Name: Colz Electric
Address: 165 Shannon Hill SW, Calgary Alberta Canada, AB, T2Y 2Y8, CA
Telephone: 403-770-3030
Price range: $000 - $000

A lot goes into electrical work that most people wouldn’t know how it all works. That’s why electricians in Calgary must have an electrical permit to do their job. Yet, there are times when a homeowner must go out and apply for an electrical permit themselves.

Yet, the question is: when would you need to get an electrical permit?

Before you handle any electrical work in your home, see why you need one before doing so.

What is an Electrical Permit?

Under the Alberta Safety Codes Act and Permit Regulations, an electrical permit is required to install, alter or add to an electrical system. Since electrical systems are rather intricate and complicated, homeowners can only tie into the main panel without physically changing it and can add a sub-panel to an existing main service, provided there is a current main breaker.

However, homeowners are not allowed to do the following regarding electrical work:

install, alter or modify the main electrical service, including the main panel, main breaker or the meter base.
install electrical wiring in permanent, in-ground swimming pools, and hot tubs
install or alter solar photovoltaic systems

Generally, these electrical alterations result when homeowners decide to renovate or move in or out of a house. Many electrical companies in Calgary can’t stress enough that this is when homeowners should obtain an electrical permit.

Why is an Electrical Permit Necessary?

Uphold Safety Code Standards

The most important reason to get an electrical permit is for the safety of your home and family. All wiring must meet current building code standards to ensure that your home is safe from electrical fires.

Proper Electrical Installation

Another reason to get an electrical permit is to ensure that your home’s electrical system is installed correctly. Incorrectly wired homes can lead to annoying electrical issues and, worst-case scenario can become a possible fire hazard. An electrical permit ensures everything is in working order.

Avoid Legal Issues

If you do not get an electrical permit to work on your home’s wiring, you can face legal problems. You can be fined or even have your work redone by a professional at your own expense.

Benefits of an Electrical Permit?

Protect Home’s Resale Value

If you are planning on selling your home, it is important to get an electrical permit for any work that has been done on your home’s wiring. It will ensure that your home is up to code and that the work has been done correctly. An electrical permit assures potential buyers of your home’s safety and will be more willing to purchase.

Avoid Costly Repairs

If you do not get an electrical permit for work on your home’s wiring, you may be faced with costly repairs down the road. If your home is not up to code, you may be required to have the work redone by a professional. In some cases, it can easily become expensive when you need to tear down walls to get the job done correctly.

Colz Electric is the master electrician that you can trust. Our team of highly trained Calgary electricians has all the hands-on skills and experience required to handle all types of residential and commercial jobs. With 24-hour service, we are ready to come out to your home or business for Calgary electrical services or urgent after-hours electrical needs. Our professional results, client trust, and superb value showcase our commitment to providing our customers with 100% satisfaction. Speak to one of our Calgary electricians at 403-770-3030.

An electrical inspection refers to examining and testing an electrical installation’s condition, adequacy, or functioning. Those who schedule in regular electrical maintenance in Calgary have identified unsafe installations or equipment failures that could lead to damage, injury, and fire risks and prevent unnecessary power outages.

In which case, what things does an electrician look out for during an electrical inspection? What is all included in one?

Read on to see what you need to include on your checklist!

Reasons for an Electrical Inspection

When it comes to electrical maintenance, an inspection is instrumental in ensuring safety by preventing and addressing any apparent issues. Yet, what circumstances would you need to get an electrical inspection? You would be surprised that there are various situations where you might need one!

Here are a few reasons why you may need an electrical inspection:

If you noticed any electrical issues
Before buying a home
After major renovations
In the aftermath of a brutal storm

In these circumstances, it’s warranted since you want to ensure that all electrical wiring is in working order and meets safety standards.

Electrical Inspection Checklist

During an electrical inspection, there are various things that an electrician will be on the lookout for that are important. The listed checklist below is what’s included within a routine electrical inspection:

Identifying any electrical hazards – such as uncovered, exposed, or outdated wiring
Ensure GFCI outlets are wired correctly
Testing and checking safety switches, and electrical meter
Examining the electrical panel by checking the circuit breaker capacity
Assessing and maintaining past repairs
Locating and testing fire alarms
Making sure everything is up to code

Frequency of Inspection for Electrical Maintenance

Maintenance can seem like a chore. Yet, ensuring electrical maintenance through an inspection is rather low maintenance! It’s generally recommended every three to five years. Yet, other factors can affect how soon you should get an electrical inspection. As a rule of thumb, it’s in your best interest to get one if a place is over 25 years old since they can be riddled with older wiring, which can be prone to faulty use and even pose a safety hazard. In addition, if you notice any DIY work done with your electrical wiring, call in a professional for an electrical inspection to remedy any issues the DIY work could potentially create.

When it comes to electrical wires, nothing lasts forever. Eventually, you will need to rewire your home to maintain the quality of your electrical systems. Whether you are remodelling your home, require electrical renovations, or want to improve your property’s safety, it is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your wiring.

Understanding the costs of the rewiring project then is essential. People are shocked to see the price when the work starts and are unwilling to undergo the changes. But if they were provided with the right information – and the reasons for it – they could see why it is a worthwhile investment.

What Affects the Cost of Rewiring?

The Square Footage of the Home

This shouldn’t be a surprise: the larger the home is, the more the rewiring job will cost. As the remodelling will require more materials and work to be completed, the price to the labour will raise the overall cost.

Methods Used to Access Wiring

Depending on the process in which you rewire your home, it will impact the cost of the project. One option, such as removing the drywall to access the wires, can be expensive and time-consuming. Making strategic cuts and fishing for the cables is a cost-effective alternative. You will have to speak to a Calgary electrician to determine what method is best for your home.

The Quality of the New Materials

Wiring is also a factor that can enhance the cost of the project. As with all electrical repairs in Calgary, the quality you choose does affect the price. For wiring, it is advisable to use high-quality materials that can support a wide range of appliances.

electrician at work with tools, puts the bulbs on a lamp at home, electric circuits, electrical wiring

The Calgary Electrician

The labour costs and the rates of Calgary electricians will affect the rewiring price in your home. The more experienced and better the professional, the more likely they will charge for their work, as they will guarantee results and value. Make sure that you do your research and that the electrician you bring in has experience doing rewiring and electric renovations. It can save you money in the long-term.

How Much Does it Cost to Rewire A House?

On average, the cost to rewire a 1,200 square feet house is at least $10,000 for a new home and as much as $30,000 for an old house. It, once again, depends on the factors above and how they impact the process and project. You should conduct research and speak to different Calgary electricians to find a price that suits your budget.

Colz Electric is the master electrician that you can trust. Our team of highly trained Calgary electricians has all the hands-on skills and experience required to handle all types of residential and commercial jobs. With 24-hour service, we are ready to come out to your home, or business for Calgary electrical services, or urgent after-hours electrical needs. Our professional results, as well as trust and value, is how we can provide our customers with 100% satisfaction. Please speak to one of our Calgary electricians at 403-770-3030

If you are looking to upgrade your electrical panel through the help of Calgary electrical services, you should understand the reasons and costs associated with this activity. Of course, it is equally likely that if you are currently searching for this service, it is because you know why you should seek an upgrade, but what about those who don’t know whether or not they need an electrical panel upgrade?

For people who don’t know why they need an upgrade, there are many reasons for you to seek one. For instance, Calgary electrical services are continually changing, and older homes may have outdated or potentially dangerous fuse boxes. However, this is not the only reason that an electrical panel upgrade is necessary…

Reasons to Upgrade Your Calgary Electrical Panel

Fuse-to-Breaker

One of the more common reasons that people seek an upgrade for their electrical panels is to transition from fuses to breakers. Many people prefer the breaker system because it doesn’t require replacement parts, as opposed to fuses that will break when overloaded and must be replaced, and therefore kept in stock around your home. A licensed electrician can complete this change with the appropriate permits.

This type of upgrade will be more expensive than the others listed here. Typically, the cost will range between $1,500-$2,000, but it will depend on the number of circuits requiring the change and a variety of other factors.

Increased Amperage

Another popular reason for electrical panel upgrades is due to a desire for an increase in the amperage. For instance, if you are residing at an older home and the amperage is designated to 100 amps, you may have trouble running modern appliances such as central vacuums, computers, or others. Plus, some appliances require unique voltage outlets and additional electrical draw to function correctly, and if there is not enough amperage for them to work, you could face serious inconvenience. Usually, these outlets are installed during the building of your home, but if you want to renovate or move those locations, it may be necessary to upgrade your electrical panel at the same time.

In general, this type of upgrade will have a varied cost. Depending on the increase to your amperage, the price can rise from $1,300 for 200 amps up to $4,000 for 400 amps.

Moving the Panel

Some people may wish to move their electrical panel from its current position. For instance, if they are going through basement renovations and want to put a new room in the current location of the panel, or if they are worried about potential flooding and wish to raise the panel out of the danger zone.

This type of panel upgrade will typically range in cost from $1,500 to $2,000, but it will depend on the distance the panel moves and the amount of rewiring that is required.

Talk to the Calgary Electrical Service Experts

For more complete information related to your electrical panel, or to get a quote, you should seek the advice of a master electrician. They are the only electricians who can get permits for changes to electrical systems, and will be able to advise you on the proper steps and costs for your situation.

Colz Electric is the master electrician that you can trust. Our team of highly trained Calgary electricians has all the hands-on skills and experience required to handle all types of residential and commercial jobs. With 24-hour service, we are ready to come out to your home, or business for Calgary electrical services, or urgent after-hours electrical needs. Our professional results, as well as trust and value, is how we can provide our customers with 100% satisfaction. Please speak to one of our Calgary electricians at 403-770-3030.

A master electrician is the only person who is certified to have electric permits in Alberta. They have proven themselves through a rigorous tradesperson training program and received certification to perform electrical work unsupervised and professionally.

The Master Electrician Program

A master electrician is subject to the same process as all other certified trades in Alberta. This means they begin as an apprentice and must complete the mandatory training and work experience to gain their journeyman certification. The term of apprenticeship for an electrician is 4 years including a minimum of 1500 hours of on-the-job training and 8 weeks of technical training in each of the first three years, and a minimum of 1350 hours of on-the-job (OTJ) training and 12 weeks of technical training in the fourth year.

After completion of the training described above, they will be certified as a journeyman electrician. From there, another 3 years of work experience in an electrician-related field will be required, at which point they are eligible to challenge the master electrician test. This requires no extra formal training, but it is strongly recommended. There is, roughly, an 85% failure rate for journeyman electricians who challenge the master electrician exam without engaging in further vocational training.

This training is offered by both technical institutions in Alberta, NAIT and SAIT. While this extra training is not required, the exam is intended to ensure that candidates wishing to be certified as master electricians are capable and able to perform the duties of their profession. Therefore, only the best qualified and most capable electricians are admitted into the master electrician program.

Why Choose a Master Electrician?

Due to the stringent requirements described above, you can feel assured that master electricians are qualified and capable of performing the work required. This should be reason enough to choose them when embarking on your next electrical project, but if not, there is another reason.

As the only people in Alberta capable of taking out electrical permits, they are required on any job site requiring electrical permits. This helps ensure people are not performing inadequate repairs to electrical systems which can be very dangerous and potentially costly when performed incorrectly. This also acts as a guarantee of their quality and professionalism so it is ultimately better, in the long run, to seek out qualified master electricians you can trust.

Colz Electric is the master electrician that you can trust. Our team of highly trained Calgary electricians has all the hands-on skills and experience required to handle all types of residential and commercial jobs. With 24-hour service, we are ready to come out to your home, or business for Calgary electrical services, or urgent after-hours electrical needs. Our professional results, as well as trust and value, is how we can provide our customers with 100% satisfaction. Speak to one of our Calgary electricians at 403-770-3030.