EICR
Electrical Installation Condition Report.
Also known as a ‘Landlord Safety Report’
EICR or Electrical Inspections
EICR’s are/or have been known by many names in the past, such as Periodic Inspection, Landlord Safety Report.
It’s important to know what an EICR is, it is this “The visual inspection and testing of ‘fixed’ electrical parts of the property, like the wiring, the plug sockets, the light fittings and the consumer unit (fuse box).” One thing it is not is a Certificate to say it has been inspected, as there is a pass or fail or to use the correct terminology ‘Satisfactory’ and ‘Unsatisfactory’.
To better understand an EICR we should think of them as MOT’s for your car. Like with an MOT, items can be a fail and other items can be ‘Advisory’ the same is with an EICR.
Following many electrical inspections in and around Stoke-on-Trent I am told many times by my clients that they thought an EICR would be costly in both time and money – in reality this is not true – many EICR’s I carry out are absolutely fine and it leaves the homeowner or business owner with peace of mind that their home is electrically safe.
So what are we looking for?
The inspection is based on the electrical system of each individual household and includes the following:
-The adequacy of earthing and bonding.
-The suitability of the switchgear and controlgear. For example an old fusebox with a wooden back, cast iron switches, or a haphazard mixture of both will need replacing.
-The serviceability of switches, sockets and light fittings. The following may all require replacing; older round pin sockets, round light switches, braided flex hanging from ceiling roses to light fittings, black switches and sockets mounted in skirting boards.
-The type of wiring system and its condition. For example cables coated in black- rubber were phased out in the 1960s, likewise cables coated in lead or fabric are even older and may well need replacing (modern cables use pvc insulation).
-The provision of Residual Current Devices (RCD) for sockets that may be used to plug in outdoor electrical equipment. Ultimately all circuits require RCD protection.
-The presence of adequate identification and notices.
-The extent of any wear and tear, damage or other deterioration.
Many clients are surprised to find that an electrical inspection test is very straightforward and hassle free. In this weeks blog, I’m going to tell you what happens when an electrician comes to your home to carry out an electrical inspection.
Beware the cheap EICR!!
You get what you pay for. As with MOTs, for normal car repairs a garage may charge you in excess of £80 phr to fix your car. In a garage, essentially, it’s the vehicle ramps that are earning the money, so if a car is taking up a ramp the garage is earning money, which is fine, great. But why would a garage take up a ramp for nearly an hour carrying out an MOT for £35? THE RE MEDIAL WORK.
The same can be said with EICRs. These should take anything from 2 hours to a whole day. If an EICR seems too cheap that’s probably because it is.
1. The report may contain a lot of ‘LIMs’ or limitations which basically means it has not been tested or inspected for one reason or another. The reasons for LIM should be given in the fields marked ‘Agreed Limitations’ or ‘Operational Limitations’.
2. You could end up with a quote for a lot of remedial work in the hope the contractor can recoup some of their cost.
What is ‘qualified and competent’?
Gov.uk states that the person carrying out the EICR should be qualified and competent. Competency can be determined by asking them if they’re a member of a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or Napit or by asking them to certify their competence, experience. Qualified; the current qualification from City & Guilds is 2391-52 Periodic Inspection and Testing. This qualification replaced C&G 2394/95 combined course. Insurance; The inspector should have Liability and Indemnity insurance.
I would love to say that there are people out there that just want to make as much many out of people as they can.
At GCT Electrical Ltd we know we aren’t the cheapest, that’s because we charge for the time it takes. We have no axe to grind, we’re not digging for extra work from you although we do love a bit of repeat custom.
We pride ourselves on our honesty and integrity and we work hard for your satisfaction.
What we charge
At GCT Electrical Ltd we try to keep our pricing as simple as can be which is why price per bedroom.
For a Domestic EICR for properties in and around Stoke-on-Trent with:
1 bed = £110
2 bed = £140
3 Bed = £170
You guessed it, £30 per bedroom
If you have an extra Consumer Unit eg in your garage, these are an additional £60
For Commercial/Industrial premises:
£70 per consumer Unit +
£19 per circuit
If you would like to book us for your EICR then contact us now.