How much do electricians cost?

If you’re looking to hire an electrician, you might be frustrated at the lack of visible pricing on their website.

It makes comparing quotes and choosing the right contractor more difficult, and it might feel like a lack of transparency, but there’s a good reason for it. Electrical work comprises so many variables that it’s impossible to apply a one-size-fits-all price.

Take a look at Fusion’s guide on how much you should expect to pay for an electrician.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF RATES AND QUOTES

Because electrical jobs come in all shapes and sizes, electricians often use different pricing models. This means that they can choose the best option for the task at hand, which may not be apparent to a consumer viewing a price list online.

Hourly rates

Hourly rates are very common for domestic electricians. This allows them to price a job based on how long it should take to complete, and means that they are charged in proportion to the amount of work required.

Bear in mind that unexpected issues discovered after quoting might lead to additional costs, and any parts that need to be purchased will also be chargeable.

Daily rates

Daily rates are useful for more complex work that can’t be completed in a couple of hours.

Day rates may work out a little cheaper than the equivalent hourly rate, as they guarantee a certain amount of work for the contractor. An electrician may even quote for a half-day where suitable.

Project quotes

Project quotes are common for commercial electrical work or complex domestic installations.

By factoring in the time, resources and parts required to complete the whole job, an electrician can provide the customer with a fixed quote that includes everything in one price.

WHAT AFFECTS JOB COSTS?

There are almost endless factors to consider when quoting for an electrical job. Here are some of the most common ones.

Size of the job

A small repair job is naturally going to cost less than a large electrical installation project because it requires less time and fewer resources.

You can expect to pay more for jobs that involve specialist equipment, require multiple electricians, or span several weeks or months. There’s little you can do to avoid these costs if that’s simply what the project requires, and cutting corners is never a good idea when it comes to electricity.

Complexity of the job

While it might go without saying that a small job will cost less than a big job, it’s not always clear what constitutes a small job.

Particularly for customers who are not familiar with the technical aspects of electrical installations and their maintenance, something that might appear a quick fix could actually be rather complicated. On the other hand, someone with no electrical experience may assume that something is a huge undertaking that could be a simple task with the right tools.

Urgency of the job

Like any other service, electricians often quote higher costs for rush jobs, emergencies, out-of-hours callouts and projects with a tight turnaround time.

If you require urgent repairs because your premises are unsafe, this will cost you more than general repairs as part of your regular maintenance. Some electrical jobs are more seasonal in nature, so may cost more during a busy period. For example, boiler repairs are more commonly requested in the winter, so getting it serviced in the summer might be cheaper.

Additional parts

If a job requires an electrician to install or replace equipment, this will almost always incur an additional cost to cover the expense.

Where it is known in advance that a part will be required, your electrician will include this as part of the initial quote. However, sometimes issues don’t become apparent until the work has begun, so it’s always a possibility that there will be additional costs.

Electricians are usually able to purchase from wholesalers, which means that the same part could cost less than if you bought it yourself.

Residential or commercial work

Residential electrical work tends to cost less than commercial work for a variety of reasons.

First of all, the electrical requirements of a residential property are usually much simpler than that of commercial facilities. A commercial electrical job may require the contractor to work with complex machinery, multi-phase power and unusual voltage requirements, whereas most residential electrical installations are fairly standard.

The project may also require working out of hours or to strict deadlines to avoid disruption and lost revenue, which comes at an additional cost. However, many businesses choose to engage an electrical contractor for a regular maintenance contract, which may offer fixed monthly payments or reduced rates.

Location

Prices for goods and services can vary drastically in different parts of the country, and electrical work is no different.

For example, you can expect to pay around £48/hour for a domestic electrician in London and £58/hour in Sussex, whereas you’ll only pay £21/hour in Northern Ireland (Source). This means that you might not always be able to get the best price compared to the market as a whole, but you can still shop around for quotes from electricians in your area.

Qualifications

There are many different qualifications that a person can obtain in order to work as an electrician. The more qualified an electrician, the more they will likely charge.

On top of this is the consideration of relevant experience. Hiring someone who is a specialist in a particular area will cost more than hiring more of a generalist. If you’re looking to keep costs down, hire someone who is only as qualified as you need them to be. This prevents you from paying for expertise that isn’t required.

Callout fee

Electricians often charge an additional callout fee on top of their standard rate to cover overheads such as transport costs and consumables.

A standard call out fee might be anywhere up to double the electrician’s hourly rate, but will usually also include the first hour’s work. This fee is to ensure that the electrician doesn’t lose money by undertaking lots of small jobs.

Emergency callouts

An electrician could be called at any time of day or night to handle emergency repairs.

In the case of urgent or out-of-hours work, they will likely charge an emergency call out fee or use a higher rate than usual. This could be double or even triple their standard rate, making repairs much more expensive. For work that doesn’t need to be addressed immediately, book an appointment or call during normal business hours to minimise excess costs.

HOW TO FIND A LOCAL, REGISTERED ELECTRICIAN

There are many websites dedicated to helping customers find and review electricians in their area, but not all of them focus on accreditations. Hiring a registered electrician is important to ensure that their work complies with the BS7671 safety standard.

One of the most recognised regulatory bodies for electricians in the UK is NICEIC, which assesses and approves electrical contractors. You can use your postcode or location to search their database to find a NICEIC-registered electrician in your area.

If an electrician claims to be a member of a certain organisation, you should always verify this on the organisation’s website.

GET A QUOTE FROM FUSION

No matter how complex your electrical project, you can trust Fusion’s NICEIC-approved and CHAS-accredited electricians. Simply give us a call on 01530 249752 or get in touch online and we’ll be happy to provide you with a quote.

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