Electrical Estimate: How to Write One Right, From Your Phone

By Frank Flores · Updated September 2026

Electrical work is sold on trust. Most customers are nervous about wiring. They cannot tell if you will leave the house safe or leave them with a problem. Your estimate is the first proof that you know what you are doing.

An electrical estimate that is broken down, names the materials and includes the permit puts you on the side of the licensed professional. A single number sent by text puts you on the side of the risk.

Speed matters too. Plenty of skilled electricians freeze up the moment the customer says "send me the estimate," and they lose jobs to someone who simply answered first with something that looked serious. You do not need to be faster with a keyboard. You just need a way to send a clean estimate while you are still standing in the customer's house.

What to include in an electrical estimate

• Evaluation. Checking the panel, the circuits and the load before you promise anything.
• Electrical materials. Wire by gauge, breakers, outlets, switches, boxes and fixtures. Name the brand on the parts that matter.
• Labor. Per device (per outlet, switch or fixture), by the hour, or per project. Pricing per device is the easiest for the customer to follow.
• Permits and inspection. If the job needs a permit, list it with its cost and the time it adds. It shows you work by the book.
• Panel work. Panel upgrades, subpanels and service changes are their own lines. Never bury them inside another job.
• Patching and finish. Who closes and paints the holes cut in the drywall to fish the wire. Put it in writing.
• Final testing. Checking voltage and that every device you installed works.
• Warranty and price validity. Your warranty on the installation, and a short valid until date, because copper and wire prices move.

Sample electrical estimate lines

Here is how adding outlets and lighting to a bedroom might look. These are example numbers only. Use your own prices.

Under the lines, add a note: drywall patching and paint are not included unless listed.

Electrical estimate mistakes that cost you money

• Pricing without looking at the panel. An older house with aluminum wiring or a full panel can turn your price into a loss.
• Giving the price too long a life. Wire and breaker prices change. Keep the valid until date short.
• Giving away the diagnosis. Troubleshooting takes skill and time. If you charge for it, it goes on the estimate.
• Bundling a panel upgrade into a small job. Panel work carries the most risk and the most time. Price it on its own line.

How to write an electrical estimate from your phone

No computer and no typing:

1. Open Chambaly and tap the microphone.
2. Describe the job. "Install six outlets and two switches in a bedroom, new 20 amp circuit, 12 gauge wire, permit included." Talk to it like you would talk to your helper.
3. AI builds the lines. It separates labor, materials and the permit. If you did not say a price, it suggests one and flags it for you to check.
4. You set the price. The number is always yours. Your markup on materials stays inside the price and only you see it.
5. Send it by text, WhatsApp or email. The customer gets a clean PDF with your business name, every line, the valid until date and how to pay you.

Why a detailed electrical estimate works

• You earn trust before touching a wire. Named materials and a permit line tell the customer you do it right.
• You avoid scope fights. Patching, fixtures and panel work are clearly in or out.
• You get paid. When the customer accepts, turn the estimate into an invoice in one tap and let Chambaly remind you on the due date.