Berks County · Pennsylvania
Electrician in Reading, PA |Find Local Electrical Help
Pennsylvania Electricians is an independent contractor-referral service that helps Reading homeowners, landlords, and property managers find an electrician for repairs, electrical panel repair and upgrades, fuse boxes, and old wiring. Call, and you're connected with a participating independent electrician serving Reading and Berks County when one is available.
Get Connected With an Electrician
Serving Reading and Berks County
If there's smoke, sparking, or a burning smell, leave the house and call 911 first.
2 Have your ZIP code ready and call
Call for Electrical Help(717) 409-6059- Free referral, no obligation to hire
- Routed to a participating independent electrician near you
- Availability varies by ZIP code and time of day
- Pennsylvania has no statewide electrician license; cities set their own
- Home improvement contractors doing $5,000+ a year register with the PA Attorney General
- Half the homes in York, Lancaster, and Reading were built before 1940 (Census)
- Burning smell, smoke, or sparks: get out and call 911
What people call about
Common electrical problems in Reading homes
No city we cover has older homes than Reading: 57 percent were built before 1940 and 75 percent before 1960 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024). That shows up in the electrical calls. Only an on-site diagnosis can say what's behind a problem in a particular house.
Fuse boxes and old panels
Rowhomes that still run on screw-in fuses, or on early breaker panels that are hard to find parts for. Panel repair is sometimes possible; sometimes replacement is the better money.
Knob-and-tube still in service
With three in five homes built before 1940, original knob-and-tube wiring turns up often, sometimes buried under attic insulation it was never meant to be covered by.
Overloaded circuits
Space heaters, window air conditioners, and kitchen appliances on circuits that were laid out for a few lights. Repeat trips call for a diagnosis, not a bigger fuse or breaker.
Rental units
Reading has a large rental market. Units split from single houses can have shared or confusing circuits, and rental inspections can flag electrical items that need correcting.
Warm or loose outlets
Worn outlets that won't hold a plug, or that are warm or discolored. Heat means a poor connection; stop using it.
Partial power loss
Half the house dark with nothing tripped can be a problem at the panel or service connection. Check whether neighbors have power first.
Services
Electrical services in Reading
Participating electricians take different kinds of work, so confirm the specific job when you're connected. Each page below explains the warning signs, likely causes, and what affects the price.
Electrical Repair
Dead circuits, flickering lights, buzzing, and problems you can't pin down. How electricians track down the cause, what repairs usually involve, and what they cost.
Details →Emergency Electrician
Burning smells, sparking, a hot panel, or a partial outage. Who to call first, what an urgent electrician visit involves, what it costs, and what can safely wait until morning.
Details →Electrical Panel Upgrades
Replacing a fuse box, an undersized 60- or 100-amp panel, or a panel brand inspectors flag. The warning signs, what the job involves, the permit and utility steps, and what it typically costs.
Details →Circuit Breaker Repair
Breakers that trip over and over, won't reset, or feel warm. What's usually behind it, why a bigger breaker is never the fix, and what repair or replacement costs.
Details →House Rewiring
Knob-and-tube, cloth-insulated, aluminum, and damaged wiring in older Pennsylvania homes. How to tell what you have, when partial or full rewiring makes sense, and what it costs.
Details →Outlet and Switch Repair
Dead, loose, warm, or two-prong outlets, switches that buzz or fail, and GFCI protection where it's needed. What causes each, what's safe to check yourself, and what repairs cost.
Details →When to call an electrician in Reading
Some electrical problems are a one-time nuisance and some are a warning. A single tripped breaker after running a space heater and a hair dryer together is usually just an overload. The same breaker tripping every day, an outlet that's warm to the touch, or lights that dim across several rooms point to something that needs a professional diagnosis. Don't open the panel or take covers off to look for yourself.
- A fuse blows or a breaker trips again after you've unplugged things and reset it once
- The panel or a fuse is warm, buzzing, or discolored
- An outlet or switch is warm, scorched, or smells hot
- Part of the house has no power and the neighbors do
- A rental inspection or home inspection flagged the electrical system
- You've found knob-and-tube or cloth-insulated wiring, especially near insulation
If there's smoke, flame, sparking, or a burning smell, leave the house and call 911. For a downed line or a damaged meter, stay away and call Met-Ed at 1-888-544-4877. Our guide to when to call an emergency electrician covers the in-between cases.
Local considerations for Reading homes
The oldest homes of any city we cover. Census figures put Reading's median year built at 1938, with 57 percent of homes built before 1940 and 75 percent before 1960 (Census Reporter). Most are brick rowhomes and twins. They've usually been rewired in pieces over the decades, so it's common to find several generations of wiring and a panel that has been added onto more than once. Expect an electrician to spend time mapping circuits before quoting a bigger job.
Reading licenses electricians. Pennsylvania has no statewide electrician license, but the City of Reading does license electricians through its Electricians' Examining Board, with journeyman and master license levels that require documented experience and a city exam. For work inside city limits, it's reasonable to ask the electrician for their Reading license, along with their Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor (PAHIC) registration number.
Permits through City Hall or online. Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits for city properties go through City Hall at 815 Washington St., with an online permit portal; the Citizens' Service Center is at (877) 727-3234. The suburbs around Reading, such as the boroughs and townships of Berks County, each run their own Uniform Construction Code program.
Met-Ed is the utility, and rentals are inspected. Reading is in Met-Ed's territory; report outages and downed lines to Met-Ed at 1-888-544-4877. The city also requires rental properties to be registered and periodically inspected under its rental inspection program, so landlords should keep electrical permits and repair records with each unit's file.
Electrical panel repair and wiring in Reading rowhomes
"Electrical panel repair" can mean replacing a failed breaker, tightening or replacing a scorched connection, or fixing a damaged bus. In an old panel or a fuse box, an electrician may recommend replacement instead, especially if parts are hard to find or the service is undersized. These signs are worth an assessment:
- A fuse box, or any fuse larger than the original for its circuit
- A panel that's warm, buzzing, rusty, or scorched
- 60- or 100-amp service with central air, electric appliances, or a planned EV charger; see panel upgrades
- Cloth-covered wire or porcelain knobs in the basement or attic; see rewiring an older home
- Two-prong outlets throughout, and no GFCI outlets in the kitchen or bathroom
- Extension cords doing the job of missing outlets
How the referral works
How contractor matching works in Reading
You call the number on this site
Have the property's Reading address or ZIP code ready, plus a short description: what isn't working, whether a breaker keeps tripping, and anything you've seen, heard, or smelled.
Your call is routed to a participating electrician
Your call is connected with a participating independent electrician or electrical contractor who serves your area, if one is available. We do not send anyone ourselves.
You deal with that electrician directly
The electrician diagnoses the problem, quotes the job, and does any work you agree to under their own business name, license where one is required, and insurance. You decide whether to hire them; there is no obligation.
Good to know: availability depends on which participating electricians cover your ZIP code, and not every electrician takes every kind of job. Pennsylvania has no statewide electrician license, so ask whether your municipality requires one, for their PA Home Improvement Contractor (PAHIC) registration number, proof of insurance, and a written price. Our hiring checklist covers what to ask.
Questions
Electrical questions from Reading
How much does an electrician cost in Reading, PA?
There's no Reading-specific price survey. Angi's 2026 national data puts the average electrician job at $351, with most between $163 and $538, plus a typical $100 to $200 service call. Electricians in the Reading metro earned a mean $36.81 an hour in May 2025 (BLS), compared with $34.37 nationally, so expect prices at or a little above national ranges. HomeAdvisor puts a 200-amp panel at $1,300 to $2,000.
Does Reading require electricians to be licensed?
Yes, for work in the city. Pennsylvania has no statewide license, but the City of Reading licenses electricians through its Electricians' Examining Board. Ask for the electrician's Reading license and their PAHIC registration number.
Can an old electrical panel be repaired, or does it need replacing?
It depends on the panel and the problem. A failed breaker or a damaged connection can often be repaired. A fuse box, a panel with scorching or corrosion, an undersized service, or a panel without available parts usually points to replacement. HomeAdvisor puts panel replacement at $518 to $2,193 on average.
Who do I call for a power outage in Reading?
Met-Ed serves Reading. Report outages and downed lines to Met-Ed at 1-888-544-4877. If only part of your house is out and the neighbors have power, call an electrician.
Do Reading rental properties get electrical inspections?
Reading requires rental properties to be registered and periodically inspected under its rental inspection program, and inspectors can cite electrical hazards. Landlords should fix flagged items with a permit where required and keep the records.
Can I get an electrician in Reading today?
Call and ask. Availability depends on which participating electricians cover your ZIP code and when you call, so we can't promise a time. If there's smoke, sparking, or a burning smell, leave the house and call 911 first.
Nearby
Nearby service areas
Find an Electrician in Reading
Call and we'll try to connect you with a participating independent electrician who serves Reading and Berks County.