Free electrical estimate template
Written around device counts, circuit runs and inspection reality — including the code upgrades an inspector will make you do once the panel cover comes off.
In short
An electrical estimate should be built from device and fixture counts, the number and length of circuit runs, panel or service work, and permit plus inspection fees stated separately. It needs written exclusions for code upgrades triggered during inspection, concealed wiring conditions such as aluminum or knob-and-tube, and drywall patching at access openings. The template below covers all of that and is free to print or copy.
The electrical template
A worked 200-amp service panel upgrade is filled in as an example. Replace the counts and rates with your own.
[Your Business Name]
[Street address, city, state ZIP]
[Phone] · [Email]
License #: ____________
Estimate
Estimate #: ____________
Date: ____________
Valid until: ____________
Prepared for
Name: ____________________
Phone: ___________________
Email: ___________________
Job location
Address: _________________
City / State / ZIP: ________
Start date: ______________
Scope of work — Service upgrade — 100A to 200A, overhead residential
- •Coordinate utility disconnect and reconnect; pull electrical permit
- •Remove existing 100A meter socket, panel and service entrance conductors
- •Install new 200A meter socket, mast, weatherhead and service entrance cable
- •Install new 200A 40-space load center; label all circuits
- •Transfer and terminate existing branch circuits; replace damaged breakers
- •Install AFCI/GFCI breakers where required by current code
- •Install new grounding electrode system: two ground rods and water bond
- •Test all circuits, meet inspector, restore service
Labor
Demo existing service and panel
Install mast, meter socket and service entrance
Set panel, transfer and terminate branch circuits
Grounding electrode system and bonding
Utility coordination, testing and inspection
Materials
200A 40-space main breaker load center
200A meter socket
2" rigid mast, weatherhead and straps
4/0-4/0-2/0 SER service entrance cable
AFCI/GFCI breakers, single pole
Standard breakers, assorted
Ground rods, acorn clamps and #4 bare copper
Connectors, anti-oxidant, labels and sealant
- Subtotal
- $3,597.19
- Sales tax
- $88.58
- Total
- $3,685.77
Not included
- •Permit and inspection fees, billed at cost
- •Re-inspection fees caused by pre-existing conditions
- •Replacement or repair of existing branch wiring, including aluminum or knob-and-tube
- •Whole-house smoke and CO alarm interconnection, if required — quoted separately
- •Drywall, siding, stucco or paint repair at access and mast penetrations
- •Utility-side charges billed directly to the homeowner
- •Generator interlock, transfer switch or surge protection unless listed above
Terms
- •50% deposit at scheduling; balance due after final inspection passes
- •Estimate valid for 30 days from the date above
- •Power will be off approximately 6 to 8 hours on the day of the change-out
- •All work performed by licensed and insured electricians to current NEC and local code
- •1-year warranty on workmanship; manufacturer warranty on equipment
Customer signature / date
Contractor signature / date
Or skip the typing entirely
A blank template still means an hour at the kitchen table. With QuickBidAI you talk through the electrical job into your phone while you're still standing in it, and a filled-in estimate — scope, labor, materials, exclusions, terms — comes back in under a minute. You set every price before it goes out.
How to price electrical work
Count devices, then count runs
Receptacles, switches, fixtures and dedicated appliance circuits each have a labor unit. Then price the homerun: length, whether it's a finished wall, and how many studs or joists you're drilling.
Price the panel separately from the branch work
A service upgrade involves the utility, the meter socket, the grounding electrode system and an inspection. It's its own scope, not a line inside a remodel.
Put permit and inspection on the estimate
Show the permit at cost and note that a re-inspection caused by existing conditions is billed separately. That single sentence saves the awkward conversation.
Quote code upgrades as conditional lines
AFCI and GFCI protection, tamper-resistant devices, grounding electrode conductors, smoke and CO alarm interconnection. Price each with 'if required by inspector' so nothing is free.
Price access and patching honestly
Fishing a wire in a finished wall is slow. Either bill the access labor and exclude the drywall patch, or include patching and price it properly.
State the outage window
How long the power is off, whether a temporary feed is included, and who coordinates the utility disconnect. Customers plan around this.
Electrical lines that get left off
Utility coordination time
Scheduling the disconnect and reconnect, waiting on the truck, and the return trip if they miss the window is billable time.
Aluminum and knob-and-tube surprises
Old branch wiring found behind a panel changes the job. Exclude it in writing and price remediation separately.
Smoke and CO alarm requirements
Many jurisdictions trigger a whole-house alarm upgrade on a panel permit. Quote it conditionally rather than eating it.
Trenching and conduit for outbuildings
Feeding a garage or shed is excavation, conduit, backfill and a separate inspection — not just wire.