There is no other option for you than hiring a skilled, qualified and experienced electrician to run a full upgrade of the electrical wiring. The same goes for carrying out routine electrical safety checks too. These factors automatically bring up the obvious question – what is the standard hourly rate of a qualified electrician as far as the UK is concerned. The standard hourly rate of a qualified electrician in the UK is around £45 although this figure is likely to vary under certain circumstances. Now you must be wondering what those circumstances are. In the following section of the post let us explore few relevant facts that help figuring out a realistic budget for the electrical job that you need to get done. It is important to note that the prices mentioned here are only estimates and are current to the year 2024.A brief idea about hourly rates of licensed electricians near you
As far as the UK is concerned, electricians either charge you on basis of an hourly rate or quote a fix fee for a specific job. Usually these professionals prefer quoting a fixed price for a given job as that allows them to include any additional labour or materials that may be required. But in the opinion of highly trained and experienced electricians in London when you take the pain of understanding an hourly rate for electricians it actually provides you with a better idea about their costing.
The average hourly rates for electrician’s jobs
It is important to start with the fact that as far as the UK is concerned the average cost of electrician per hour is not uniform and rather it varies depending on certain factors like –
- How experienced an electrician is and
- Exactly where in the UK an electrician is working
In order to execute a job quickly an electrician may also include an apprentice or another electrician to help him out. If a customer wants a job finished quickly or beyond normal business hours – like over the weekend or in the evening – then obviously he has to pay more the usual charges. Here is a useful calculator to average hourly cost of hiring electrical contractors in the UK –
Average cost of electrician’s jobs in the UK |
The standard rate across the UK is £45 an hour. |
This Figure Rises To £60 An Hour When London and the South East UK is concerned. |
The rate further inflates to £80 an hour for emergency situations. |
Out of hours rate hovers around £60 and £80 an hour. |
The minimum call out charge or rate for the first hour of service ranges from £80 to £100. |
Day long rate ranges from £300 to £360. |
The cost of replacing a light fitting ranges from £80 to £100 |
The cost of replacing a fuse box ranges from £500 to £700. |
The cost of getting an electrical safety certificate is usually £220. |
The cost of a socket installation ranges from £100 to £130. |
Hourly cost for emergency electrician’s jobs
If you discover an electrical fault with an electrical appliance that is potentially dangerous or suffer unexplained power cuts in those circumstances you may have to call out an emergency electrician service to look into the matter. As far as the price list of any emergency electrician is concerned the cost is usually higher and they have a valid reason for that. They may have to reschedule other appointments to attend your job or they may have to attend your job at odd hours beyond the normal business hours. As it has already been mentioned in the table above, emergency electricians in the UK usually charge £80 hourly to provide their service.
Hourly cost of electricians providing “out of the standard business hours” service
Considering your hectic schedule at workplace you may have to ask an electrician to come over at the weekend or in the evening. Normal business hours or working hours of these professionals is 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays that is Monday to Friday. The standard hourly price of an electrician during the normal working hours is between £60 and £80. If you have to call an electrician beyond the normal working hours then you are likely to pay more than the standard hourly rate of an electrician in London or anywhere else for that matter.
Usual cost of common electrician jobs
- Rewiring a house
Outdated electrical wiring poses a massive threat to both lives and other assets inside a property. Moreover you invariably end up paying more your electrical utility bills when you have an outdated wiring in place. The cost of rewiring any property always varies depending on certain factors – like its size, location and age to name a few. On an average estimation the cost of rewiring a small house or a flat is around £4000 whereas for a large house the cost may go up to £10,000.
- Replacing a fuse box
If you experience flickering lights or the light sockets do not seem to be working in the manner those should then those could be signs the existing fuse box needs an immediate replacement. Replacing a fuse box or consumer unit (CU) is a day-long job and the standard cost that electricians charge ranges from £500 to £700.
- Replacing a light fitting
Replacing a light fitting on the ceiling or on a wall is comparatively a simple job and does not require much time. An experienced electrician can easily complete the task under an hour. The cost involved for this job could either the minimum call out charge plus the cost of the new light fitting that is installed. The standard electrician’s price for the work is supposed to be as meagre as £45 while the cost of the light fitting will depend on the quality you choose.
- An electrical socket installation
At times you may require installing a new mains outlet as well as relocating an existing one. These tasks require the intervention of a licensed electrician like electric works london. Installing a new double power socket in the wall is more or less an easy job and the cost will range from £100 to £130.
- An electric shower installation
With an electrical shower you always have the option of fitting the gadget using only the cold water supply and not the hot water one. The price an electrician near me quotes for the job hovers around £350 and it is important mentioning that this is a day-long job. The cost mentioned here is only the labour cost and the cost of the hardware will be separate. The task may also require involvement of a plumber.