Southern Electric Free Wiring check, ahem

jubilee12

Have been kindly directed here by Utitilites posters. Would be interested in knowing what people think of this (and if anyone is electrically minded, all the better):

Supply and fit new consumer unit with individual shock protection
Rewire lighting circuit and fit 1PX rated down lighters in bathroom
Fit spur and point for immersion heater circuit and CH fused spur
Investigate and rectify wiring issue with electric shower
All electrical work carried out to 17mm? Addition BS7671 guaranteed ten years
Prices include 15% discount
House built around 1969
*Think* its cartridge fuses in fusebox

£2975.75 plus VAT £595.15

keystone

jubilee12 wrote: »

All electrical work carried out to 17mm? Addition BS7671

17th Edition BS7671. Its the current verson of the Wiring Regs.

Is this "quote" handwritten? Just because you have 1969 wiring doesn't mean its not OK. The 17th isn't retrospective (nor were the 16th, 15th etc either). If this results from a free inspection which is normally a licence to find stuff that "needs" doing I'd get a second opinion.

If its handwritten how come a company like Southern Electric are suddenly doing handwritten quotes and how come he is offering a 15% discount just like that. Sounds like a homer to me. Defo get a 2nd quotation.

Cheers

Owain_Moneysaver

jubilee12 wrote: »

Have been kindly directed here by Utitilites posters. Would be interested in knowing what people think of this (and if anyone is electrically minded, all the better):

Supply and fit new consumer unit with individual shock protection

What does that mean - RCBOs for each individual circuit (best) or MCBs with an RCD for each group of circuits (not best, but acceptable)

jubilee12 wrote: »

Rewire lighting circuit and fit 1PX rated down lighters in bathroom
Fit spur and point for immersion heater circuit and CH fused spur

Immersion should not be on a spur but should have its own radial circuit.

jubilee12 wrote: »

Investigate and rectify wiring issue with electric shower
All electrical work carried out to 17mm? Addition BS7671 guaranteed ten years
Prices include 15% discount

Price inflated by 20% before discount.

jubilee12 wrote: »

House built around 1969
*Think* its cartridge fuses in fusebox

£2975.75 plus VAT £595.15

IMHO on the high side especially as it's not stated how many points you will be getting. owever your house construction might be difficult to rewire or you might have a larger house. I'd say on the high side for a typical 2/3 bed semi.

dil1976

Before you part with your money, it may be worth paying independently for a electrical installation condition report from a local recommended electrician. Would cost no more than a about £200 top and would give you a better idea of what "NEEDS" doing and what you don't need doing.

As has already been said these are very often done only to create work for themselves.

jubilee12

Many thanks everyone, v helpful

The technical details - arrgh - don't know, sorry. (Actually my mum's house and she's not local). However the electrical installation condition report sounds like a good idea.

Could you please tell me what to look out for, to tell the electrician's a good 'un - unfortunately can't get a local recommendation. Are electricians registered, as gas fitters are corgi registered?

dil1976

Well you could try one of the scam sorry scheme providers, NICEIC, Elecsa, or Napit.


Although you don't have to be registered with any of them to carry out the EICR. Maybe you could look in local press(parish magazines etc) for one.

baldelectrician

You should use a competent person for the work, links below
In Scotland:
Individuals registered;
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/ListAC.asp
Companies
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/SearchCo.asp?T=Construction&ID=2
In England and Wales:
http://www.competentperson.co.uk

I am doing a full rewire next week in a house with 60's wiring, the existing electrics are pretty poor as there is a fair bit of bad diy.
The full rewire is less than what you have been quoted

I reckon you may get by with a consumer unit, bonding upgrade and smoke alarms, assuming the tests are ok.

fluffpot

Even I think that's expensive and I'm not cheap!

Assuming it's a normal sized house I would have allowed 1 day for the testing/fault finding and 1 day for fuse board upgrade. Even being generous an extra day for the other stuff (which might not need doing - if the bathroom ceiling is more than 2.25 m high then don't need IP rated lights...)

So my bill would be still less than half of what you've been quoted... and I'm not VAT registered. Get some other prices...

I'm in London BTW