Electrician - hourly rates

[Spantik]

I need to replace the existing fuse box in the house with a new consumer unit.  I have been quoted £35 an hour for two electricians to fit AND TEST this item. They say there has to be two of them because it's a notifiable job.  The quote is £400 in total. 

I live in the E Midlands.  Does anyone know if £35 an hour is reasonable?  And the final price?  Any Sparkies out there who can help?

[HiHo]

Afraid not sparky, but...

Price seems 'a little high', maybe ~£50-150 higher than expect, depending on the type of consumer unit.

Two electricians?? Yes it is notifiable work under part p, but why have two electricians? Do you always need two electricians for any work? Are they registered with NICEIC’s Domestic Installer Scheme? I would get some more quotes and each of them would be required to send off for a certificate for you after the work is finished saying the work complies with building regulations - the notifiable bit. Maybe one does the work and the other fills out the form

more info at http://www.niceic.com/technicalapprovals/buildingregs/disscheme/

maybe if one of them isn't fully qualified then that would explain it but thats not your fault.

sounds dodgy to me though, any one (or two if electricians...) else more qualified to answer?

[HiHo]

checked with 'qualified supervisor' electrician and the job does not require two electricians - as suspected.

[Spantik]

Thanks for these replies.  I think the electrician was going to bring his mate so that the job took less time.  I have since received another quote and it was much the same so am concluding this is average for this area.

[HiHo]

not a problem.

just be wary of any company that makes things up though like "They say there has to be two of them because it's a notifiable job"

[eodneil]

The Price is about average but the rest of it seems a little strange, i'm a qualified sparky and if I was to charge for a consumer unit to be changed I would charge between £350 - £500 depending on the job itself whether it is easy to install, all cables are long enough and the area it is to be fixed has easy access.

Just to give you an example of what the price would include 3.5 hours labour to change the consumer unit and 3.5 hours to test all the circuits and fill in test sheets

so 7 hours x £25 = £175

£120 - £150 to notify the Local authority and have the job inspected to part P standards (If not registered with a Part P company like NICEIC, ECA).

£100 for Consumer Unit and other materials

Remember this is only a rough estimate if the company was Part P registered they would not need to notify the local authority so would not need to charge £120 -£150 but may charge extra per hour for being registered.

Hope this helps

Neil

[Webmaster]

thanks for the info Neil, hopefully this clarifies things a bit for people?

[mike delta]

SPANTIK,
The 2 men for the job isn't necessary. It isn't even likely to speed the job up either as 2 men on a board change are going to be in each other's way.
Regarding the price. It's not excessive but much depends on what type of board is being provided and with what type of protection. RCBO's would really bump up the price.Without seeing the job it's difficult to estimate. You might need new meter tails (unlikely but possible), new main bonding, crimped extensions et cetera.
I would suggest you get two additional quotes (from registered electrical contractors) and take the average.
Sorry I can't be more specific but without actually seeing the job I can't cost it accurately.
Mike.

[ohmzelectrical]

No you don't need two electricians on a board change, I,d say between 18-22 per hour is about correct. depends on area and customer really, anything above that is quite expensive in my opinion. London price may be higher as the cost of living is more but I don't work there so I can't really comment. We work in the midlands and cover your area.
                       regards Jason

[Acecooper]

Price seems 'a little high', maybe ~£50-150 higher than expect, depending on the type of consumer unit.

I definitely agree with you HiHo, it is the minimum rate. Expect that you spend as higher than the minimum rate. It is just based on my experienced.

[R.dudar]

In London I would charge £250-£400 for top brand 17th edition consumer unit with full test and NICEIC certificate.
Rafal-07731386010

[houseelectrician]

I need to replace the existing fuse box in the house with a new consumer unit.  I have been quoted £35 an hour for two electricians to fit AND TEST this item. They say there has to be two of them because it's a notifiable job.  The quote is £400 in total. 

I live in the E Midlands.  Does anyone know if £35 an hour is reasonable?  And the final price?  Any Sparkies out there who can help?

Well lads... Consumer unit upgrades... Test first and change ONLY if testing and all else meet Reg's - minor remedial works acceptable.

Under Part P you are responsible for all circuits.

Two electricians to undertake the work because it's notifiable work... Bah! I'd spend another £100 on a partial Periodical Inspection to verify the test measurements for my own peace-of-mind.

[Sparky Matt]

eodneil mentioned that a part p registered electrician doesnt need to notify the local authority, true in a way BUT we still have to notify our notifiable work online which costs each time, Also the cost of being registered for part p has to be taken into account.

As a part p registered electricain you should charge for notifying each job to cover these overheads.

eg.  17th edition consumer unit, new tails, sundries £100 minimum
       A days labour  £200ish (essex but depends on area)
       part p notification fee  £25

       total             325.00 + vat       381 inc vat

So 400 is not far off. Often this work will involve upgrading of main bonding, obviously this is extra and depends on the length and difficulty of the run.


Be worried if anyone is charging less than this. It may mean that their work is rubbish !     

[bhupinder]

Afraid not sparky, but...

Price seems 'a little high', maybe ~£50-150 higher than expect, depending on the type of consumer unit.

Two electricians?? Yes it is notifiable work under part p, but why have two electricians? Do you always need two electricians for any work? Are they registered with NICEIC’s Domestic Installer Scheme? I would get some more quotes and each of them would be required to send off for a certificate for you after the work is finished saying the work complies with building regulations - the notifiable bit. Maybe one does the work and the other fills out the form

more info at http://www.niceic.com/technicalapprovals/buildingregs/disscheme/

maybe if one of them isn't fully qualified then that would explain it but thats not your fault.

sounds dodgy to me though, any one (or two if electricians...) else more qualified to answer?