So how do you find an electrician? An electrician is a person who installs and maintains electrical equipment. To find an electrician is a little bit complex as there is legislation in place that states certain jobs need what is referred to as a "Competent Person".
Hiring an Electrician
Faulty wiring is a fire waiting to happen - reason enough to hire an electrician. When you are looking to hire an electrician, you need to consider the new legal requirement to employ what is referred to as a competent person for certain jobs.
What does 'competent person' mean?
Since January 2005 there are new safety requirements for electricians, in Part P of the Building Regulations. Essentially this means if you are planning to extend or alter the electrics in your home, such as providing extra sockets in the kitchen, you need to hire a competent electrician.
For an electrician to be a competent electrician they must be registered with a scheme that has been approved by The Department for Communities and Local Government - advice on Part P and Competent Person schemes.
What work do you want the Electrician to do?
If you are planning a full re-wire it's advisable to think extensively about how you want the system to work, what appliances you want to use and lighting solutions. It can be complicated so if you have thought about it beforehand, your electrician will be able to provide a better solution.
If an architect is planning any of your building works then the electrics will be included as part of the plans. The plans show outlet and switch locations as well as label fixture types. Often these plans are drawn up long before you've had a chance to pick the light fixtures, so you will need to supply your electrician with this information.
In order to help you decide on your electrics, you may like to draw a rough sketch of each room adding in light sockets, lights, etc. If you are carrying out extensive renovation work or if it's a new build, this might require lots of imagination but it's important you think about how the space will be used and the solutions required.
It's also important that you future proof your home and set up all the necessary cabling. This will allow you to add any extra fancy gadgets at a later stage - see our article on smart homes.
Find an Electrician
So how do you find an electrician:
Contact one of the Part P schemes - register "competent people"
Ask neighbours or friends for recommendations
Use JuggleFrogs local electrician search
If you can't find an electrician locally on JuggleFrogs you can let us know your requirements and we will try to source an electrician in your local area.
It's advisable when employing any tradespeople to get at least three quotes so you can really evaluate and make the best decisions. Base your choice on a combination of price, ability, experience and your impressions.
Each electrician will need to inspect the property, see your plans and discuss your thoughts in order to give a specific quote for the job. Questions to ask an electrician:
How long have they been in business?
Do they have recent references, preferably for similar works?
Are they registered with a Part P scheme, which scheme?
Do they have any relevant qualifications?
What price / rate will they charge?
Once you have chosen an electrician, set up a contract specifying the work to be done, cost, payment schedule, start date and estimated completion date.
If you are looking to find an electrician then best of luck in hiring them and if you are looking into becoming an electrician check out our guide - become an electrician!