Do I need a registered electrician?

For small jobs the law does not require it, but notifiable work, such as a new circuit or a consumer unit change, has to be certified by a registered competent person or signed off by Building Control. Most homeowners find it simpler to use a registered electrician.

How often should the wiring be tested?

The usual guidance is every ten years for an owner-occupied home and at least every five years for a rented one, and also when a house is sold or has had major changes.

Does a new consumer unit have to be metal?

In homes it must be made of non-combustible material, which in practice means metal. This has been the rule since Amendment 3 of BS 7671 in 2015.

Why does my board keep tripping?

An RCD or breaker trips because it has sensed a fault, such as a leak of current to earth or an overload. Resetting it again and again hides the cause. An electrician tests the circuit to find which appliance or cable is at fault.

Can I do my own electrical work?

Some minor jobs are allowed, but notifiable work still needs to be tested and signed off, and a mistake can start a fire. Most people hire an electrician for anything beyond changing a fitting.

What should a written quote include?

The work described in plain words, parts and labour, VAT, the time it will take, the testing and certificate, and anything that is left out.

Chesterfield, Brampton, Hasland, Staveley, Dronfield

Electrician in Chesterfield: rewires, consumer units, EV chargers and landlord reports

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What the job involves and the paperwork to expect

Six common jobs, what an electrician does for each and the certificate you should be given at the end.

Job	What is involved	Paperwork
Consumer unit (fuse box) change	A new board with RCD protection. The power is off for part of a day.	Electrical Installation Certificate, and a Building Regulations certificate because the work is notifiable.
Full or partial rewire	Old cables replaced, usually with plastering and redecorating to follow.	Electrical Installation Certificate and a Building Regulations certificate.
New circuit or extra socket	A cable route, a free way in the board and testing of the circuit.	Minor Works Certificate for an addition to a circuit, a full certificate for a new circuit.
EV charger at home	A dedicated circuit from the board and a check of the earthing.	Electrical Installation Certificate and a Building Regulations certificate.
Landlord report (EICR)	Inspection and testing of the whole installation. Some power off, no rewiring.	An EICR with observation codes and a clear satisfactory or unsatisfactory result.
Fault finding, lights and switches	Testing to find the fault, then the repair.	An invoice, or a Minor Works Certificate if circuits were changed.

Landlord? Your next electrical report

Rented homes in England need an electrical installation condition report at least every five years. Enter the date of the last one and what it said.

Date of the last report

What it said

Unsatisfactory means at least one C1, C2 or FI code.

Next report due by

Based on the rules for private rented homes in England. An example date is filled in. Your report may set a shorter interval.

Hands sorting a tangle of colourful electrical cables

Every cable has a job: good wiring is labelled, tested and certified

How much can a socket circuit carry?

Switch on what could run at the same time on one circuit. The bar shows how much of a typical 32 A socket circuit it uses.

Appliances

Load on the circuit

A 32 A circuit carries about 7,360 W at 230 V. A guide, not a calculation: the cable, the route and the protection decide what a circuit can really take.

Reading a landlord report

An electrical installation condition report lists what the electrician found with one of four codes.

Danger present

Risk of injury. The electrician makes it safe on the spot or asks you to switch the circuit off.

Potentially dangerous

Urgent remedial action needed. The report is unsatisfactory while a C2 is open.

Improvement recommended

Not dangerous now. A C3 on its own does not make a report unsatisfactory.

Further investigation

Something could not be checked. The report is unsatisfactory until it is.

From the first call to the certificate

What a properly done job looks like, in the order it happens.

Yellow-handled pliers cutting a blue electrical cable — Cutting to length is the easy part. Testing is the job.

Look and quoteA visit or a call, the work described in plain words and a written quote with what is left out.
Isolate and workThe circuit is switched off and proved dead before anyone touches a cable.
TestInsulation, continuity, earth fault loop and RCD tests are done and the readings written down.
CertificateAn Electrical Installation Certificate or a Minor Works Certificate with the test results.
NotifyNotifiable work, such as a new circuit or a consumer unit, is registered through the electrician's scheme or Building Control.

Chesterfield and the towns around it

Distances are in a straight line from the town centre. Type your postcode in the quote form to check yours.

S40Chesterfield town centrecentre
S40Brampton0.9 mi
S41Newbold1.4 mi
S41Hasland1.4 mi
S40Walton1.5 mi
S44Calow1.6 mi
S43Brimington1.9 mi
S42Wingerworth2.3 mi
S41Old Whittington2.3 mi
S42Grassmoor2.9 mi
S42Holymoorside2.9 mi
S42Tupton3.4 mi
S43Staveley3.8 mi
S45Clay Cross4.9 mi
S18Dronfield5.0 mi
S44Bolsover5.7 mi
S21Eckington5.9 mi

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a registered electrician?: For small jobs the law does not require it, but notifiable work, such as a new circuit or a consumer unit change, has to be certified by a registered competent person or signed off by Building Control. Most homeowners find it simpler to use a registered electrician.
How often should the wiring be tested?: The usual guidance is every ten years for an owner-occupied home and at least every five years for a rented one, and also when a house is sold or has had major changes.
Does a new consumer unit have to be metal?: In homes it must be made of non-combustible material, which in practice means metal. This has been the rule since Amendment 3 of BS 7671 in 2015.
Why does my board keep tripping?: An RCD or breaker trips because it has sensed a fault, such as a leak of current to earth or an overload. Resetting it again and again hides the cause. An electrician tests the circuit to find which appliance or cable is at fault.
Can I do my own electrical work?: Some minor jobs are allowed, but notifiable work still needs to be tested and signed off, and a mistake can start a fire. Most people hire an electrician for anything beyond changing a fitting.
What should a written quote include?: The work described in plain words, parts and labour, VAT, the time it will take, the testing and certificate, and anything that is left out.

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