Yes, if you split the work. Quoting software can lay out three priced options side by side, and an AI assistant can draft each package's wording from your site notes. You still decide what each tier contains, what the code requires in all three, and every exclusion. Build the tiers on paper first, then let the tool format them.
One rule keeps the whole thing honest: every option is a complete, compliant job. The tiers differ in what gets added (capacity, protection, spare ways, an EV-ready circuit), never in whether the work is safe. A "good" option with a required item stripped out is not a cheaper package; it is a liability with a price on it. The AI drafts, you check.
What the software does, what the AI does and what stays with you
"AI quoting software" bundles three separate roles, and only two of them belong to the tool. The quoting software holds your price book, lays options out side by side, collects the signature and takes the deposit. The AI part drafts words: a description of each package, the covering message, sometimes a first set of line items from an enquiry. You keep everything that carries risk: what the board needs, which protective devices your code requires, the exclusions and the prices.
Some of the tools that turn up for this phrase are takeoff products that read electrical drawings and count fittings; BuildVision AI is one. A panel upgrade has no drawing to read. The inputs are a photo of the existing board, a few measurements, a conversation about what the household plans to plug in, and your own assessment of the supply. So the useful AI here is the drafting kind.
These tools can show options side by side. Prices are list prices in USD, read on the vendors' own pages in October 2026.
| Tool | How it shows options | AI help named on its pages | Price signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housecall Pro | "Good, better, best" proposals built from templates, with side-by-side service comparisons | Estimates created "in seconds with AI" | Basic $59, Essentials $149, Max $299 a month on annual billing. The visual proposal tool is a $40 a month add-on on the first two and included in Max |
| Jobber | Optional line items the customer ticks or unticks in the client hub; the help page says "select plans", and the pricing page lists them on Grow and Plus | Jobber AI can draft a quote from a request using your past quotes and saved templates, on Connect and above | Grow, the cheapest plan with optional line items, from $149 a month for one user on annual billing; Connect from $99; the $29 Core plan has neither feature |
| FieldPulse | Its estimates page shows Good, Better and Best options for a new electric system | An office assistant called Maverick, listed as included on all plans | Seat-based, quoted on request |
| Handoff | Up to five estimate options per proposal on the Pro plan | AI estimates from scope notes, plans or job photos | Flex $119, Pro $239, Scale $719 a month billed annually |
| ServiceTitan | "Multi-option proposals" on its HVAC page | None named on the page I read | No prices on the pages I read |
Two details matter more than the brand names. First, Jobber's own help page uses gold, silver and bronze tiers as its optional-line-item example, so the pattern is supported. The catch is that a customer can tick any combination, which means a household can assemble a hybrid of A's base and B's extras that you never priced or checked. Look at how your plan locks the choice, or write the options as three separate bundles. Second, Housecall Pro's estimating page prices visual sales proposals at $40 a month on its two cheaper plans, and its pricing page counts the tool as included in Max, so the real price of side-by-side options there is the plan plus $40 until you reach Max. On Jobber the same step is a plan upgrade, because optional line items start on Grow.
If your software has no side-by-side layout, a one-page comparison sheet attached to the quote does the same job. The real saving from software is storing the three packages as templates so you are not rebuilding them each time. Jobber's October 2025 product update describes drafting a quote from a request using past quotes and templates, then reviewing and sending it. That is the right order of events: draft, then a person reads.
Design the three tiers on paper before opening any software
Start with what is allowed to change between tiers. For a panel or consumer unit upgrade I would use four dials: capacity (amps or spare ways), protection beyond the minimum, readiness for loads the household is planning, and service level. Safety is not a dial. Whatever your code requires on this particular job goes into every option, including the cheapest one.
Fixed in all three: a new board with every existing circuit re-connected and labelled; protective devices to at least the minimum your code requires; testing and the certificate or inspection paperwork; the permit or notification step where your rules ask for one, with fees passed on at cost. If your code requires something I have listed below as an extra, it moves into every tier.
- Option A, Replace. A new board of the same capacity. It suits a household whose loads are not changing.
- Option B, Upgrade. A larger board with spare ways, extra protection on named circuits, whole-house surge protection, and a supply capacity increase where the supply company approves one.
- Option C, Future-ready. Everything in B, plus a dedicated circuit for an EV charger (cable run to a stated length, no charger unit) and energy monitoring on the board.
The matrix below is what the homeowner actually compares. Notice that the bottom rows are identical in all three columns. Exclusions that differ between options are a hidden difference in price.
| What the homeowner is buying | Option A | Option B | Option C |
|---|---|---|---|
| New board, every existing circuit re-connected and labelled | Included | Included | Included |
| Board capacity | Same as today | Larger, 8 spare ways | Larger, 8 spare ways |
| Protective devices to the minimum your code requires | Included | Included | Included |
| Extra protection on named circuits (kitchen, bedrooms) | Not included | Included | Included |
| Whole-house surge protection | Optional extra | Included | Included |
| Supply capacity increase, subject to supply company approval | Not included | Included | Included |
| Dedicated EV charger circuit, cable up to 10 m | Not included | Optional extra | Included |
| Energy monitoring on the board | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Testing, certificate and inspection paperwork | Included | Included | Included |
| Permit or notification fees | At cost | At cost | At cost |
| Making good plaster and paint | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Defects found in existing wiring | Priced separately | Priced separately | Priced separately |
| Supply company charges and the charger unit | Not included | Not included | Not included |
Write the step-up in plain words next to each price. "For $1,700 more than A you get spare ways, extra protection on the kitchen and bedroom circuits, and surge protection" tells a household what the money buys. The same three-dial logic works for heating and cooling swaps; the tutorial on good-better-best HVAC pricing shows it on an equipment replacement. For Option C, the cable route needs a visit first, and the EV charger site survey checklist covers what to record.
A worked quote: one older board, three comparable prices
Take a 1970s house with its original 100-amp board and no spare ways. Every figure here is illustrative, not a market price, so replace them with your own. Labour is costed at $60 an hour (what an hour costs you, loaded, not what you charge). The target is a 40% gross margin, so price equals cost divided by 0.6. Permit and inspection fees are passed through at cost.
| Option | Labour | Materials | Cost before fees | Price at 40% margin | Fees at cost | Quote total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A, Replace | 10 h x $60 = $600 | $520 | $1,120 | $1,870 | $150 | $2,020 |
| B, Upgrade | 16 h x $60 = $960 | $1,180 | $2,140 | $3,570 | $150 | $3,720 |
| C, Future-ready | 24 h x $60 = $1,440 | $2,060 | $3,500 | $5,830 | $150 | $5,980 |
The steps up are $1,700 (A to B) and $2,260 (B to C). Prices are rounded to the nearest $10 after dividing by 0.6, which keeps each margin at 40% give or take a tenth of a point. Inside the materials column, A's $520 is a $260 board, sixteen protective devices at about $14 each and $36 of labels and sundries. B swaps in a $420 board, adds a $180 surge device, uses twenty-four devices at about $18 (some carry the extra protection) and carries $148 of sundries. C adds roughly $520 of cable, conduit and breaker for the charger circuit, a $250 energy monitor and $110 more in sundries.
Your own hours and material costs will be better than mine. The tutorial on building a price guide from your past jobs shows how to pull them out of old invoices. Let the software or a spreadsheet add the lines; do not ask a chat assistant to total a quote.
Pricing the optional extras, and the mix the board cannot take
The matrix has two "optional extra" cells, and each needs its own bundle with its own hours rather than a figure made up at the kitchen table. At the worked quote's rates, the EV circuit on its own is 6 hours ($360), $520 of cable, conduit and breaker and $60 of sundries: $940 of cost, or $1,570 at the 40% margin. The energy monitor on its own is 2 hours ($120), the $250 unit and $50 of sundries: $420 of cost, or $700. Together they come to $2,270, within $10 of the $2,260 step from B to C. That agreement is the check that your add-ons and your tiers were built from the same numbers.
So "B plus the EV circuit" is a real price: $3,720 plus $1,570, or $5,290. "A plus the EV circuit" is not, because Option A is a like-for-like board with no spare ways and nowhere to put a new circuit. When a household asks for it, explain why in one line and offer B with the circuit; never squeeze an extra device onto a full board to keep the sale. If your software lets the customer tick extras freely, as Jobber's optional line items do, offer the EV line under B only, since C already includes it. The surge device is the opposite case: it adds no new circuit, so where the new board has room for one, offering it as an add-on to A is fine, at about $420 (one hour, the $180 device and $10 of sundries, at the same margin). If your code requires it, it is already in A.
A prompt that turns site notes into three package descriptions
Once the structure exists, drafting is where AI earns its place. Give it your facts and fence it in so it cannot invent a standard or a promise.
You are helping an electrician write three upgrade options for a homeowner. Use ONLY the facts below.
Site notes: 1970s two-storey house; original 100-amp board, 12 ways, no spare ways; kitchen refit planned next year; homeowner is considering an electric car; board is in the hallway cupboard.
Option A "Replace": new board, same capacity, all existing circuits re-connected and labelled, protection devices to the minimum our code requires, testing and certificate.
Option B "Upgrade": A plus a larger board with 8 spare ways, extra protection on the kitchen and bedroom circuits, whole-house surge protection, supply capacity increase subject to supply company approval.
Option C "Future-ready": B plus a dedicated EV charger circuit (cable up to 10 m, no charger unit) and energy monitoring on the board.
Exclusions for all options: making good plaster and paint; defects found in existing wiring (priced separately); supply company charges; the charger unit.
Write, for each option: a plain-English description of about 40 words and one "what changes for you" line. Then write one exclusions list. Do not state any standard, regulation number or price. Put [CHECK] after any claim the electrician must confirm.The draft below is illustrative.
Option A, Replace. We swap your old fuse board for a new one of the same size, reconnect and label every circuit, and test it. A sensible choice if your electrical use is staying as it is. What changes for you: a modern board with the same capacity as today and no spare ways.
Option B, Upgrade. Everything in A on a larger board with eight spare ways, plus extra protection on the kitchen and bedroom circuits and whole-house surge protection. If the supply company approves it, we also increase your supply capacity [CHECK]. What changes for you: room to add circuits later without replacing the board.
Option C, Future-ready. Everything in B plus a dedicated circuit for an electric car charger and energy monitoring on the board, so the house is ready for any charger. What changes for you: the charging circuit is already in place when the car arrives.
Three things to fix before this reaches a customer:
- "Fuse board" is a guess. The notes said "board", and a household with a breaker panel will notice. Use the customer's own word or plain "board".
- "Ready for any charger" is an overclaim. The circuit is sized for a stated load, and chargers differ. Say "a circuit sized for a charger up to the rating we install".
- The [CHECK] tag is a reminder for you, not text for the customer. Confirm the supply capacity point, then delete the tag.
Exclusions: the vague draft and the version that holds
AI drafts love the phrase "any unforeseen issues". It reads like cover and behaves like a dispute. Compare the two versions.
Before, as an assistant first wrote it: "Excludes making good and any unforeseen issues."
After, rewritten with what a household can picture:
- Making good plaster, paint or wallpaper around the board and where cables are run.
- Faults, damaged cable or non-compliant work found on existing circuits. We will photograph it, explain it and price the fix before we touch it.
- Charges made by the supply company, including any disconnection or meter work.
- The charger unit and its installation, and any cable length beyond 10 m.
The second version names things, says what you will do when you find one, and sets a trigger for extra cost. It also reads the same under all three options, which is the point of the matrix above. For a complete domestic template, see the tutorial on an electrician quote template with scope and exclusions.
Building the packages in your quoting software
- Add each package to your price book as a bundle: a name, a plain-English description, the line items and an hours line. Keep material lines tied to supplier prices so a price rise flows into every future quote.
- Save one proposal template that holds all three bundles and the shared exclusions. In Housecall Pro that is a sales proposal; in Jobber it is a quote template with optional line items; in FieldPulse and Handoff it is the options layout described on their pages.
- For each job, change quantities and not structure: number of ways, cable length, extra circuits. If you keep rewriting a package, the package was wrong.
- Use AI drafting for the description and the covering message only. Paste the site notes, keep the fence from the prompt above, and read every line.
- Put an approval step before sending. A second pair of eyes on the exclusions catches most errors, and the tutorial on an approval step for AI-written quotes shows a simple version.
- Set an expiry date and a deposit rule on the template so they are never forgotten.
Before the first real quote goes out, send the template to your own email and try to break it from the customer's side. Tick B's extras under A, untick a line that should be fixed, and approve without paying the deposit. If the total moves to a figure you never priced, or a fixed line can be removed, change the template before a household finds the same gap.
Checks before a three-option quote is sent
- Would you sign off Option A as a finished job tomorrow? If not, it is not a "good" option.
- Does every option carry the protective devices your code requires? Check against the code, not against the AI's description. The tutorial on electrical code questions and AI explains why those answers stay with you.
- Is every exclusion identical across the three options?
- Is the supply capacity increase marked as subject to approval, with no date promised?
- Do the three totals add up from the line items? Check with the software or a spreadsheet.
- Has anything the AI added (a standard's number, a savings claim, a statement that something is "required") been verified or deleted?
- Do the photos and notes match the options: number of ways, existing capacity, board location?
- Is there an expiry date, a deposit rule and a named person the customer can ring?
When the cheap option was not complete
Consider a made-up firm that builds its template from the top: Option C first, then B and A by taking things away. The AI-drafted Option A quietly leaves out a surge device that the firm's code requires on a new board, because the template had it only in B and C. The homeowner picks A. The inspector flags the missing device. The firm fits it at its own cost and makes a second visit.
Nothing about the quote looked wrong, because all three options were well written. What would have caught it is line 2 of the checklist applied to Option A first. The lesson for the template: build A from the fixed list, then add dials for B and C. Do not build C and subtract.
Reading the results after twenty quotes
After twenty three-option quotes, compare them with your last twenty single-price quotes on four numbers: share accepted, average accepted value, minutes to produce a quote, and questions asked afterwards. With invented figures and the totals from the worked quote, the arithmetic runs as follows.
| Option chosen | Quotes accepted | Quote total | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| A, Replace | 4 | $2,020 | $8,080 |
| B, Upgrade | 4 | $3,720 | $14,880 |
| C, Future-ready | 1 | $5,980 | $5,980 |
| All accepted | 9 of 20 | Average $3,216 | $28,940 |
If the last twenty single-price quotes had won 8 at an average of $2,300, that is $18,400 of accepted work against $28,940 here. The comparison only means something if the jobs were alike, and twenty quotes is a small sample, so treat it as a prompt to look, not as proof. Two patterns are worth watching. A pile-up on Option A suggests the step-up descriptions do not explain what the extra money buys. Repeated questions such as "what is the difference?" suggest the comparison layout is not clear, which is a quote problem rather than a customer problem.
Questions electricians ask about tiered quotes
Do I need paid software to offer three options?
No. A one-page comparison sheet attached to the quote does the same job for the customer. Software saves you time by storing the three packages as templates, keeping prices tied to your price book and taking the signature and deposit, but the thinking about what goes in each tier is yours either way. Start with a document if you have not tried tiers before.
Can the cheapest option leave out something the code requires?
No. Every option must be a complete job that meets the code on that site. The tiers should differ in capacity, extra protection, readiness for future loads and service level. If the code already requires a surge device or a particular protection type on a new board, it belongs in all three options, and it should not be priced as an upgrade.
Can ChatGPT or Claude price the three packages for me?
It can add up numbers you give it, but it knows nothing about your costs, your supplier prices or the hours the job really takes, and chat assistants can slip on arithmetic. Take hours and material costs from your price book, do the sums in a spreadsheet or your quoting software, and use the assistant for wording only.
How many options should a homeowner see?
I would cap it at three. Two is fine for a small job, and more than three tends to slow the decision rather than help it. Name each option by what it does for the household, not by a metal or a grade, and write the step-up between options in one plain sentence beside each price.
Further reads
- How Much Does Estimating Software Cost? Price Bands With and Without AI — Price bands for estimating tools before you pay for any.
- Best AI Estimating Software for Small Electrical Firms (2026) — Estimating software for commercial plans, a different job.
- AI Software for Electricians: Monthly Cost in the UK and the US — UK and US monthly prices for electricians' job apps, AI features, receptionist add-ons and ChatGPT, added up for a solo, three-person and five-person firm.
- AI for Electrical Estimating: Set Fitting Allowances and Provisional Sums — Fitting allowances versus provisional sums in a domestic quote: how to set the amounts, who chooses, how to settle overspend, and where AI drafts the wording.
- AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.
Sources: Housecall Pro pricing and estimating pages; Jobber pricing, quotes and optional-line-item help pages and its October 2025 product update; FieldPulse estimates and pricing pages; Handoff pricing page; ServiceTitan HVAC page; BuildVision AI home page. All read in October 2026.