Sunday, March 25, 2007
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Asking Questions Can Lead You to Qualified Electrician
By Dan Miller
Of The Patriot News
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Evan Myers, an electrician for CM Squared, Inc., installs a
replacement light above the stove in an apartment in
Penbrook. Electricians aren't required to be licensed in all
Pennsylvania municipalities, so it's best to do some careful
checking before hiring one. |
Pennsylvania tries to protect you from bad barbers through state licensing. When it comes to protecting yourself from a bad electrician, you're on your own.
There is no statewide licensing of electricians.
Anyone can legally call himself or herself an electrician just by printing a business card that says so, said Christian D. Malesic, President and CEO of CM Squared Inc., an electrical contractor in Lower Paxton Twp.
He and other experts said there are things you should consider when seeking an electrician.
An electrician, or the company he or she works for, should belong to some professional association, such as the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the International Electrical Contractors (IEC) or the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Harrisburg (HBA).
You can ask if the electrician has a license to do electrical work in Harrisburg. Many area municipalities issue annual licenses to electricians and permits for specific electrical jobs. But Malesic and others said that in this area, only Harrisburg requires electricians to meet standards for certification, schooling, and professional experience. Chambersburg is probably the closest municipality with a comparable licensing requirement, said Christi Buker, Executive Director of the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the IEC. Some mid-state electricians might have licenses in Maryland, which has statewide licensing.
TIPS FOR FINDING A GOOD ELECTRICIAN
Look for membership in a professional association, such as the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the International Electrical Contractors (IEC), Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Harrisburg (HBA), Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC), or the American Subcontractors Association (ASA). Membership in one or more of these groups means the electrician has met certain minimum professional standards for certification, experience, and continuing education.
Look for an electrician with a license to do work in the City of Harrisburg. Many municipalities have registration or licensing procedures for electricians, but this can mean nothing more than the person has paid a fee. The Harrisburg license requires that electricians have met education and experience standards and have passed a code examination granting approval for a journeyman electrician to secure an electrical permit. Experts say Harrisburg is the only mid-state municipality that applies this standard.
Check for insurance. Ask to see an insurance certificate, which means the electrician has met the industry standard for insurance coverage.
Ask for references and check them out. Talk to family and friends who have hired an electrician recently. Ask about their experience. Would they hire the same electrician or company again? |
Buker said electricians who don't live or work in Harrisburg might opt to not pay for the annual city licensing fee. But if an electrician doesn't have the Harrisburg license and doesn't belong to any association, Buker said, you might want to keep looking. At minimum, check for references, she said.
Consumers also should check to make sure an electrician carries insurance. Ask to see a current insurance certificate, the industry standard which proves insurance coverage, Malesic said. In 10 years in business as CM Squared, Malesic can remember just one homeowner asking for an insurance certificate. "That's a lack of education," he said.
Most of us know a friend or relative who can do electrical work. But if your friend or relative isn't properly insured, you're asking for trouble. "If he drops a tool on your $600 glass dining room table," you are at his or her mercy, Malesic said.
Absent state licensing, Malesic said, one way to monitor jobs is to use a third-party inspection agency. Municipalities and contractors hire third-party agencies to ensure that electrical work meets code requirements. Mid-state inspection agencies include the National Inspection Agency and Middle Department Inspection Agency, but a number of other agencies operate in this area, Malesic said. A third-party agency will increase the cost of a typical residential job by $100 to $150, Malesic said. And, if the agency inspector says the electrician didn't do the job right, Malesic said, it isn't clear what recourse you have if the electrician doesn't agree with the inspector. A homeowner could withhold final payment or go to court.
Proposed legislation -- House Bill 254 -- to establish licensing of electricians in Pennsylvania is pending in the state House Professional Licensing Committee. Malesic and Buker support the concept of statewide licensing, but add that the bills presented to the legislature in the last few years have been filled with bureaucracy, political pandering, and bad governance; which is why none have passed the full assembly.
If the state required licensing, it could set up a Web site where anyone could check if an electrician is licensed in Pennsylvania. Statewide licensing also could be good for electricians by establishing one standard instead of the patchwork of regulations, Malesic said. "We wouldn't have to call every municipality" to see what the licensing or permitting requirements are," Malesic said. "You cross a street and you are in a different municipality, and the rules are all different," he added.
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