Ryan, RM Electrical NAPIT registered electrician, South Wales
Most people searching for an electrician’s hourly rate actually want to know one thing: what will my job cost? An hourly rate cannot tell you that, because you do not know how many hours it will take, and neither does anyone who has not seen it.
That is why RM Electrical prices by the job. You get a figure for the work before it starts, and that is the figure you pay.
Guide prices for common jobs
| Job | From |
|---|---|
| Home EV charger, fitted | £850 + VAT (£1,020 inc VAT) |
| New consumer unit (fuse board) | £600 + VAT (£720 inc VAT) |
| Full rewire | £4,000 + VAT (£4,800 inc VAT) |
| EICR / electrical safety certificate | £175 + VAT (£210 inc VAT) |
| Outdoor socket | £100 + VAT (£120 inc VAT) |
| Power to a shed or garden room | Surveyed — the trench decides it, not the cable |
| Garden and outdoor lighting | Surveyed |
For the two biggest jobs there are estimators that ask a few questions and send the whole job to Ryan, so his first reply is a price and not twenty questions: rewire and EV charger.
Why a fixed price beats an hourly rate
You know the cost before you commit. On an hourly rate, a slow day, a stuck floorboard or a second trip to the wholesaler is on you. On a fixed price, it is not.
It is comparable. Two quotes of £X and £Y for the same job can be compared. Two hourly rates cannot, because one electrician might take twice as long as the other.
Nothing is hidden in the materials. A job price includes the parts. An hourly rate plus “materials at cost” is how small jobs end up costing more than expected.
What makes a job cost more
- Getting to the cable. Solid stone walls, concrete floors and finished kitchens take longer to work through than plasterboard and open floor voids.
- The state of what is there. Adding to an old installation often means putting right what is behind it first, like missing earthing or an old fuse box.
- Certification. Notifiable work in Wales, such as a new circuit or a consumer unit, has to be tested, certificated and notified to building control. That is part of the job, and part of the price.
- Access. A loft with no boards, or a garage at the bottom of a long garden, adds time.
Small jobs
Small jobs, like a light fitting, an extra socket or a faulty switch, are usually priced from a photo or a quick description. Sending a picture on WhatsApp is often enough to get a straight figure without anyone coming out first.
Questions people ask
Do you charge a call-out fee?
Pricing is by the job, and you get the figure before any work starts. If a visit is needed to price something properly, you are told up front whether it is charged.
Is it cheaper to buy the parts myself?
Sometimes, but not often. Trade prices on most fittings are close to or below retail, and if a part you bought fails, the fitting has to be paid for twice. For light fittings you have chosen yourself, that is fine: say so when you ask for the price.
Are these prices with VAT?
The guide prices on this site are ex VAT. The written price you get says clearly whether VAT applies.
No prices on this page are guesses, because there are none. Ryan prices every job himself, in writing, after seeing it.
Keep reading
- How much does a rewire cost? Full and partial rewire prices by house size, and what moves them.
- Consumer unit replacement cost, and do you need one? What a new fuse board costs, what you get, and the signs you need one.
- How much does an EV charger cost to install? Fitted prices for untethered, tethered and solar chargers, and what adds to them.