Has anyone tried to get business from restoration companies...a lot of insurance money and I hear they are quite generous

One mans' ceiling is another mans' floor.

There are usually companies that dedicate themselves to this sort of work .... and they usually have their own 'pet' electrician. Your bast way 'in' is to contact these firms.

As for payment ... don't count on it being a gold mine. You can expect to spend a lot of time with paperwork, explaining charges, etc.

Cinner, here is a link to one that is a national franchise. My wife's uncle is a project manager for them. He tried to bring me in, but after listening to the speil for awhile I declined. They want you to sign a minimum term agreement and set your prices for you. Tanks, but no tanks.

I've benn told by one project manager that is common for an insurance company to pay $300 for disconnecting some lights in a flooded basement ...sometimes less than one hour of work.

I say Go for it... try to use flat rate pricing . The Restoration company here would probably use us as I have heard they had difficulties with some of the Ecs they hire they are late to return to finish act like there on a large construction project ... little respect for the owners furnishings... and dont know how to clean up after themselves . leaving stained carpets etc.

If you are in the service business, you will soon descover $300 fo an hours work is not a lot of money, as a matter of fact it is more like the min rate for service work, once you add in your non productive time, that $300 is long gone.