Domestic FAQs

If you’ve got a problem with electricity or you need help with some new or updating of installations, you’ll want complete confidence in the safety, quality and competitiveness of your electrical contractor and you’ll want a fast response when you call.

That’s why we offer a comprehensive, insurance backed guarantee on all our work backed by membership of the NICEIC, the industry recognised qualification – to give you confidence.

With a friendly team of highly-trained, friendly and polite electricians, we can be on hand to answer all your electrical and green energy questions in double-quick time. You’ll always have the phone answered promptly and professionally, you’ll get a quote for work that will be competitive and you won’t get any surprises about cost when the job is finished.

If you need advice as well as a price – that comes for free.

Firstly if your wiring was installed before 1984, it most probably did not have an earth cable and your wiring may be aluminium rather than copper. As aluminium wire runs 55 times hotter than copper it’s more prone to cause fires. It won’t have an earth wire and that’s there to protect you from electrocution.

If you have the old black and red cabling you definitely need a rewire. You may not have any problems yet but wiring does have a finite safety life. You only need one accident to take away your one life.

We regularly check our prices compared to our local competition to make sure we are competitive. However, you’ll find we’re not the cheapest electrician in the area. That’s because we invest heavily in employing and training the right team and ensuring our standards are maintained at a very high level.

If you want to reduce how much you spend on home improvements we suggest you look for savings elsewhere. Quality of workmanship equals the level of safety in your home and we won’t compromise on either of those areas. That means we have specific systems to make sure the quality of all our work is top-notch. Plus, we carry out regular inspections of our team’s work as part of our quality control process.

You may find that a “man with a van” operating on his own will be cheaper than us, however, you need to make sure they are fully qualified, certified and that they have the right levels of insurance.

Well if it’s electricity in your home we cover everything you’re likely to want. From fault finding, to complete rewires, from solar panel installations, to car battery charging ports, to almost any type of green energy installation. We can also look after your heating requirements, so we supply and install boilers and entire heating systems. Here’s a more complete list:

• Emergency call-out
• Fault finding and repairs
• Complete rewires
• Lighting design and installation
• Emergency lighting
• External lighting
• Heating systems (not just electrical)
• Solar PV panels
• Green energy solutions (across the board – all types)
• Design planning for extensions, rebuilds and new builds
• Home management systems
• PAT testing
• Landlords’ electrical safety inspections
• Door entry and security systems
• Car battery charge points

Remember electrical problems can cause serious accidents. In 2011/12, 22 people who died from electrical shocks in the UK and another 36 people died from 18,498 fires caused by faults or misuse of electricity or electrical appliances. That’s a staggering 51 fires every day (all statistics provided by UK government).

Apart from the need for a rewire or work related to building alterations, here are some of the signs you need a visit from a qualified domestic electrician:

1. Your lights dim or flicker. Lights usually only use a small amount of power, so if they dim or flicker it’s rarely a sign that the lighting is a problem. It’s more likely to be another appliance connected to the same circuit, like a washing machine using power to heat water. You may need to have a separate power supply for one of your major appliances.
2. You use extension cords or sockets. Extension leads and extension plug sockets are two of the most common causes of electrical problems and in extreme cases, fires. Use extension cords rarely and for short periods of time. Extension leads can kink and get pinched which should lead to a tripped circuit breaker or fuse but can lead to a fire. If you need more power consistently get an electrician to supply more power outlets. There is a very good reason new properties generally have far more power sockets than older homes.
3. Noise. Electricity itself is silent. A buzzing sound will normally be caused by a fault where the current is being forced to jump – that’s an indication of a problem that needs attention. If the sound comes from an outlet, stop using it and call an electrician.
4. Heat. Power outlets should never become hot. Occasionally switch plates may become warm to the touch but only slightly warm. If you feel heat from electrical sockets or switch plates, they need looking at.
5. Sparking. This is a danger indicator. If it’s a breaker panel, fuse box or outlet that has sparks, turn off the power supply and get help immediately. If it’s an appliance that sparks the problem is almost inevitably down to the appliance and you should either throw the item away or ask for help from the supplier or manufacturer.
6. Fuses that blow or circuit breakers that cut out. They are designed to cut off the power supply when there is an overload. Sometimes an appliance will be at fault and it will need replacement or repair. But if the same fuse keeps blowing and you’re not sure why, it’s probably down to overload and you shouldn’t let the problem continue.
7. You need special outlets where water is concerned. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity so never take risks where water and electrical power is concerned. Never use an extension cord in a bathroom or kitchen. The power outlets in a bathroom are very specific according to their use so if in doubt have them checked.
8. Strange smells. Be very careful, any electricity supply item or electrical appliance should not produce smells. Occasional a new appliance may have a mild strange smell when you first use it but otherwise turn off the power outlet, disconnect any appliances and have it checked out before you use it again. If a breaker, fuse box or breaker panel smells, you need to call an electrician in quickly.
9. You get an electric shock. Of course, you should never get even a mild electric shock and if you do it’s a big warning sign that something serious is wrong. It may well be the appliance, in which case either throw it away or get it repaired. Otherwise, it’s time for professional help from your local electrical contractor.

We can only give general guidance as the law is always changing and is open to interpretation. Because of the risks, all landlords should read the relevant legislation in detail and/or consult their property agents to ensure they meet their statutory obligations.

Landlords have a duty of care under Common Law and more specifically, the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 (and several other statutory regulations) requires all electrical equipment to be safe when a tenancy starts and maintained in a safe condition.

For houses where there is multiple occupation or for commercial properties, there is a legal obligation under the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 for annual Fire Safety Risk Assessments, and these include electrical safety risks.

Your liability for failure to ensure the safety of all equipment can lead to:

• A maximum fine of £5,000 for each item that does not comply
• A maximum of 6 months’ prison sentence
• Potential manslaughter charges if a death is caused
• Your tenant can also sue for civil damages
• You may find your property insurance is invalidated

There is no statutory legal requirement or guidance for how often electrical safety inspections should be carried out. However, the most often quoted period for an electrical safety inspection is annually and given the risk of fire that comes from electricity and electrical appliances, plus the severity of the penalties that could arise if problems arise, we think an annual inspection is advisable (and it won’t be that expensive).

There should certainly be a more thorough periodic inspection and testing on a longer-term basis, probably every five years.

While you want to make sure all electrical supplies and appliances are safe, neither of these requirements will take a huge amount of time and therefore the cost will be manageable.

Pick up the phone and call us now on 0116 2873226, we’ll be pleased to help or give advice.

An EICR is an inspection and the associated testing to check whether an electrical installation is in a satisfactory condition for continued service. On completion of the necessary inspection and testing, an Electrical Installation Condition Report will be issued detailing any observed damage, deterioration, defects, dangerous conditions and any non-compliances with the present-day safety standard which might give rise to danger.

An EICR should be carried out only by electrically competent persons, such as registered electricians.

You’ll be very aware that electricity can be very dangerous, even given the latest equipment and installations. The risks of electrocution and all too often fires caused by faulty plugs, sockets and wiring are ever constant. There is no national legal standard that requires an electrician to be registered or qualified so be careful who you choose. There are a few voluntary schemes that require electricians to meet required standards.

The most recognised scheme for registration and enforcement of standards is the NICEIC registration. That’s an abbreviation that stands for the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting. It’s a voluntary organisation owned by the Electrical Safety Council, an organisation that protects customers in the UK from unsafe and unsound electrical work. Electricians registered under the scheme have to be strictly assessed on a regular basis.

Ask for an indication of pricing when you first call. The answer you get should be clear, transparent and fair.

If you need extensive work you should ask for a written estimate and a statement that you’re being given a fixed price, although you may have to accept that the final price may vary if the electrician comes up against any unforeseen complications (most wiring is buried so sometimes problems can’t be predicted). In any case, they should agree any additional work with you before they go ahead with it.

For smaller works, you can ask for a price over the phone, however, the electrician may need to look at the work first before giving you a quote. In any case, always ask about the price before work starts.

There should definitely be no hidden extras on your invoice when you come to pay.

You’ll normally expect to pay a call out charge which covers travel and the first hour of work, after which time will be charged per hour taken, plus you’ll have to pay for any materials used. You may get a cheaper price from an electrician who works on his own (a man in a van) and if you know and trust them that may be fine for you.

Larger electrical firms may be slightly higher priced and that generally reflects their systems that ensure regular training for their electricians, updates and quality control. Of course with a larger firm, you can generally get faster help when you need it because they have more staff to call on, plus you’ll always get the phone answered.

You most certainly want to be sure that you trust the quality of your electrician’s work. If the price seems too cheap, be very wary.

We regularly check our prices compared to our local competition to make sure we are competitive. However, you’ll find we’re not the cheapest electrician in the area. That’s because we invest heavily in employing and training the right team and ensuring our standards are maintained at a very high level.

If you want to reduce how much you spend on home improvements we suggest you look for savings elsewhere. Quality of workmanship equals the level of safety in your home and we won’t compromise on either of those areas. That means we have specific systems to make sure that the quality of all our work is top-notch, plus we carry out regular inspections of our team’s work as part of our quality control process.

You may find that a “man with a van” operating on his own will be cheaper than us, however, you need to make sure they are fully qualified, certified and that they have the right levels of insurance.

It is recommended that an EICR is carried out at the following times:

• For tenanted properties, every 5 years or at each change of occupancy, whichever is sooner,
• At least every 10 years for an owner-occupied home, at least every 5 years for a business.

When an electrical installation is rewired, it is good practice to remove redundant wiring. If this is not possible, any redundant wiring must be permanently disconnected from any electrical supply so that it doesn’t present a risk.

First, you need to find out whether the electrician you used is actually registered. To do this, contact the operator of the scheme they have claimed to be part of, and they will tell you whether this is the case. If they are registered, the scheme operator can guide you through their complaints procedure.

We would advise that you always use a registered electrician because if you’re not happy with their work, you can complain to their scheme operator, who will, in turn, ask them to rectify any mistakes.

There are no set guidelines as to when a property should be rewired. Just because your wiring is old, it doesn’t mean it’s unsafe.

Many factors can affect the wear and tear of your electrical installation, including the materials used and how your property has been used.

We would advise that a periodic inspection is carried out on owner-occupied properties at least every 10 years and every five years in rented accommodation. The test will certify whether the electrics in a property are safe and tell you if anything needs upgrading.

You should carry out regular checks around the house on the condition of your cables, switches, sockets and other accessories. If you notice anything unusual – for example, burn marks on plugs and sockets, sounds of ‘arcing’ (buzzing or crackling), fuses blowing or circuit-breakers tripping – get a registered electrician to check your electrics as soon as possible.

You have a duty of care to your tenant and must ensure that the installation is safe when they enter the property and is maintained throughout their tenure.

The Landlords and Tenants Act (1985) requires that the electrical installation in a rented property is:

• Safe when a tenancy begins and
• Maintained in a safe condition throughout the tenancy.

We recommend that in order to comply with this Act, you get a registered electrician to carry out an Electrical Condition Report (EICR) on any property you intend to let before getting tenants in. This will certify whether the electrics are safe and tell you if anything needs upgrading.

If you own an HMO (House in Multiple Occupation), you have a legal obligation to have a periodic inspection carried out on your property every five years.

If your property is not an HMO, then you are not legally obliged to get your installation tested on a periodic basis.

However, we recommend that you have a full periodic inspection carried out every five years or on change of tenancy – whichever comes first. Our guidance is based on legal obligations set out in The Landlords and Tenant Act (1985).

You should contact either Trading Standards or Citizens Advice to register your concern. If you want to forward us supporting documentation and images relating to the product, we can objectively review its safety.

Old fuse boards may well go on to work satisfactorily for years. However, they will have complied with standards applicable at the time they were fitted and as you would expect with electricity, the standards are always being upgraded to be more rigorous and to reflect the benefits of modern technology.

So new fuse boards are more sensitive and will cut out in less than 0.3 seconds in the event of a fault, giving you more protection against electrocution. In our opinion, the cost is not that high compared to the safety benefits and you may even be pleasantly surprised – it won’t cost as much as you might think.

Green energy is a specialist subject and you need specialist advice, not the opinion of a general electrician. There is a wide range of options and what works best for you in your home may be completely different from what would be right for your next-door neighbour.

We’re based in Glenfield but operate throughout Leicestershire and the midlands. We regularly carry out work in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Rutland, Warwickshire and the West Midlands including Birmingham.

We work nationwide in the commerical and industria electrical sectors, if you require domestic electrical services outside of the midlands – contacting a local electrician would be more beneficial.