Is my electrician’s quote fair? What UK homeowners should expect
How to judge a UK electrician’s quote: day rates, what a consumer unit or rewire should cost, the certificates you are paying for, and the red flags that mean a quote is padded or the electrician is not properly registered.
Electrical work is hard to price-check because so much of what you pay for is invisible (testing, certification, the safety of the installation) and the rest is behind the wall. That gap is where an unfair electrical quote hides. But electricians’ pricing follows a small number of patterns, and once you know them, a padded quote is easier to spot.
This guide covers day rates, what the common jobs should cost, the certificates you are paying for, and the red flags. For a full rewire, start with the house rewire cost guide, and for the general method, how to tell if a quote is too high.
Day rates and how jobs are priced#
A qualified electrician typically charges £200–£300 per day in 2026, higher in London and the South East. Smaller jobs are often a fixed price rather than a day rate, and emergency work may carry a call-out fee plus an hourly rate. Whichever model is used, the quote should let you reconcile the price to a believable amount of work. See builder day rates in the UK for how rates compare across trades.
What the common jobs should cost#
- Consumer unit (fuse board) replacement: typically £450–£700 including the unit, labour, testing, and certification.
- Adding a socket or two: usually a fixed price reflecting half a day or less, plus materials.
- Full rewire: priced by the size of the property and the number of circuits. See the house rewire cost guide for ranges.
A quote well above these for the same scope should itemise the reason: extra circuits, earthing and bonding upgrades, or making good after the work.
The certificates you are paying for#
Most notifiable electrical work is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations. A registered electrician (NICEIC, NAPIT, or a similar scheme) self-certifies the work, issues an Electrical Installation Certificate, and notifies Building Control for you. That certification should be inside the price, not an extra line added later. A condition report on existing wiring (an EICR) is a separate job you pay for on its own.
First fix and second fix#
On a renovation, electrical work splits into two stages: first fix (cabling and back boxes before plastering) and second fix (sockets, switches, fittings, and testing afterwards). A fair quote shows both, because pricing only one stage makes the headline look cheaper than the finished job will cost.
Red flags in electrical quotes#
- Not registered with a scheme. If the electrician cannot give an NICEIC, NAPIT, or equivalent registration number, you may have to pay separately for Building Control sign-off, and the work is harder to trust.
- Certification quoted as an extra. Self-certification should be part of the price for notifiable work, not a surprise line.
- A lump sum with no breakdown. You cannot verify labour, materials, testing, and certification if they are rolled into one figure.
- Cash-only with no certificate. Electrical work that is not certified is a problem when you sell the house and a danger in the meantime. See signs of a rogue builder.
Before you sign#
- Is the electrician registered with a recognised scheme?
- Is the quote itemised (labour, materials, testing, certification)?
- Does the day rate or fixed price reconcile to a believable amount of work?
- Is certification included rather than an added extra?
- For a renovation, are first fix and second fix both priced?
Once those check out, the question is whether the numbers themselves are fair. Paste or upload your electrician’s quote into Check the Quote and we benchmark every line against current UK rates for your postcode and flag anything above the fair range. Your first check is free.
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Paste any UK contractor quote and Check the Quote compares every line item against current market rates, flags missing scope, and runs a Companies House check on the contractor. Free on your first project.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an electrician charge per day in the UK?
- A qualified electrician typically charges £200–£300 per day in 2026, with London and the South East at the top of that range and beyond. Many price smaller jobs as a fixed price rather than a day rate, and some charge a call-out fee plus an hourly rate for emergency work. A quote that works out far above £300 per day, with no premium reason, is worth questioning.
- How much should it cost to replace a consumer unit (fuse board)?
- Replacing a consumer unit typically costs £450–£700 in 2026 including the unit, labour, testing, and certification, depending on the number of circuits and whether remedial work is needed to pass the required tests. A quote well above this should itemise why: extra circuits, additional earthing or bonding work, or making good after installation.
- What certificates should an electrician’s quote include?
- Most notifiable electrical work in a home is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations. A registered electrician (NICEIC, NAPIT, or similar) self-certifies the work and issues an Electrical Installation Certificate, and notifies Building Control on your behalf. The certificate should be included in the price, not an extra. For a condition report on existing wiring, you would pay separately for an EICR.
- What is the difference between first fix and second fix?
- First fix is the cabling, back boxes, and consumer unit work done before the walls are plastered. Second fix is fitting the sockets, switches, and light fittings, and final testing, once decoration is done. On a renovation, a fair quote shows both stages, because pricing only one of them makes the quote look cheaper than the full job will cost.
- How can I tell if an electrician is overcharging?
- Check that the quote is itemised (labour, materials, testing, certification), that the day rate or fixed price reconciles to a believable amount of work, and that the electrician is registered with a recognised scheme. A vague lump sum from an unregistered electrician is the combination to avoid: you cannot verify the price and you may have to pay separately for Building Control sign-off.