EICR Electrical Inspection and Testing FAQs
Here at Smart Electrician one of the key services that we provide is EICR’s in Sheffield, Rotherham, Chesterfield and the surrounding areas. An Electrical Installation Conditioning Report (EICR) is an essential service which needs to be carried out on your home at certain intervals.
We’ve put together this short blog post to assist you when booking and understanding the EICR process.
Q. What is the meaning of an EICR?
A. EICR stands for an Electrical Installation Conditioning Report
Q. What is an EICR?
A. An EICR or Electrical Installation Condition Report is an 8-page report issued following a full inspection and test of the electrical installations of your house or workplace premises.
As part of the periodic inspection process, qualified electricians will check your electrics are well-maintained and safe for continued use. Once the inspection has taken place and any defects rectified you will be issued with the SATISFACTORY report.
Q. Who can issue an EICR?
A. Electrical inspection and testing should only be carried out by electrically competent, qualified electricians. All of our testing engineers at Smart Electricians are trained to City & Guilds 2395 Inspection and Testing level.
Q. Why would I need an electrical installation condition report
A. Although an EICR is not legally required, you are required to make sure your electrical systems are safe as should there be an accident, you have to prove you did everything within your power to prevent it. Many property owners are bound by legal obligations to their staff, customers or tenants which can be met by an EICR inspection. Relevant legislation could include the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 or The Landlords and Tenants Act (1985). You also may require this service if you wish to buy, sell or renovate a property.
Q. Who would need an EICR?
A. EICR’s are for any buildings or premises which have electrical Installations. They are used by business owners, homeowners, landlords and authorities which manage a variety of public buildings, such as schools, churches and leisure centres etc. More often than not an EICR is requested as documented proof that the on-site electrics are safe.
Q. How often should an EICR be undertaken?
A. For domestic premises, EICRs should be undertaken Every 10 Years for a privately owned property and every 5 years for a rented property.
Q Will our property be without power during the EICR?
A. Power isolation is to be expected on all of the power circuits when undertaking an EICR, The power isolation can be planned to a scheduled time for any circuits that need critical power.
Q. How long does it take to undertake an EICR?
A. The average estimated time to undertake an EICR is approximately 4 hours depending on the size of your property and the number of circuits. We typically schedule EICR,s for 08:00 or 12:30 time slots.
Q Who is responsible for having EICR’s undertaken in a rented property?
A. As a landlord you have a duty of care to ensure the property meets the current regulations and is safe for continued use, if you are renting a property and you have concerns about the electrical installation you may organise an EICR to be undertaken but we will need written confirmation from the property owner before works can commence.
Q. What does the report include?
A. The report itself consists of an 8-page report that highlights any defects or deviations from the wiring regulations BS7671. The report comes with a defects list and each defect will have a fault code (see fault codes below). Accompanied with the final report you will be issued with a written quotation to rectify any of the defects.
Q. What are the Fault codes?
A. The list below describes the fault codes and highlights the extent of the danger.
- C1- ‘Danger is present’, risk of injury is likely and IMMEDIATE action is required.
- C2 -POTENTIALLY dangerous and remedial action is needed urgently.
- C3 -Improvement to your electrical system is recommended but not required. C3is the only fault code that can be issued on the report and the installation still be deemed satisfactory.
Q. How much does an EICR Cost?
A. A typical EICR would cost £180.00+VAT, costs may vary if a property has more than 1 consumer unit or more than 12 Circuits.
Q How can I book an EICR?
A. You can book an EICR by calling 03300432031 or use our online booking form on our website.https://smartelectricians.co.uk/electrical-testing-eicr/
Need help with a electrical testing report?
We hope that this blog post has helped you with understanding Electrical Installation Condition Reports, Our team are ready to take your booking or assist you with any further queries. Call 0330 043 2031 or email [email protected]