To price a residential electrical job, count every device and fixture by symbol, measure the wire and conduit that connect them, size the service and panel, and multiply each item by labor hours and a burdened wage. Add material with local tax, then overhead, profit, and contingency. If the set has no electrical sheets, lay the job out by code, list every assumption, and send those assumptions as questions with your bid.
Start with the electrical sheets, and read the rest of the set
The E-sheets usually include a symbol legend, a power plan, a lighting plan, a panel schedule, a one-line or riser diagram, and a fixture schedule. Read the legend first. Two sets can use the same symbol for different things.
Then read the other sheets, because they add loads the E-sheets may not show. The architectural plans give ceiling heights, outlet heights on the interior elevations, and the kitchen and laundry appliances. The mechanical sheets list equipment that needs a circuit and a disconnect. The plumbing sheets add the water heater, pumps, and disposals. The site plan shows where the service enters and how far a trench has to run.
When there are no E-sheets
Many small residential and remodel sets have no electrical sheets, or only a few symbols on the architectural plan. You can still price the job. Lay it out by code, then write down what you assumed.
- Receptacles: place them to meet the spacing rules. Under the NEC, no point along a wall should be more than 6 feet from a receptacle, and no point along a kitchen countertop more than 24 inches from one.
- Dedicated circuits: the kitchen small-appliance circuits, laundry, bathroom, and the range, dryer, dishwasher, disposal, water heater, and HVAC equipment.
- Lighting: a switched light in each habitable room, plus the exterior and closet lights the plans show.
- Alarms: smoke and carbon monoxide alarms where code requires them.
- Service: size it from a load calculation, not from habit.
Then list the assumptions that move the price: the wire type, the recessed can type and size, the service size, the panel size and spaces, and which breakers are AFCI or GFCI. On one residential bid with no E-sheets, BidMe laid the job out by code rules and listed every assumption, including wire type, can size, and service size. The client could then change those assumptions in the studio and watch the price follow.
Count devices and fixtures by symbol
Go through the legend and give each symbol a color. Then count room by room, so you can reconcile each room against the plans. Every distinct symbol is its own line, because a dimmer, a 3-way switch, and a single-pole switch do not cost the same.
| Item | Count each by | Easy to miss |
|---|---|---|
| Receptacles | Type: duplex, GFCI, 20 A, 240 V, weatherproof | Garage, exterior, bathroom, appliance outlets |
| Switches | Type: single-pole, 3-way, 4-way, dimmer | Both ends of every 3-way, dimmer ratings |
| Light fixtures | Mark on the fixture schedule | Exterior, closet, vanity, under-cabinet |
| Recessed lights | Housing type and size, and the trim | Trims priced separately, remodel vs. new-construction housings |
| Fans and hoods | Each, with its circuit | Bath fan and light combos, range hood power |
| Alarms | Smoke and CO, each | Interconnect wiring between units |
| Low voltage | Data, TV, doorbell, thermostat | Whether it is in your scope at all |
Check the counts against the fixture schedule. If the schedule lists 24 fixtures and the plan shows 22 symbols, one of them is wrong, and you want to find out before the bid goes out. The same habit works in every trade, as we explain in what a takeoff is.
Do not let a lump sum stand in for a count. On a custom estate, site lighting had been carried as a lump sum of about $71,500. Counting every fixture symbol on the lighting sheet turned it into about $194,000 of counted lines.
Measure wire runs and conduit
Think in terms of circuits. A home run is the run from the panel to the first device on a circuit. After that come the device-to-device runs, the vertical drops and rises, and the slack you leave at every box and at the panel.
Plans rarely show the real routing, so you have to imagine the path through the joists and walls. Set your allowances for slack and vertical runs once, write them down, and apply them the same way on every circuit. That makes the number checkable and easy for someone else to adjust.
| Wiring method | Where it is typical | What to count |
|---|---|---|
| NM-B (nonmetallic cable) | Concealed wiring in wood-framed homes where code allows it | Cable by size and conductor count, staples, boxes |
| MC (metal-clad cable) | Where NM is not allowed or the cable is exposed | Cable, connectors, straps |
| EMT conduit with wire | Exposed runs, garages, and places that require conduit for all wiring | Conduit, fittings, supports, and each conductor pulled separately |
Some cities require conduit for all residential wiring, so confirm before you assume NM-B. Wire size follows the breaker. In copper, 14 AWG is common on 15-amp circuits, 12 AWG on 20-amp circuits, and 10 AWG on 30-amp circuits, with larger wire for ranges, EV chargers, and feeders. Remember the extra conductors for 3-way and 4-way travelers.
Service, panels, and feeders
Price the service as its own block. It includes the meter and main, the panel, the breakers, grounding and bonding, and any feeder to a subpanel. For an underground service, add the trench, the conduit, and the backfill.
- Service size: 100 A, 200 A, or larger, confirmed against the load calculation.
- Panel: count the spaces and the breaker types from the panel schedule. AFCI and GFCI breakers cost more than standard ones, so count each type.
- Utility work: find out what the utility does, what you do, and who pays for each part. Put the answer in your exclusions or RFIs.
- Panel upgrades: these often bring a permit, an outage window, and patching, so price them as a package.
Labor units, solar, EV chargers, and standby power
Labor units and burden
Labor is the quantity times the hours per unit times a burdened hourly rate. Take hours per unit from your own job history or from a published labor-unit source. For the wage, start with local data: the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a median pay of $30.38 per hour for electricians nationally as of May 2025, and local numbers differ.
Burden is on top of that. BLS data show benefits were 30.0 percent of total employer compensation for private industry workers in June 2026, which makes a burdened hour about 43 percent above the wage on average. Your own figure depends on your workers' comp class and benefits, so use your payroll records. Here is the math with made-up numbers (example only): 10 fixtures at 0.5 hour each and $60 per burdened hour is $300.
Solar, EV chargers, and standby power
Newer items need their own lines:
- Solar: the panels and inverter are usually a specialty subcontractor. On the electrical side, carry the disconnects, conduit runs, any panel upgrade or breaker, and the utility paperwork, and state who pulls the permit.
- EV charger: a dedicated circuit with wire and a breaker sized above the charger's rated current, because charging is a continuous load. Add the conduit run to the garage and either an outlet or a hardwired unit, and check the panel has room for it.
- Standby power: a generator or battery, a transfer switch, the pad, and permits. A gas generator needs a gas line, which a plumber normally runs.
Markups, RFIs, and common misses
Markups
Show the markups the same way as in any estimate: sales tax on material, then overhead, profit, insurance, and contingency as their own lines. Our step-by-step guide to estimating a construction project shows how they stack up.
What gets missed
These are the items that go missing most often:
- Lump sums for lighting, low voltage, or "miscellaneous"
- Recessed housings counted but not the trims
- Dimmers and special switches priced as standard ones
- Drilling, coring, patching, and fire-stopping
- Trenching and boring for the service or site lighting
- Permit, plan check, and inspection fees
- Temporary power during construction
- Owner-furnished fixtures, with no note on who installs them
- Disconnects and connections for HVAC and appliances
RFIs
For anything the drawings do not settle, write an RFI rather than guessing silently. For example: "Plans do not show the service size; priced 200 A; please confirm." Or: "Fixture schedule lists allowances only; priced owner-furnished fixtures, installed by us."
How BidMe handles electrical
Electrical is one of the trades BidMe estimates, along with plumbing, mechanical, framing, drywall, and the rest of the CSI divisions. You get an Excel workbook of quantities by trade with the formulas left open, and in the online Estimate Studio you can change any quantity, rate, or markup and save scenarios. Residential estimates start at $200 per project, and you can see the full pricing or read about residential estimating.
Questions contractors ask
How do I price recessed lights?
Count the housings, the trims, and any dimmers or drivers as separate lines. Confirm whether the housings are for new construction or remodel work, and which can size and type the plans call for.
How much wire should I add for slack and waste?
There is no single figure that fits every job. Set your own allowance for slack at each box and at the panel, plus waste on coils and spools, write it down, and use it the same way throughout.
Should I carry the utility connection charges in my bid?
Usually this is a question for the owner and the utility. Whatever you decide, state it in your exclusions or RFIs so nobody assumes it is included.
Which wiring method should I assume when the plans do not say?
Follow what local code allows and what the area expects: NM-B for concealed wiring in wood-framed homes where it is permitted, and conduit where it is required. State your choice as an assumption so it can be changed.
