ElectriciansOnCall

Electricity can kill. Electricity is now the major cause of accidental fires in UK homes. Government statistics show that electricity causes more than 20,000 fires a year - almost half of all accidental UK house fires. Each year, about 70 people are killed and 350,000 are seriously injured due to an electrical accident in the home.

Modern living has meant we use more and more electrical appliances in the home. For instance, just 20 years ago the average UK home had a hi-fi system and one TV or video, whereas today it is more likely that there are at least two TVs, a DVD player, a satellite receiver, games console, microwave and computer. So the risk of electrical accidents in the home is much higher than before. We are happy to carry out all domestic inspection, testing and installation work. All new installation work carried out by us will also be covered by a 6 year insurance backed guarantee for total peace of mind.

We are fault finding specialists, with 5 local offices throughout our working area we are normally able to reach you within 2 hours, 24 hours a day. We offer a complete round the clock callout service with no call out charges, we charge a fixed price based upon a half hourly rate which you are informed of prior to sending our engineer. No hidden extras and no additional costs. We operate 7 days a week 24 hours a day. We don't use call centres or out of hours companies, when you call your local number you will be speaking directly to the engineer on call for your area. The only time you will get an answerphone message is if the engineer for your area is on the phone or, out of signal area, just leave a message and they will return your call. They will be happy to offer free advice where required, arrange an appointment for a free quotation or offer you an immediate response for an electrical fault.

All our staff are fully employed, uniformed and insured. We are fully approved by NICEIC for compliance to Part P of the Building Regulations and certification is always included within any quotation for new installation work. In addition, we offer a comprehensive, 6 year, insurance underwritten guarantee on all new installation work for total peace of mind. We are proud to be Kent's premier and most accredited electrical contractors and will always try to exceed your expectations.

Buying or selling a property is a stressful enough experience without the potential delays that could be forced upon you by the other side demanding checks are carried out to the electrical installation. All electrical installations deteriorate with age and use and although legally a Domestic Electrical Installation Condition Report is not required prior to selling a property, more and more potential buyers are insisting upon it before they complete.

If any Part P notifiable work has been carried out since 2005 a record of this work should be available from the local authority, that is of course if the homeowner was aware that this work should have been certified to them in the first place, and of course, if the electrician that carried out the work issued the required certification.

Although these regulations were introduced in 2005 they were not heavily advertised at the time and the consequences of not having a properly registered electrician carrying out notifiable work was hardly mentioned. The majority of householders simply carried on doing their own electrical work or having a friend of a friend do it for them. Only now that they are trying to sell the property does this uncertified work come to light.

The consequences of uncertified work can be quite serious, should an electrical fire happen within the property, the local fire investigation officer will file a report with the homeowners insurance company as a standard part of the claim, the first thing the insurance company will do is check with the local authority that any notifiable works carried out since 2005 were properly certified, if the relevant certificates are not filed with the local authority the insurance company could claim the works were unsafe and not carried out by a properly competent person and refuse to pay out on the claim. This of course is a worst case scenario; there can be much more likely problems that can occur when the electrical installation within a home has been worked on by an unregistered or incompetent person.

Badly installed or extended circuits can be a fire hazard, cables installed that are not fit for purpose can burn through or melt causing damage to the property as well as the electrical installation. The most common situation however, are faults occurring through the property that could initially be intermittent and almost impossible to find, the constant inconvenience of the electrics tripping could indicate a much larger problem just around the corner.

As a homeowner that's selling, or as a potential buyer the only way to be sure is to have an electrical inspection carried out, although it's impossible to examine in detail every inch of cable installed within the property it will certainly ascertain whether the installation has been changed from its original design or circuits have been added or extended. Testing of the circuits within the property will also indicate if they have been installed safely and are still in a condition for continued use.

Once the inspection and testing procedure has been completed a comprehensive report is then issued to the person ordering the inspection, should any deviations to the current wiring regulations be found a covering letter explaining these deviations is included together with a complete written quotation for any remedial works that may be required in order to bring the installation up to a safe standard.

A Domestic Electrical Installation Condition Report from ElectriciansOnCall will:

Reveal if any of your electrical circuits or equipment is overloaded.

Find any potential electric shock risks and fire hazards.

Identify any defective electrical work.

Highlight any lack of earthing or bonding.

The adequacy of earthing and bonding.

The suitability of the switchgear and control gear. For example, an old fusebox with wooden back, cast-iron switches, or a mixture of both will need replacing.

The serviceability of switches, sockets and lighting fittings. Items that may need replacing include: older round-pin sockets, round light switches, cables with fabric coating hanging from ceiling roses to light fittings, black switches and sockets mounted in skirting boards.

The type of wiring system and its condition. For example, cables coated in black rubber were phased out in the 1960s. Likewise cables coated in lead or fabric is even older and may well need replacing (modern cables use longer-lasting PVC insulation).

Sockets that may be used to supply portable electrical equipment for use outdoors, making sure they are protected by a suitable residual current device (RCD).

The presence of adequate identification and notices.

The extent of any wear and tear, damage or other deterioration.

Any changes in the use of the premises that have led to, or may lead to, unsafe conditions.
All periodic inspection and testing should be carried out by experienced and competent electricians. They will check the condition of the electrics against the UK standard for the safety of electrical installations, BS 7671:2018 – IEE Wiring Regulations

The person ordering the inspection will then be issued with an Electrical Installation Condition Report detailing any observed damage, deterioration, defects, dangerous conditions and any non-compliance with the current safety standard that might give rise to danger. If anything dangerous or potentially dangerous is found, the overall condition of the electrical installation will be declared to be 'unsatisfactory', meaning that remedial action is required without delay to remove the risks to those in the premises.

ElectriciansOnCall have been carrying out these inspections for sellers, buyers and landlords since 1997, we have the relevant experience and professional qualifications to make sure that your purchase or sale is not held up unnecessarily. Should you require further information regarding the inspection of an electrical installation please feel free to contact your local office.

From initial design stage to final commissioning we can tailor a package to suit each individual client. We currently advise and install for a number of leading high street retailers, they trust us to make the right recommendations and decisions regarding their electrical installations. In some cases we have created complete new concepts including mood lighting within customer areas to bespoke lighting within private pool complexes. The range of our experience allows us to make informed decisions based on the needs and specifications of the client.

We offer an exceptional after care package individually suited to each customer and budget, coupled with the fact that we offer a 24 hour, 7 day a week callout service leaves our clients in no doubt that should the worst happen they can be comfortable in the knowledge that an engineer can be dispatched immediately to rectify the problem.

We also offer fantastic packages for residential and care homes as well as managed blocks and estates that include a regular periodic inspection of your fixed installation. We are also capable of designing, installing, testing and commissioning emergency lighting systems to BS5266-6:2016 and fire detection systems to BS5839-1:2019 in all commercial premises and can provide log books for on site compliance if required.

ElectriciansOnCall are proud to be Kent’s premier and most accredited electrical contractor. We are now registered with the UK government to supply and install electric vehicle charging points at your home or place of work. Our registration also allows us to install charging points for private companies, as well as local authorities. We have an ongoing commitment to keep up with new technology and customer demand, more and more clients are expecting us to be able to deliver new and innovative products and we are happy to announce this new service as part of our extensive domestic and commercial installation portfolio.

As the number of electric vehicles on UK roads rapidly increases, EV charging becomes an ever more important aspect of car ownership. With considerations as power, connector type, and of course, the electric vehicle type to bear in mind.

Smoke alarms or detectors are devices that are able to detect smoke or fire, giving an audible alarm as a result. They are fantastic at detecting a fire in its early stages, allowing you adequate warning to evacuate before inhaling any harmful gases. Smoke inhalation is the primary cause of fatality when it comes to fire-related deaths. In fact, in the majority of cases, the victims are asleep when the smoke enters their lungs, cementing the absolute requirement for smoke alarms.

Heat detectors and alarms

Heat alarms are installed in kitchens and garages, where smoke or fumes are part of the atmosphere, to prevent false alarms.

CO2 detectors and alarms

Carbon monoxide (CO) has been called the "silent" and "invisible killer" because it's a scentless, colourless, and tasteless toxic gas. Any time you burn something like petrol, natural gas, wood, oil, propane, or charcoal carbon monoxide is released into the air. In outdoor spaces, this usually isn't a health hazard because there is enough area to dissipate and particles never amount to a toxic level. The danger comes when carbon monoxide is released in a contained area like your home.
Smoke and heat alarms provide a vital early warning and can allow extra time to escape if there is a fire in your home. Ideally you need multiple, linked smoke alarms for your property to be properly covered. For example, if a smoke alarm is only fitted in the hallway, should a fire start in the bedroom the occupant's life may already be at risk before the alarm would activate. Since October 2015, landlords are legally required to install smoke alarms in rental properties and could face fines of up to £5000 if they fail to comply. There are many different types of smoke alarms available including strobe light and vibrating-pad alarms for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, joint smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and mains-powered alarms.

ElectriciansOnCall have been providing the supply, installation and maintenance of all types of detectors and alarm systems for over 20 years, these life saving devices are an essential in any home. Not many people are aware that although you might change the battery regularly within your alarm the detector itself will need changing every 10 years. We are able to undertake both domestic and commercial alarm and detection work and are fully conversant with most manufacturers products, we have the experience and expertise available to make sure your kept as safe as possible and should an event occur our systems will give you adequate warning.

Since the turn of the century when we first started to use electricity in our homes the amount of electrically powered devices we use day to day has steadily increased. Unfortunately, this increase in demand requires an upgrade of the electrical system and all too often domestic installations are poorly designed, installed or maintained. The single most important piece of electrical equipment in your home is your fusebox or consumer unit, this item is responsible for your safety and should the worse happen can actually be responsible for saving your life.

Fuseboxes or consumer units come from a variety of manufactures and are made of several different materials, regardless of age they are generally made up from 2 different types, those with fuse carriers and fuse wire or fuses and those with circuit breakers.

Most people are amazed to find out that these type of rewirable fuses offer NO PROTECTION against electric shock, they only protect the circuit. As you can see from the photograph below they are made from plastic that can be damaged by heat over time as well as the risk of the wrong fuse wire being installed. Older style fuseboxes have ceramic or Bakelite fuse carriers. These fuseboxes started being installed in homes over 60 years ago when the amount of appliances and type of lighting were very different to today's modern electrical items. In addition, the majority of this type of fusebox also have a wooden frame or back box adding to an already risky fire hazard. If you have this type of fusebox installed contact your local office today and arrange an appointment for one of our engineers to call and advise you about upgrading this item.

Although this type of device might seem a modern equivalent to rewirable fuses they have actually been around for over 30 years, over time they can break down, overheat or generally not behave as they should. There is also the chance that new circuits have been added over time and overloaded these already old breakers. Testing is available to check the integrity of your installed breakers for your total peace of mind.

A professionally installed & certified consumer unit WILL improve your electrical safety as well as checking the integrity of the existing circuits in your property from the inspection and testing phase of the installation. For more information regarding upgrading your fusebox/consumer unit including all certification and Part P Building Regulations compliance contact your local office today.