Electrician Orlando: $50 to $130 an Hour + OUC, Duke Outages

Orlando runs on two utilities, and knowing which one is yours saves time in an outage. OUC, the Orlando Utilities Commission, serves the City of Orlando. Duke Energy Florida serves much of Orange County outside OUC. On the morning after Hurricane Milton, the Florida Public Service Commission counted 52,777 of 222,092 OUC accounts out (23.76%), 83,023 of 672,416 accounts out across Orange County (12.35%), and 708,441 Duke Energy customers out statewide (35%).

OUC or Duke Energy: who to call when the power goes out

OUC's 24-hour outage line is (407) 423-9018, and you can also report through your myOUC account under Outages and Service Problems. Duke Energy Florida customers report at duke-energy.com/outages. Your electric bill names the utility. The wiring inside your home is on the owner's side of the meter, and that is when you call an electrician.

• Neighborhood out: call OUC at (407) 423-9018, or report to Duke Energy online.
• Line down: stay away and report it to your utility. If it is sparking, burning or someone is hurt, call 911.
• Smoke, fire or a burning smell: leave the house and call 911.
• Floodwater in the house: stay out of the water and do not touch outlets or the panel. Call an electrician before using anything that got wet.
• Neighbors have power and you do not: look at the main breaker on the panel (leave the cover on), then call an electrician.

Local rules and contacts for Orlando, from official city, state and utility pages unless the source says otherwise.

Do this now: sparks, smoke, a downed line or a dead circuit

Work down this list in order; the first two are not jobs for an electrician.

1. Sparks, smoke or a burning smell: get everyone out and call 911 from outside. Do not stay to open the panel or look for the source.
2. A downed power line: stay far away, treat every wire as live and call 911, as FPL's power line safety guidance says; then report it to the electric utility. OUC customers can call OUC's 24-hour line, (407) 423-9018; Duke Energy Florida customers report at duke-energy.com/outages.
3. Water near outlets or the panel: shut off the breaker only if you can reach the panel from a dry spot. If you cannot, stay out of the room.
4. One circuit dead: unplug everything on it and reset the breaker one time. If it trips again, stop; breaker keeps tripping explains why.
5. Then call an electrician and ask for the service call fee before anyone is sent.

Is it an emergency? Signs you need an electrician today

Call today if you notice any of these warning signs from ESFI: an outlet or switch that is warm or discolored, sizzling or buzzing, a mild shock or tingle, flickering or dimming lights, or a breaker that trips again and again. Smoke or a burning smell is a 911 call first.

Whole street out? Call OUC at (407) 423-9018 inside the city, or report it to Duke Energy Florida. Wiring that got wet in a flood needs an electrician before the power goes back on.

What can usually wait for a daytime visit: one dead outlet after you have pressed RESET on the nearest GFCI and checked the breaker, or a fixture that stopped working with no heat, smell or sound. That keeps you off night and weekend rates, which HomeGuide puts at $150 to $200 an hour. The emergency electrician guide covers after-hours calls.

How much does an electrician cost in Orlando

No cost guide publishes Orlando prices. These are Angi's national numbers, from its electrician and outlet repair guides. Angi's data shows 36.4% of switch, outlet and fixture jobs are emergencies, so the after-hours row is worth reading. See the electrician near me guide for more repair prices.

National figures from Angi. No Orlando-specific electrician price was found in any cost guide.

Flooding and wiring: what Ian showed in Central Florida

Hurricane Ian dropped more than a foot of rain on Orlando International Airport in 24 hours on Sept. 28 and 29, 2022, and the month ended at 22.42 inches, the wettest September on record there, Spectrum News 13 reported. Historic flooding hit the Little Wekiva River, Shingle Creek and the St. Johns River. Water in a house is an electrical problem before it is anything else. Keep power off to wet areas, and have outlets, GFCIs and the panel checked before you use them again. The emergency electrician guide covers the first hour. For the water itself, see water damage restoration.

Florida license rules for Orlando electricians

Florida Statutes 489.531 makes unlicensed electrical contracting illegal, and a third-degree felony when it happens during a declared emergency. Under 489.505, an EC license is good statewide while an ER license is good only in the jurisdiction that issued it, so ask an ER contractor where the registration comes from.

Orange County's solar permit rules show the same line in practice: electrical contractors (EC or ER) or solar contractors (CVC) may pull unincorporated Orange County's residential Sun Permit, but if a solar contractor pulls it, an electrical contractor must make the interconnection. We did not find the City of Orlando's electrical permit page, so ask the company which agency it will pull the permit from: the City of Orlando for addresses inside city limits, or Orange County's Building Division for unincorporated addresses. The electrician license guide by state has Florida's details.

Booking an Orlando electrician: questions and complaints

1. Is your license EC or ER? If ER, where was it issued?
2. Will you pull the permit, and from the city or the county?
3. What is the first-hour charge, and what do you add at night?
4. For a wet or scorched outlet: will you check the circuit, not just swap the receptacle?
5. Can I have the price in writing first?

Complaints against licensed contractors go to Florida DBPR under Construction Industry, (850) 487-1395. Calls to the electrician line go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job; how calls work.

Solar homes have their own rules on OUC's TruNet Solar plan and with Duke Energy; the Orlando solar service guide covers them. Backup power options are in generator installation.