smoke/CO Detectors
• Transfer Switches
• Dedicated Circuits
• Home Electrical Safety
• Home Standby Generators
• New Code Update Alert: One of the newest codes to be updated involves ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). This code requires that all bathroom receptacles and all kitchen receptacles servicing countertop surfaces must have ground fault circuit interrupters to protect against electrocution. Electrical regulations are set by local city, state or national legislation.

Upgrades & Improvements

• Home Lighting Design
• Fan Installation
• Exhaust Fan Installation
• Hi-tech Electrical Inspections
• Electrical Upgrades & Troubleshooting
• Child-proof Outlets
• Specialty Receptacles
• Sofit Outlet Installation
• Electrical Safety Inspections
• Track and Accent Lighting
• Shock Prevention Devices
• Circuit Breaker Replacement
• Ballast and Bulb Replacement
• Wireless Lighting Controls

Specialty Lighting

• Landscape Lighting
• Bath Lighting
• Kitchen Lighting
• Recessed Lighting
• Holiday Lighting
• Energy Saving Lighting Solutions

http://www.arrowelectric.net

Every home is different. With a quick trip to your local hardware store, you have even more choices at hand.
Replace or Clean Furnace Filters: Dirty filters restrict airflow and increase energy use. Keep your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted. Savings up to 5% of heating costs. Try to clean or replace your furnace filters or every month to every other month.

Plug your Home’s Heat and Air Leaks: Install weather-stripping or caulk leaky doors and windows and install gaskets behind outlet covers. Savings up to 10% on energy costs.

Install Low Flow Shower heads: If you do not already have them, low flow shower heads and faucets can drastically cut your hot water expenses. Savings of 10-16% of water heating costs.

Wrap your Water Heater with Insulation: This is especially valuable for older water heaters with little internal insulation. Be sure to leave the air intake vent uncovered when insulating a gas water heater. You could save up to 10% on water heating costs.

For more information on conserving energy in your home call our toll free number Today. We will send one of our certified and licensed electricians to your home and give you a routine check-up of your electrical systems to make sure your home is completely energy efficient. Start saving money –CALL NOW! 972-926-7007

Do you need any new appliances, or are you planning to do some remodeling? Consider these energy efficiency suggestions before you purchase.

Choose Energy Star® Appliances and Electronics: When buying new appliances, choose Energy Star®-certified models. For example, a new Energy Star®-refrigerator uses about 20% less energy than standard new refrigerators, and 46% less than one made in 1980. A new model energy efficient washing machine uses nearly 50% less energy than a standard washing machine. As you can see it is worth getting newer model energy efficient appliances.
http://www.energystar.gov/

Install a Programmable Thermostat: If you have a heat pump, select a model designed for heat pumps. Setback thermostats can save up to 15% on energy costs.

Increase Ceiling Insulation: If your ceiling is un-insulated or scantily insulated, consider increasing your insulation to up to R-38 to reduce heating costs by 5-25 percent.

Seal your Ducts and Vents: Leaking duct work accounts for more than 25% of heating costs in an average California home. Consider hiring a contractor to test the tightness of your ducts and repair leaks and restrictions in your duct. Many utilities have programs to assist you. Check out Rebate and Consumer Programs or contact or local utility.
http://www.puc.state.tx.us/

High efficiency windows: If you are planning to replace your windows, choosing Energy Star® windows can reduce your heating and cooling costs by up to 15 percent.

Inexpensive Energy Solutions

Every home is different. With a quick trip to your local hardware store, you have even more choices at hand.
Replace or Clean Furnace Filters: Dirty filters restrict airflow and increase energy use. Keep your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted. Savings up to 5% of heating costs. Try to clean or replace your furnace filters or every month to every other month.

Plug your Home’s Heat and Air Leaks: Install weather-stripping or caulk leaky doors and windows and install gaskets behind outlet covers. Savings up to 10% on energy costs.

Install Low Flow Shower heads: If you do not already have them, low flow shower heads and faucets can drastically cut your hot water expenses. Savings of 10-16% of water heating costs.

Wrap your Water Heater with Insulation: This is especially valuable for older water heaters with little internal insulation. Be sure to leave the air intake vent uncovered when insulating a gas water heater. You could save up to 10% on water heating costs.

For more information on conserving energy in your home call our toll free number Today. We will send one of our certified and licensed electricians to your home and give you a routine check-up of your electrical systems to make sure your home is completely energy efficient. Start saving money –CALL NOW! 972-926-7007

Safety & Security

• Surge Protection
• Motion Sensors
• Wiring Upgrades
• Smoke/CO Detectors
• Transfer Switches
• Dedicated Circuits
• Home Electrical Safety
• Home Standby Generators
• New Code Update Alert: One of the newest codes to be updated involves ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). This code requires that all bathroom receptacles and all kitchen receptacles servicing countertop surfaces must have ground fault circuit interrupters to protect against electrocution. Electrical regulations are set by local city, state or national legislation.

Upgrades & Improvements

• Home Lighting Design
• Fan Installation
• Exhaust Fan Installation
• Hi-tech Electrical Inspections
• Electrical Upgrades & Troubleshooting
• Child-proof Outlets
• Specialty Receptacles
• Sofit Outlet Installation
• Electrical Safety Inspections
• Track and Accent Lighting
• Shock Prevention Devices
• Circuit Breaker Replacement
• Ballast and Bulb Replacement
• Wireless Lighting Controls

Specialty Lighting

• Landscape Lighting
• Bath Lighting
• Kitchen Lighting
• Recessed Lighting
• Holiday Lighting
• Energy Saving Lighting Solutions

Contact Us at http://www.arrowelectric.net/contact

Arrow Electric offers superior service and quality at competitive pricing.  There is no job too big or small for the electricians at Arrow Electric to handle.  Our friendly staff of  Dallas Electrical Contractors are  licensed, insured, background checked, and drug tested .  Your electrical system is the heart of your house so make sure that whoever works on it is someone  you trust .

At Arrow Electric, our clients safety is our number one priority.  Our Dallas electricians are trained and licensed to take on any electrical challenge!    We are professional in everything we do.    Our electricians dress in uniforms and our company has a drug-free policy to ensure that our clients get the best, quality service, like they deserve.  All our electrical work is backed by a 100% guarantee!

Thanks Dallas!  

Arrow Electric has been voted the only Electrical Contractor to win the Consumers Choice Award 4 years in a row.  We are proud of our accomplishments and let our work speak for itself.  We appreciate our customers and welcome them to the Arrow Family.

Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed! 

No Job is ever left dirty or messy.  Our Dallas Electricians are the cleanest most respectful persons we can hire and it is our promise that they will be the friendliest person ever to have been in you home, office or place of business. Weather a large commercial job or a small lighting project we treat all our customers the same and value your business.

Free Safety Inspection!

We have an industry leading 12 point safety inspection that we use to inspect your home or office and let you know the dangers and how to prevent them or repair them to keep your family and friends safe.

Emergency Service Available

Why wait for someone to call you back hours later only to find out that they can’t come anyway? Or that it’s after hours and it will be tomorrow before they can make it. Arrow Electric is available to answer your call day or night, weekends and holidays.  We strive to serve our customers and our customer service it what has made us number 1.

Straight Forward Pricing! 

No surprises from Arrow Electric.  Our Dallas Electricians will give you the cost of your job before they begin.  The price we quote is the price you pay no hidden charges, no extra fees, just honest upfront prices with customer service that can’t be beat.

Arrow Electric is committed to providing the best, most comprehensive conceptual engineering, design, estimating, and budgeting during the preliminary stages of an electrical project; and then the most effective project management, administration and material/equipment procurement available today and the highest standards of quality, productive, safe, on-time construction work. Arrow Electric has focused on one main goal, to provide the highest quality work possible for the price, and letting that finished work speak for itself. We are proud of our quality workmanship and provide a one-year written guarantee at the conclusion of each project.

We pride ourselves on completing projects in a timely fashion, which we accomplish by keeping the schedule in constant focus. This allows us to help you to maintain your time frame for opening your business.

So, whether you are in need of a design and build or quality installation and service, be assured you will receive a commitment of quality from everyone involved in your project, from start to finish.

We would appreciate the opportunity of working together with your project team with a professional approach toward quality, productivity and the successful completion of your next project.

Residential Products & Services 

Safety & Security

• Surge Protection
• Motion Sensors
• Wiring Upgrades
• Smoke/CO Detectors
• Transfer Switches
• Dedicated Circuits
• Home Electrical Safety
• Home Standby Generators
• New Code Update Alert: One of the newest codes to be updated involves ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). This code requires that all bathroom receptacles and all kitchen receptacles servicing countertop surfaces must have ground fault circuit interrupters to protect against electrocution. Electrical regulations are set by local city, state or national legislation.

Upgrades & Improvements

• Home Lighting Design
• Fan Installation
• Exhaust Fan Installation
• Hi-tech Electrical Inspections
• Electrical Upgrades & Troubleshooting
• Child-proof Outlets
• Specialty Receptacles
• Sofit Outlet Installation
• Electrical Safety Inspections
• Track and Accent Lighting
• Shock Prevention Devices
• Circuit Breaker Replacement
• Ballast and Bulb Replacement
• Wireless Lighting Controls

Specialty Lighting

• Landscape Lighting
• Bath Lighting
• Kitchen Lighting
• Recessed Lighting
• Holiday Lighting
• Energy Saving Lighting Solutions

Medical Life Safety
Devices
Computer
Internet
Appliances
Heat
Sump Pump
Air Conditioning
Security Systems
Television
Radio
Fridge/Freezer

By installing a generator, these items can still be used while power is out. A generator can keep power going to the refrigerator or freezer keeping the items cold so they do not go to waste. On the average, you could lose up to $500 in perishables per occurrence! Contact us today at Arrow Electric to see if a generator is right for you!