Best-ranked electricians in the area

Any time you hire a contractor, price is a consideration. But with electricity, there's a safety issue. So you want a company that knows what it's doing.

According to the latest issue of Puget Sound Consumers' CHECKBOOK magazine, you can hire a capable, qualified electrician and not get zapped on the price.

Before you hire an electrician, get a few estimates. Robert Krughoff, president of CHECKBOOK magazine, says you'll be glad you did.

"In general, it's going to really pay for your time to get several quotes. In many cases you can get quote for a very simple job over the phone," he said.

For its current edition, the magazine price-shopped the following job: replace a ceiling light fixture with a new ceiling fan with light supplied by the customers. Estimates ranged from $155 to $375. That's quite a difference.

CHECKBOOK says for a big job such as a home remodel, the difference can be in the thousands.

"CHECKBOOK has found some fabulous electricians in the Puget Sound area who charge very reasonable prices," Krughoff said. "Really, (we found) no relationship between quality and price, which is something we find with most services we look at."

Kemly Electric, a Ballard company, is one of the top-rated firms.

Terry Virdell hired Kemly for his home remodel project and he's happy he did.

"I like the fact that when they come on site, they had a lot of energy. They really care about what they're doing. They're quality work," he said.

Owner Brian Kemly says he trains his crew to put the customer first.

"I think listening is a big thing. Listening to what the customer wants -- that's very important," he said.

Kemly is one of nine local firms that received high enough scores for quality work in order to qualify for a CHECKBOOK recommendation. Accurate Electric of Issaquah got the highest overall score -- a perfect 100.

If an electrician offers you a lower price in exchange for paying upfront with cash, don't accept the deal. Once you hand over the money, you have no leverage if the job isn't done correctly or if the contractor skips out on the work. You want to withhold final payment until the work is done and you are satisfied.

Complete list of CHECKBOOK-recommended electricians:

Accurate Electric, Issaquah

Boyer Electric, Seattle

The Circuit Detective, Carnation

Hill Electric, Woodinville

Kemly Electric, Seattle

Night Designs & Electric, Tacoma

Old Time Electric, Lakewood

R.B. White Electric, Seattle