In this blog I am going to speak about the importance of choosing a registered electrician to carry out work in your home or business in Maidstone.
The electrical installation of a home or business often gets forgotten about. The focus is on the comfy sofa or sprawling kitchen.. that is until things start to trip, or a smell of fish arises! The smell comes from the chemicals and plastics melting!
We hope you find the below guide useful in selecting a registered electrician, PBA Electrical & Renewables ltd are of course registered and we hope you may consider us for your electrician in Maidstone needs!
Why does my electrician need to be registered?
An electrical installation that is properly installed, checked, and signed off significantly reduces danger to life with electrical shocks and danger to your bank balance when things go wrong! Even if you think that the work you are having done can be carried out by someone not registered, here’s a few things to consider:
- Are they members of an association such as the NICEIC who will regularly assess their work, both practical and behind the scenes.
- Are they fully insured? Without the correct insurance, should there be any damage to your property, you will not be able to make a claim against the
electrician. - Do they work to BS7671 safety standard? This applies to the design, selection, erection and verification of electrical installations within residential
and commercial properties. - Your home is your largest asset. Protect your family and your home, ensure you ask questions!
How to choose an electrician
If you have ever asked for a recommendation on a social media platform you were probably inundated with offers of the ‘best electrician’ or ‘wont be beaten on price’ company.
There are a few things to consider when choosing an electrician:
- Check their website and have a look at the type of work they have carried out
- Google the company name you have been recommended. You can find google reviews of work carried out and get a good feel for their reputation.
- Check that they are registered with a body such as NICEIC or NAPIT.
- Check they have public liability insurance – we cannot stress this enough!
The quoting stage
*This is based on a medium to large scale project* So, you’ve selected 3 electricians who you would like to quote for your work. We do suggest 3 quotes to all our clients, this will give you a good idea of the different services on offer to you.
Here are some top tips to consider:
- Make sure you meet the electrician. Many companies subcontract out their work. You want to make sure you have a good rapport with the lead
electrician. - If you have a list of jobs, write them down. Its easy to get carried away when you have someone in your home and before you know it you’ve rewired your house!
- Ask to see examples of previous work and ask if they have worked in the local area – you might just have a neighbour who had work completed by them.
- Find out which governing body they are a member of, its easy to confirm this by checking the governing bodies website.
Other things to consider when choosing an electrician
If you are having for example a new kitchen, you must check that the electrician the kitchen fitters are using are registered.
Most successful electrical contractors are VAT registered.
If you are having an EV Charger installed, please make sure the electrician you are using has the correct training to install the charger, without the training they will be unable to commission the unit for you.
Building regulations - Your electrician will check if the work you are planning comes under the requirements of building regulations. They will issue the relevant certificates and sign off the work. Only a registered electrician can do this.
If you want to speak to a qualified electrician in Maidstone, call us today on 01732 247237 or use our contact form.
