Electrician vs. Electrical Contractor: Decoding the Differences
May 30, 2024Considering between hiring an electrical contractor vs electrician for your electrical needs? This breakdown of both electrical contractor vs electricians will help you decide which option is best for you and your specific needs:
The basic difference between an electrical contractor vs electrician
While every electrical contractor is an electrician, not every electrician is an electrical contractor. An electrical contractor is an electrician who starts a business as an electrician. Often, an electrical contractor hires other electricians to work for them, specializes in a specific type of electrical work, and oversees electrical jobs from start to finish. Electrical contractors have quite a few more duties and abilities than electricians. For example, when you hire an electrical contractor, like Empowered Global, you will also receive services like design work for your electrical job, comprehensive quotes for services, and experts who can apply for the necessary permitting that you will need for your job. These are tasks an electrician may not be qualified to do.
Can a general contractor do electrical work?
If electricians and electrical contractors can both do electrical work, you may wonder if your general contractor can too. The short answer is no. If your general contractor isn’t an electrician themselves, they are going to need to outsource the electrical work to a licensed and trained electrician or electrical contractor like Empowered Global. Be wary if your general contractor offers to do your electrical work. You’ll want to ensure they are licensed to do so in the state of Florida first.
Types of Electrical Contractors
Did you know there is more than one type of electrical contractor? In Florida, there are electrical contractors, registered electrical contractors (who are registered with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation [DBPR]), specialty contractors (who are only able to do the specific electrical work they are licensed in), and a variety of alarm system contractors (who can install alarm systems as well as do other types of electrical work). You can find your electrical contractor’s specific licensure type on the DBPR website.
Working with an electrician vs. an electrical contractor
Deciding to work with an electrician or an electrical contractor is largely dependent on your needs. If you have a good working knowledge of electrical work and can explain your design easily, apply for your own permits, and direct an electrician in exactly what you need— you probably don’t need an electrical contractor. However, if you don’t have a background in construction contracting, it’s likely going to be easier to hire an electrical contractor so they can take care of all the logistical headaches of your project for you.
Finding an electrician or electrical contractor near you
The best way to find a reliable electrician or electrical contractor in your area is through recommendations from friends and family and online reviews. Empowered Global is proud of how much business they acquire through word of mouth in Southwest Florida and has a ton of fabulous online reviews. Read the reviews and decide for yourself if you would like to do business with Empowered Global in Southwest Florida!
