Shields Electric

First, if you’re having electric problems, I’m sorry to tell you this, but it’s not going to be a cheap fix. The best you can hope for is that it won’t be a devastating cost. Electricians are far more technically skilled than most of the people who will come work on your house. Also, electricity is really dangerous, and there are a lot of overhead costs. So when the electricians flips you a $ 150 bill for 30 minutes (or whatever), he’s probably not cheating you. This coming from someone who has worked on jobs with electricians AND hates spending money on this kind of stuff.
Anyway, my AC went out last night, along with the power in about ¼ of my house, and it’s predicted to be 107 today. I spent five years doing residential remodeling, so I knew not to try to mess with electric myself outside of basic troubleshooting. So, I gathered as much information about the problem as I could, then called three electricians this morning. Shields was the only one who called back.
He left another job and was at my house within an hour or two. I told him I was on a budget and had some DIY experience. There’s really not a lot of corners to cut with electricity, but he was great. He walked through everything with me, explaining what went wrong, what to do if it happens again, etc. He fixed it, and my AC is back on… just as it’s really heating up outside.
Finally, as others have mentioned, Jeff is just a pleasant guy to be around. I’ll definitely be calling him again if I have any more problems, or if I need any electric work done (I will).
Note to other reviewers: the electricians that didn’t call me back must be busy. Most residential electricians are independent contractors, meaning they don’t have receptionists to tell you they don’t have time for your job. It doesn’t make sense to leave one star reviews, as a couple people have done for this company, and you are hurting family run businesses because of your inconvenience. If you feel a burning need to convey your experience, you might consider giving 3 stars, since you didn’t actually talk to anyone, and it’s unfortunate you gave one star to a good company. But really, you should leave messages for a few of them at the same time and hire the first one who is available (assuming you’ve already vetted all three).

I have been using this company for over five years in my contracting business. I have always had great device and follow through. I feel like Jeff the owner is honest and really cares about doing the right thing. I always wear recommend this company to my friends and family.

Had a great experience working with Jeff Shields. A very pleasant guy, he was able to come out to do a small job at our house the day after I called him. Would definitely hire Shields Electric again.

I have called and left two messages and never received a call back.
I imagine the job I needed done was too small.
Never mind I manage multiple properties and have semi-​frequent work.

We had used Shields Electric in the past and were very happy with their service. I called them on two separate days and left voicemails asking for them to return my call to schedule an appointment to fix the outlet for our dishwasher. They have not returned my calls.
They used to be great, but it looks like something has happened to them. Not the kind of customer service I want from a business that I would have used again.
I’ll be finding a new electrician.

When we had to do some emergency work at B Street Theatre, we cold called Jeff after reading reviews on Unilocal.What a lucky find! He came out that day to assist! He was efficient, fast, and clearly explained all the issues to us.
Jeff also recognized that we, as a not-​for-​profit organization, are always always operating on limited resources. His response? To donate some of his services to us!
Many of our own employees liked his work so much they hired him for personal jobs. We couldn’t be happier and look forward to a long relationship with an electrician we can count on.

The Husband and I were looking for an Electrician to install some lights on the front of our house as well as some can lights in our kitchen. We looked up on Unilocal some of the highest rated Electricians and my Husband called two of them one weekday to see about getting an estimate for the work.
The first Electrical company got back to us within 24 hours which is pretty typical. Unfortunately Shields Electric never returned our call. A few weeks later we are still waiting for a call back, but we have already spent $ 1000+ with the company who actually returned our call.
Good customer service starts with a phone call.

I called the top 5 electricians in the area off of Angies List. Shields was one of them. None of the electricians answered but the first to call back was Jeff from Shields. They have a $ 155 service fee for any work that they tell you over the phone and $ 70 for each additional hour not including parts. Jeff was able to fit me in right away. They are a small family operation but they get the work done and in reasonable time frame. They ran to home depot and picked the parts up for me and didn’t charge me for the time they spent at home depot. I paid total $ 175 for them to fix a short in my electrical box and put in a new outlet and wiring in my shed. They are down to earth guys and really don’t have a sarcastic demeanor as some of the other reviews would have you think.
The total time from them showing up to them leaving was roughly 1 hour 45 mins and they only charged me the one hour service fee and parts cost from home depot which was $ 20 dollars. They only charged me for the time they actually spent working on my problem which was amazing. The service fee is a little high compared to some other shops which will come give you a quote for free, but those shops could not even come take a look at my issue for a couple days. I don’t know about you but not having electricity to my kitchen appliances was a big problem. Jeff even was nice enough to let me watch and show me some of the electrical problems and how to fix them in the future, if they should ever happen elsewhere.
I will definitely be using these guys again.

Shields Electric FOR THE WIN! I enjoy meeting people that are good at what they do. .. I believe a big part of being «good» is not only technical knowledge, but also attitude, creativity, determination, and the ability to communicate with lay people such as myself. Jeff at Shields Electric is all of that and more, and I can’t speak highly enough about him and his team.
We initially wanted a whole house fan, but traditional whole house fans won’t fit in our second story due to space constraints in the attic from a low roof and the furnace/​AC equipment. That led us down the path of the Quiet Cool system which I was very intrigued by. After doing research, I called out several companies that bestowed the benefits of Quiet Cool fans, but most of them told me the same thing: I didn’t have enough space in my attic for a Quiet Cool fan, despite the fact they are made to fit in tighter spaces. This was because the intake vent was going to need to be located in the ceiling on the FAR side of the existing HVAC equipment, and the low roof made it «impossible» to physically get the fan housing to the location where it needed to be.
One company mentioned an alternative: install two smaller fans in each of the two guest rooms, and combine them to get almost the same air flow as the one larger fan that I was interested in. Although I appreciated the creativity, I really didn’t want individual fans in separate rooms; I wanted one central whole house fan.
The last company I called was Shields Electric. Jeff came out quickly and investigated the situation. He noted the space constraints and challenges that existed (which I knew about, but didn’t tell him that others had told me) but instead of a «can’t be done» attitude, he mentioned that it could be done, and then also started looking at other options for alternatives I might like even better (vertical mount on a high ceiling, possibly another fan for a separate part of the house). After walking around and discussing with him, we decided the one central fan was the way to go. I challenged him from the same angles that everybody else said it couldn’t be done: no space to move the fan, low ceiling, HVAC equipment in the way. Each challenge I threw at him he easily said «no problem, and here’s why».
He was able to squeeze me into his schedule today, July 3^rd, after coming out the prior week (and that was mainly due to my own work schedule). He showed up exactly on time and left right around noon, as he said he would. I now have a Quiet Cool fan located right where several others said was impossible to install due to space constraints.
Jeff takes pride in doing what others can’t, and that sets him apart. His creativity shows through and he really discusses the solution with you rather than just telling you how it is.
I also laugh at others that cry foul on «overcharging.» I personally avoid paying the lowest cost guy. .. if you were good at what you do, you would charge more for it. Good athletes get paid more. Good professionals at anything get paid more. You want a job done right without issue, and a problem solver that will accomplish with a better result things that others say were impossible. .. you SHOULD pay more.
I found Jeff and everyone I interfaced with very pleasant, down-​to-​earth, and professional. I would use Shields Electric again in a heartbeat, and would not hesitate recommending them to anybody who was a true, professional problem solver that gets things done and gets them done right with a great can-​do attitude.
Thanks, Jeff. Will definitely talk to you soon.
–Eric

I would give Shields Electric 100 stars if it went that high.
One of the circuits went down on my East Sac house built in the 1920’s with a box almost as old — and of course it was the one that controlled our kitchen appliances and our A/​C — during the summer… in Sacramento… I called Shields and spoke to a nice fellow who took my info and got a call from Jeff the owner a short time later. He was open to my crazy schedule and was able to diagnose and fix the problem the next day and for an excellent price.
That’s the easy part; now here’s where it goes nuts. We had to get SMUD involved initially and the first SMUD guy indicated that it was a pretty simple issue not requiring permits and inspections. Of course once Jeff was finished with his work, we had to get SMUD back out to get us back online. Well we get Captain By-​the-​Book McRegulationstien and he decides that the full boat of permits and inspections are required before we can get power back. Turns out that «No power with a baby during the summer» means exactly nothing to SMUD. FYI.
So after an hour of myself, my wife, and Jeff on the phone with SMUD after hours, we finally get them to send another troubleshooter out to re-​check it. Jeff leaves his house on his time and comes back over to meet them to discuss the scope of work. We all find out that the rules that SMUD has chosen to use have changed and now there is, in fact, an inspection required. Jeff stayed with us until about 10pm to make sure the after-​hours inspector was all settled and then even came back later when the SMUD trucks showed up to turn us back on.
The way that we were treated by SMUD was a huge issue that we will be filing a complaint about. Jeff stuck with us the entire time and even went down to the city the next day to get the permit we needed because my wife and I both had to be at work. There aren’t enough good things to say about how helpful he was and how WAY far above the call of duty he went. We’ll tell everyone we know who to go to for an electrician and now you know too.

They came out same day that I called, and fixed our electrical problem. They have a $ 155.00 service fee which includes the first hour. That was a little steep for me, but we needed to have the problem fixed, and the technician was very through and professional.

Rude and arrogant group of people. Will overcharge.

Sheild Electric is so over-​rated; for it pays for advertising.
My husband and I hired him — since he is on top of the list. He came out for half an hour, and charged us $ 250 on «consultation».
He recommended that we replaced our electrical panel; the price tag was $ 2000 and more. I forgot exactly. But was a lot.
We still wanted to work with him — we enjoyed his demeanor. My husband followed up w/​him to ask for detailed quote on each item and cost. He said his office manager — who is his wife, was on vacation. So we were told before that it would take some time for him to get that to us. And it never come.
My husband then went on Better Business Bureau, and found a good one. The electrician came out. He said for this rental property, we are NOT required to replaced the panel. We can install GFI power switches/​breakers in kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room where there is water. If there is power surge, it will just cut off the power. It is totally Ok. The whole thing cost us less than $ 300.

This review is long overdue so I apologize to the guys at Shields Electric!
I needed a ceiling fan installed in a new location at the beginning of the summer. Jeff offered a very reasonable quote and was on-​time and courteous during the estimate process.
The team that came out to install the ceiling fan was also on-​time, extremely nice and finished up the job quickly. I was even surprised to see how much they cleaned up after themselves. It was like they’d never been there, and I had a fantastic new ceiling fan.
A great group and I would highly recommend.

I hired these guys based on Unilocal reviews and they did not disappoint. The owner came out to bid the job personally and was able to have guys there the next day to do the work. It is said that they specialize in older homes and they do! They stumbled on some oddities in my 1940 home wiring and didn’t miss a beat. They just went to a specialty parts place and got the rare part — and still finished on time and on budget.
Give these guys a try. Their pricese are so good that it’s just not worth electrocuting yourself for DIY-​status.

This review is long overdue. We called Jeff a while back to install some recessed lights in our living room. We told him what we wanted and he (gingerly) suggested something slightly different. The end result was something we never could have come up with on our own– we love it! The icing on the cake is that the whold job was completed in one day (a few days after we called) and Jeff is just about the nicest, coolest guy you could know. Highly recommend and would not trust my home with anyone else.

I needed to get a couple of external power outlets installed at my house. I saw all the great reviews here for Shields Electric, so I gave them a call. Jeff Shields came out to have a look and explained to me exactly what he planned to do and got my approval on everything. A few days later they gave me the estimate, then came out and did the work the following day.
They estimated an 8am to 11am timeframe, arrived a few minutes before 8, and finished a few minutes before 11. The work was done very professionally — exactly what they said they would do. It was all very professional and well-​done work. I’m very happy and would recommend them for any electrical work.

I called Jeff because our renters said one of the breakers was not working correctly. He called our renter to make an appt. and went over that very afternoon and fixed the problem. He is courteous and very professional. He is our new electrician!
The cost was very reasonable as well.

All the good reviews here are correct.
Two noncontiguous electrical outlets in my kitchen mysteriously went pfft. I began brooding about the terrible trouble I may be in. I read the Unilocal reviews for electricians and called Shields to set up an appointment.
Next morning, Nathan arrives, diagnoses the problem almost immediately, and 20 minutes later he has everything working again– it’s like magic.
Knowledgeable, capable, courteous, communicative, NICE people.

What a refreshing experience! I called Shields Electric to install a chandelier. Shields was able to come out right away and install it perfectly. Nathan and Jeff made sure I was really happy with the positioning, they left my home clean and in order and the price was very reasonable. I highly recommend Shields!