Introduction 

Depending on the size of your home or business, the time allowed onsite will vary accordingley. the time we quote will allow on-site time to complete the inspections & testing and also time off-site to complete the report. The test electrician will take all required readings and observations of the electrical system, but will not make any suggestions, opinion or repair work quotes.. The QS process will follow up for you; however, if there are dangerous situations, the test electrician will make you aware of this immediately. This work is not included for and additional time would be billed.

The electrical certificate will be issued once the final bill is settled and may take up to 10 working days. If you require this sooner, please advise the office on ordering the work.

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What we ask of you

Please assist us if possible to locate all loads, as these will need to be unplugged or removed. We ask that all light bulbs, white goods, TVs, PC's etc, are unplugged. If these are left in the circuit, they can give us incorrect test results and could also damage the items.

Cookers, hobs and ovens and also appliances that cannot be disconnected without moving a heavy or fitted appliance will only be tested at the local isolator.

Please advise us of any equipment vulnerable to testing before commencing work, i.e. intruder alarms, PIR sensors, dimmers, etc. Some tests can damage these items; therefore, we will only test at 250V to prevent damage in these cases.

At the end of the test, please check through the house to see that we have plugged all items back in. We are not responsible for any item not plugged back in or losses incurred by power loss.

Advise us of any hazardous materials within the house, such as asbestos-containing items or rodent controls that might reasonably be disturbed by our inspections.

What you can expect from us

We will carry out a thorough, impartial test using modern 18th Edition digital test equipment. This equipment is independently verified annually and calibrated, then checked monthly in the office. You will receive a certificate, and it consists of five pages plus continuation sheets if required. This report details the circuit designations, protective devices, number of points and measured readings and results. It also details a full observation and recommendations of our findings.

It normally takes five to ten working days to process and complete the report.

We will endeavour to return faster on application and will be dispatched once final payment is received.

We have not allowed for:

• Parking charges – please have a permit or space available

• Any repairs or remedial work

• Any further investigation or testing beyond the planned time if extra consumer units or DB's are found

• Additional time if no access or an increased inspection is required.

• Any testing of PV or EV points - this can be booked as an additional test.

• Any PAT testing, please let us know, and we can also carry this out for you as an additional task.

• Testing of emergency lighting, domestic type D1 fire detection or fire alarm panels.

Common FAQ's

What happens if extra time is required?

If we find items that require further investigation or need to increase the 10% sample rate, this may well increase the time required to gain meaningful results. We will ask you if you are happy for us to spend extra time and the related cost. This time may have to be booked on another visit due to the planned schedule.

What is not included in the testing?

This does not always allow for outbuildings, studios, garages, extensions, further fuse boxes and similar extensions to the electrical system.

House of Multiple occupancy (HMO) are also excluded unless clear access to all rooms and areas is possible. Any areas and rooms would be noted as LIM on the report and may require a return visit at further cost.

Fire alarm, emergency lighting and smoke detector readings.

PAT testing is an additional service that we can carry out for you following the testing at a further cost. 

How  do you carry out the testing - will it affect items powered?

The power will need to be switched off circuit by circuit and in its entirety at intervals during the test period.

Where possible, we will carry out a full inspection & test of all circuits where possible for both dead & live tests.

Please be aware that this will disrupt PC's, routers, security and freezers in your home. Please power down these items for the test period.

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What happens if my report says the electrical system is unsatisfactory?

Quite often, we find that a few easy remedial tasks can be carried out to move from ‘Unsatisfactory’ to ‘Satisfactory’.

Please do not ask the testing engineer to comment on the outcome or the EICR on the day, before it has passed through the QS process. This is an essential step in the testing and can lead to a premature misunderstanding of the final outcome or the EICR.

Please don’t worry, we will never leave a dangerous situation for you – we will make it safe and advise you. A return job will be booked in.

Limitations of testing

Within the time allowed, we take an initial sample of 10% of sockets, switches & pendants and increase the sample rate if we find problems. This could extend the inspection time & cost. We will contact you at this point before proceeding further and await your order.

Test all circuits except where access is limited or special equipment is required. Such as confined spaces.

Test above 2.5m from floor level.

We will not test any circuits where high-level/special access is required without prior arrangement, or move furniture to access switches and sockets.

We will test all circuits where possible. If unable to locate unknown loads or accessories, a LIM (limitation) will be noted and may require further investigation as a further job.

Assume access to all areas and accessories for testing purposes. The test does not include remedial work. For circuits where it is impractical to remove loads, such as fluorescent lighting, transformers and fans, we will test live and neutral to earth to gain a result. Only test up to a point of isolation and do not remove any appliances or connections.

Other usual BS7671/2022 limitations apply and are available upon request. The report is issued in ECA or Certsuite PDF format only.