Can I get a Free Estimate over the phone? If you want a Free Estimate, call us at (800) 990-9490. We give Free Estimates either over the phone, or, if needed, after looking at your job. We can almost always give you a Free Estimate over the phone if your job is installing new items such as: • And all other installations of new electrical components (as opposed to repairs)

How can you give me an over-the-phone estimate for a job as big as a house rewire or an electrical panel upgrade? We’ll do a brief interview with you to find out the size of your house and some other basics. We can give you a rough estimate over the phone. Then if you want to take the next step, we can send an electrician to your home or business. He’ll look over your electrical system and give you a firm bid in writing. If the bid is acceptable, we’ll schedule the job with you.

Can you give me an over-the-phone estimate for installing a charger for an electric car? Yes, these can be as low as $200, and they go up from there. We’ll ask you the distance of your garage or carport to your electrical panel. If you’re interested, we’ll then send an electrician out to see the job. He’ll determine where the charger could go and also check that your electrical panel has sufficient power. The price of the job will depend on the distance from the electrical panel and whether your panel needs to be upgraded for more power. He can give you a firm written bid after looking at the job.

Are there times when you can’t do a Free Estimate? If you need something fixed that used to work, we’ll need to do on-site troubleshooting of your electrical system and charge for the electrician’s time. Within a half hour to an hour, we’ll know the extent of the problem. At that point, if he hasn’t already fixed the problem, the electrician can give you a firm bid in writing before doing more work. Often, by the time the electrician has figured out the problem (within a half hour to an hour or so) — let’s say it’s a loose wire — it will take another minute or so to fix it. In fact, he may not be certain that the loose wire was the entire problem until he tightens the wire, the circuit now works, and the job is done.

Why can’t you give an estimate for troubleshooting jobs? When a component in your electrical system no longer works, there can be variety of reasons, each requiring a different amount of time to fix.

Let’s say you have a swimming pool and the pool light no longer comes on. If the light switch has broken and needs replacing, we’re talking about an inexpensive part plus half an hour of labor. If the light fixture or the circuit breaker is broken, these parts are bigger expenses. If the wire feeding the light has a short circuit, that could mean digging up the wire that runs underground, cutting the concrete pool deck, replacing the wiring and its protective housing (electrical conduit), cutting a new trench and re-burying the wire, and finally, patching the concrete pool deck. That could be hundreds of dollars.

So, the symptom of the pool light not working doesn’t tell us the cost. We’ll need to troubleshoot on-site for a half hour to an hour, find the cause, and then we’ll be able to give you a firm bid price.

What is the difference between an estimate and a bid? We can give you a Free Estimate over the phone without seeing the job if your job is a new installation. If the estimate is acceptable and you want to move ahead, we’ll set an appointment with you to see the job. Once we’ve seen the job and checked out the details, we can give you a firm written bid in writing. It’s a firm price with no surprises for you.

How can I get started? Call us at (800) 990-9490 and ask for a Free Estimate.

For more about my company, The Electric Connection — all the stuff you wanted to know but were afraid to ask — click here. If you’re interested coupons for electrical work, for example, $50 off installation of a Whole House Surge Protector in the L.A. area, click on our coupon page.

Kim Hopkins, Owner The Electric Connection

If your circuit breaker keeps tripping, it can be more than a little annoying. Not only do you have to deal with everything attached to that circuit going dead constantly, but you have to wonder what else that means for your electrical system. What causes a circuit breaker to trip, and is it dangerous? Will fixing it be expensive? There are a long line of questions to consider, but most of them can only be answered once you find the root of the problem. We’re here to help!

What causes a circuit breaker to trip? Typically, one of the following:

If your circuit breaker keeps tripping and you’re located in Maryland, Northern Virginia, or Washington, DC, Kolb Electric can help. We’ll send a licensed electrician to your home or building to perform a thorough electrical inspection and diagnose the issue. If we find that the issue can be resolved, either through tightening a loose connection, redistributing the electrical load in multiple outlets, or any other means, we will proceed with your electrical repair. However, a circuit breaker replacement may be necessary. Our licensed electricians can let you know if this is the best course of action for you and install your replacement for you.

Contact us today to find out what causes a circuit breaker to trip in your home or building and get a solution that works!

If you live in Maryland, Northern Virginia, or Washington, DC, there’s a good chance you’ve seen one of Kolb Electric’s bucket trucks driving around! Our bucket trucks allow us to expand our service line far beyond that of most electricians in the area, and overall, they’re pretty great! These are a few of our favorite things about our bucket trucks:

The best thing about our bucket trucks is also their most defining feature—their height! Our trucks can reach up to 50 ft. Thanks to the lift we get from the cherry pickers, we can work on utility poles and parking lot lights as well as large industrial structures and anything else that requires a little extra lift.

Even up that high in the air, our bucket trucks keep our electricians safe. The buckets are designed to reach about waist height, meaning there’s very little risk of anyone actually falling out. Best of all, if something does happen—the weather turns bad, for instance—they’re easy to move out of dangerous areas.

Though they might seem big and complicated, once you get down to it, bucket trucks are pretty easy to use! A set of controls inside the cab controls the crane, while another set inside the bucket itself allows the rider to raise and lower him or herself while up there.

Not only that, but our bucket trucks also have space to hold all of our equipment, meaning we’re always prepared for jobs that involve going up high.

Our bucket truck fleet has helped us become one of the most well-known electrical service companies in the MD-DC-VA area. If you need utility pole, parking lot lighting, or any other services that require a bucket truck, call Kolb Electric today!

Click here to read more about our bucket truck services »

The times, they are a-changin'. President Obama recently announced the details of his highly anticipated Clean Power Plan, a measure aimed at reducing the country's harmful fossil fuel emissions and limiting our contribution to climate change. The plan, when fully implemented, should reduce carbon emissions by 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Read on to learn more about the Clean Power Plan and what it means for you.

Lower Prices at the Meter

The Clean Power Plan was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, under the authority granted by the Clean Air Act. It imposes sharp limits on the types of energy production that power the nation's electrical work, but grants flexibility to states in how they act to meet those limits. In general, the plan encourages a shift away from burning coal during energy generation, while states have the option of upping their renewable energy production, using nuclear energy, increasing their efficiency or relying more on natural gas.

The good news for homeowners is that the plan is projected to decrease the bills you pay to power your residential electrical work. An analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that the average home electricity bill could fall by as much as 8 percent, and consumers could save up to $37.4 billion overall in electricity by 2020. The rationale for the savings is that renewable fuel sources cost less to run over time once the initial infrastructure is in place. Also, the plan encourages investments in household energy efficiency, which means that you may come to be less reliant on your home electrical work without substantially changing your behavior.

Clean Air for Breathing

The Clean Power Plan has another ancillary effect that has nothing to do with electrical work: it should cut down on air pollution and create a healthier breathing environment. For example, while we rely on the ozone level high in the sky to block harmful sun rays, ozone at ground level is known by another name – smog. It is created when sunlight interacts with pollutants and can be very harmful to our health. The plan should reduce smog levels and provide us with cleaner air to breathe.

Furthermore, one of the biggest signs of climate change is unusually hot and dry weather in certain parts of the country, which can lead to out-of-control wildfires and harmful particulates that damage your lungs. Strange weather patterns have also been blamed for an increase in allergies this year. By slowing the pace of climate change and keeping harmful pollutants out of the air, the Clean Power Plan can help you breathe easy.

If you have any concerns about the effect the Clean Power Plan will have on your energy prices or electrical work, call a knowledgeable electrician today.