Can anyone confirm whether this quote is in the right ball park for some electrical work I need doing, Devon area.

1)Supply / Fit new consumer unit

2)Install radial supply to Cooker / Hob (about 10m from CU, plasterboard walls, FWIW)

3)Supply / fit extractor fan in bathroom (exisiting unit is alreasdy in place, but not rated for the zone it is in)

1st quote is ~£860 + VAT, which seems high to me.

Cheers,

The in-laws recently had their consumer unit replaced and that was around £500 IIRC supply/fit to give you some frame of reference.

I had a consumer unit done in a small flat a couple of years ago and it was £500+ iirc
That quote doesn’t look way out to me.

You could ask for a breakdown of parts and labour if you are feeling brave – or check screwfix and you do the math(s) 😀

Edit: Probably depends where you are too – if you are in Edinburgh, I can recommend someone.

Edit 2: A quick gander on Screwfix suggest that the parts should be no more than £250 tops including the vat

It depends how many ways your consumer unit is and whats’s involved, are there several isloators etc, cables may need extending, location etc.
But tops I’d say £350 its half a day at the most.
Cooker supply and isolator (MCB included above) tops £100
IP rated SELV fan can cost upto £150 ofr a decent one with a humidstat and around £75 to fit if the there’s an existing one in place.
Then a test and certificate say £35
Remember you have to be a competent person to carry the above work you describe, so if you DIY you need the work certified

We paid £350 including VAT for:

Supply and fit a new consumer unit
New socket and lighting circuits in kitchen including 6 spotlights (no making good, everything like that was done pre-plaster)

First quote was £1100 plus VAT or he’d do it £1000 for cash!

Exactly where is the fan located? It’s very unusual to require an ip rated fan. There are other options which may be suitable and certainly cheaper

too much tradesman bashing goes on on here. if you’re not happy, get more quotes, simple. peoples work standard varies wildly, i have used three electricians, 1 is more expensive than the rest, but fully accredited and meticulous, and very busy, 1 is in between, and one isn’t fully accredited and a bit rough to be honest. the expensive one does pays every year to join a trade organisation who log each of his jobs, and give a guideline price, and also sort out any disagreements between client and electrician.
also if someone charges 200 a day, its 52,000 a year gross, take out your tax, ni, sick pay, holidays, insurance, transport, tools etc etc, doesn’t leave you with much, does it?
i would imagine that some people on here are on fairly comfortable incomes, why shouldn’t tradesmen be on the same. i don’t that many plumbers/sparkies/brickies driving about in bmw/audi’s….
the bottom line is you get what you pay for, also try and get a recommendation from a friend, and get as many quotes as you can

Spchantler – Not my intention to start tradesman bashing, I’m an underpaid engineer myself so have no issues paying for a skilled tradesman. I’m also aware the CU has to be fitted *and* tested, which adds to the job.

I don’t however like being ripped off – so this thread was just to check ball park figures for the work. The house in question is a rental and the letting agent is arranging for the work to be done – the cynic in me suspects all work for rented properties / via letting agents has a certain “absent landlord” tax added :-0

Thanks for the replies so far.

Ah you are right to be concerned. Friend has a rented house and there is some clause about using their tradesmen. Luckily he knows enough so saves a bit.
Shop around.

Firstly, whereabouts are you?
Big difference in prices between, say, Fulham and Bradford.
I’d typically quote £3 – 350ish for a RCBO consumer unit (they’re the best), the other bits wouldnt add much more than £100.

Of course, each house is different, so to give an accurate price, I would have to see it.
If you are changing the CU, you may need a few other things doing too, certanly check the gas and water bonding, possibly upgrade the tails, then you do have to test each circuit, and rectify it if necessary. I generally include these in the price. Anything major woudl add extra, but generally most things are day to day problems, so not a problem to someone who knows what they are doing.
Alan (Leicester area)

Im in Leicestershire, but the house is in the South West.
The price quoted does not include re-fitting carpets, making good of plasterboard etc.

Sorry for the slight hijack.

But if I am planning to replace my current electric oven with a new one, will I need to have the CU upgraded to the current standard regulations.

The cooker in question is about 14 years old so I would be certain my CU does not meet current regs. Or will it be OK to just fit a new oven. I am not planning on doing any of the work myself 😀

1)Supply / Fit new consumer unit -£350

2)Install radial supply to Cooker / Hob (about 10m from CU, plasterboard walls, FWIW) -£150

3)Supply / fit extractor fan in bathroom (exisiting unit is alreasdy in place, but not rated for the zone it is in)-£125

Total of £625 + VAT

Rough prices, but I quote this stuff everyday.
Make sure the firm is an NICEIC Contractor and insist on certification on completion.

We are in Plymouth if you want a firm quote?

If it helps I’m getting a house rewired at the moment. It’s 3 stories and empty. 3 bed, 1 bathroom, 2 sitting rooms.

Largely leaving bottom floor alone but consumer unit is down there. Alarm keypad too.

Loads of sockets. Trunking for Tv’s in both sitting rooms, 2 wall lights, shotgun cable for cameras, alarm, SY cable to loft for Solar, etc. Electric fire points in each sitting room.

I’ve told them to just rough it back in as I’m using a plasterer.

£2300

Also quoted £2800 & verbally quoted £3500.

Cooker replacement – no, you do not have to upgrade your CU to the current standards, unless you are having a new circuit.
However, your earthing should be to the current standard. Generally that means a 10mm cable to the water and gas, and a 16mm one to the earthing terminal.
If the sparky is clued up, he can do an adiabatic equation to see if your current cable is large enough. Many sparkies will look at you blankly when you say that. They’ll then say “it says in the On-site-guide that you need 10mm etc”
Get rid of them sharply, they may well be good fitters, but fitting new cables when there is no need is showing a poor level of knowledge in my book.
Alan.

GJP – oven or cooker (i.e. oven plus hob)

OP – hope you don’t mind me piggybacking on your thread. If so just let me know and I will start a new one.

but ebygomm – no I am just talking of an integrated single oven NO hob. It looks like a minefield. My current oven is rated at 2.5KW some single ovens are below and above 3KW. Not sure if mine is hardwired or just with a 13amp plug.

Thanks all

Oven should be fine to just swap over without upgrading anything. Although our oven came with no cable and advised that only a qualified electrician should wire the cable and plug on…

Sounds reasonable to me. Full test on the property can be a pain ( if done properly) and would cost £150 alone. Certification should be done but no need for just Niceic, could also be one of the several other affiliated bodies that cover electrical installations.